Logging Food From Restaurants

ParanormaLauren

Hey Everyone,

Just looking for what you do when you go out to eat at a Mom and Pop that doesn't necessarily have "generic" sort of food. I'm finding that it's a bit of nightmare to try to log these meals and even the guesstimates don't really seem right when I try.

Thanks for the suggestions.

peterbuller8

Sometimes a guess is the only thing you can do and it's better than not logging anything.

NoAnalHere

It's haaard. But if you want that food settle for a good estimate and since we don't really know don't make it a frequent thing because then your overall calorie intake for the week is gonna be off. Once in a while is okay.

When guessing I log in possible oil, double portions size, look though MFP entries for something similar but doesn't have "serving size 1" more like the serving size in oz makes it easier to adjust because you know how much is on that plate.

cwolfman13

I don't eat out that often...when I was logging, I just took that opportunity to just eat what I wanted to eat at the restaurant and enjoy myself...it was pretty infrequent and had no material bearing on my weight loss.

janejellyroll

If I can find a database entry for a meal like it from a restaurant chain, I will use that. If I can't, then I'll usually log it by component and usually add extra calories as a buffer for underestimating. If I truly don't know what something is or what the components are (this is really rare), I will just quick add my best guess of what the calories were and realize it doesn't matter that much because it's a one time thing.

annacole94

Guess, look up similar things, and make good choices. No matter the cuisine, if it's deep fried... you know it's going to be high calorie. Same with swimming in a sweet or creamy sauce. Lean toward veggies and hope for the best. Eat reasonable (smaller than served, most likely) portions.

pezhed

Yes, eating out has become unfortunately stressful to me these days. But I generally type in what it was (for example, black bean burger) and then find one from a chain I feel like would have the most fattening version of it (for example, Fuddruckers). I can't really validate whether it works or not but I don't feel that the occasional meal out has completely derailed me.

gamerbabe14

I always look at the menu ahead of time to get an idea of what my options are. And then I typically only eat 50-75% of what's on my plate (or encourage my boyfriend to share with me). And do my best at logging it! I typically over estimate the calories just to be on the safe side.

fitmom4lifemfp

ParanormaLauren wrote: »

Hey Everyone,

Just looking for what you do when you go out to eat at a Mom and Pop that doesn't necessarily have "generic" sort of food. I'm finding that it's a bit of nightmare to try to log these meals and even the guesstimates don't really seem right when I try.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Honestly? I don't eat at those places when I am trying to lose.

ated217

If it's a mom n pop place, I usually search that meal and log one that says "homemade" I feel that being a small hometown place the food tends to be more on the homemade side rather than a big chain. And as almost everyone else said, as long as it's not an everyday thing if your estimate is off a little, it's going to be okay.

Alatariel75

I try and find something similar on the menu of a restaurant that does give calories. Failing that, I try and guestimate each of the individual components and just do my best. I tend to always add a tablespoon of oil to my guesses, just to be sure.