How do I lose weight working at a restaurant?

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Editme12
Editme12 Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started working at a big restaurant in August. And don't get me wrong, I struggled a bit with willpower before that point, but since then it's been damn near impossible for me. I've gained 10-15 pounds.

I get free bread and soup whenever I want, so yes I try to stay away from that now, but for me the bigger issue is I often get free food (like the good food from the kitchen). And I'm not one to lose out on free stuff. So then it comes the willpower of choosing the "better" options. But it's such a big menu, it's so difficult! I've tried bringing my own portioned food.... but how does that compare to a chicken parm sandwich?

So, anybody got any advice for me? I've found success with MFP before, even including eating out, but it's different when I have the option to eat out for free every time I go to work.
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Replies

  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    try to stop thinking of it as free stuff that needs to be consumed and stick to reasonable portions just once a shift...you are not livestock at a feeding trough
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    dealing with it myself. I walk 4 miles to and from work so when i do eat i can snack and be okay with it. And i try my damned hardest to throw out the mess up foods before i eat it....1 quick garbage dump is easier on me thn putting it in the back and waiting for someone thats not me to eat it. I also bring hard candies/mints in and drink tons of coffee.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
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    Restraint, only 1 person controls what goes into your mouth and that is you.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    deannalfisher wrote: »
    don't take free food just because its offered; plan your nutrition in advance - and log it - weight loss is calories in/calories out

    do you want the chicken parm sandwich or do you want to lose weight like you want?

    This pretty much sums it up. Which is more important to you, weight loss or a sandwich? As for the food being free, look at it this way, being overweight or obese puts you at risk for a whole host of medical problems including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. It'll take a ridiculous number of free sandwiches to cover the cost of just one of those conditions, not to mention the impact on your quality of life.
  • Rogstar
    Rogstar Posts: 216 Member
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    Ugh, I understand. "Free Food", "Open Bar", "Complimentary": these terms are the hardest for me to look away from. I was always taught to take advantage of these situations, especially when money was tight. I mean, why pay for food later today when I can eat all the foods now for free right? Of course, I'm also someone who takes the little toiletries from hotel rooms too...

    Anyway, when it comes to the food, you can still eat it. It just takes portion control and practice. If you're gaining weight, then you're just eating too much of it. Start off with eating only half of the portion you're given. Or, figure out what you really want of the dish. For example: with the chicken parmesan sandwich, do you really want all of the bread that makes up the sandwich? Can you get by with only eating the chicken? Maybe only eat the bottom half of the bread if you still want it. Eat a salad or roasted veggies with it instead of fries or chips, or no side at all. If you know the chef well, you could always ask to have an alternative, maybe breadless chicken (weird for chicken parm I know), or no cheese on the sandwich? It's all about choices.

    There's nothing wrong with eating at a restaurant, even if it's all the time. It's just going to take practice to learn what satisfies, satiates, and helps you stay under your allotted calories all at once. Maybe (if you feel comfortable) take a pocket scale to figure out what these dishes weigh to better estimate what you're actually consuming. Or take a meal home and deconstruct it from there.

  • amyteacake
    amyteacake Posts: 768 Member
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    I used to work in a cafe last year when I first started losing weight. It's hard not to take the free food sometimes. The amount of biscuits and milkshakes that I've eaten/drank is horrendous. And it was all because it was free and I was bored. But when I needed to make up my lunch or have it made for me I always tried my best to get the healthier option. I now work in, surprise surprise, another cafe. This one is a bit bigger than the one I worked in before and I'm usually dealing with cash and things in the office so I don't eat as much.

    Main thing to do is restrain yourself and try to find the healthier options on the menu.
  • JLASilver
    JLASilver Posts: 22 Member
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    I've worked in restaurants for 10 years and I'm currently out of operation and working in corporate for a big Food and Bev company. When I was younger and bartending I could eat and drink whatever I wanted and burned those calories working long, high volume shifts. Moving into management my weight slowly started to creep up until one day I was overweight working at a very looks-conscious restaurant in the Hamptons. A guest told me I needed to go on a diet. (Another story). Anyway now I am counting calories, packing my lunches, working out and I've cut down the drinking to one night a week.
    During a floor shift it's easy to get a lot of steps in but I know how famished you can feel after serving food for 8-10 hours. To combat weight gain many of my servers and managers pack their own food and snacks to avoid that free bread and soup. Willpower. But once you get in the habit of not indulging in the bread you stop craving it (mostly). I turn down a lot of free food these days to ensure I'm stay on track. I also eat out a lot so I'm not a shining example but I work in the industry and have to! So I save my extra calories for those meals out.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I think you have been snitching my fries on the way out of the kitchen!

    Free is good but bread is fattening and soup is loaded with salt. That's going to be a though combo to fit in.
  • Editme12
    Editme12 Posts: 71 Member
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    Thanks for the replies. I especially like the idea of changing the portion size of the free meals I get. Do I need the whole sandwich? Nope, I really, really do not. I've put aside half of some of the things I've ordered when I've gotten too full, but I'll try putting it aside BEFORE I'm "too full" so I can stop at satiated.
    Thankfully, being more mindful over the last month has mitigated some of the weight gain, plus walking around all day, to where I'm basically maintaining. I think these tips will help maybe slip that into a slow, gradual, loss.

    First world problems, complaining about too much opportunity for free food.
  • lgill1127
    lgill1127 Posts: 47 Member
    edited April 2017
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    My two cents:

    -Don't take free food, bring your own. It's the safest bet for staying on track. If you think that's not manageable now, maybe try the idea of "if I bring my own food 4 shifts in a row, I can have a nice restaurant meal on my 5th shift." Moderation is key, after all.

    Not in the industry anymore, but even in an office setting I follow the "take my breakfast/lunch to work 5 days a week and no snacking on office treats/free lunches" protocol so that Friday night or Saturday I can have a nice meal out. It's worth the time spent planning lunches/measuring ingredients all week so I can have that pizza for dinner on Friday.

    I find that if you start eating healthier 80% of the time you stop craving some of the less healthy foods. When you get to that point, maybe try a salad from work. Making sure to have a good portion of greens (not iceberg lettuce), lean protein, and healthy fats. If the salad has cheese, try to not have fried chicken on top. That sort of thing. Swap out the ranch dressing for balsamic vinaigrette or oil/vinegar. If you can't give up the ranch, get it on the side and dip your fork in for each bite. If salads aren't your thing, a grilled chicken breast or lean cut of beef with steamed veggies (and/or reasonable portion of brown rice) is a filling meal that will keep you going.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    ima repeat, Bring mints. No one wants to eat food with a mint in their mouth it makes it taste funky. Not even worth it at that point XD plus mints are yummy i swap for minty ones and life savers and fruity mints
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
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    I must be a weirdo (well, I am, but that's a different subject) - when working in a restaurant I lost weight because I just couldn't eat at work. None of the food seemed appetizing while I was working.
  • Editme12
    Editme12 Posts: 71 Member
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    RAinWA wrote: »
    I must be a weirdo (well, I am, but that's a different subject) - when working in a restaurant I lost weight because I just couldn't eat at work. None of the food seemed appetizing while I was working.
    What's worse is I don't really eat meals at work. If I'm getting the good food, and spending the calories, I don't want it to be rushed in between helping customers so I order the food when I'm leaving to take it home. So, in other words, I could just wait to get home and make food. But by the end of a shift I'm tired and starving.
  • nevadavis1
    nevadavis1 Posts: 331 Member
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    When I worked in a restaurant they had a rule that we couldn't bring our own food. Fume. Though luckily the dishwashers happily took any and all food (mess-ups, send backs, etc).
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
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    Editme12 wrote: »
    RAinWA wrote: »
    I must be a weirdo (well, I am, but that's a different subject) - when working in a restaurant I lost weight because I just couldn't eat at work. None of the food seemed appetizing while I was working.
    What's worse is I don't really eat meals at work. If I'm getting the good food, and spending the calories, I don't want it to be rushed in between helping customers so I order the food when I'm leaving to take it home. So, in other words, I could just wait to get home and make food. But by the end of a shift I'm tired and starving.

    Yeah, that's a bad time to be making decisions! Have you tried pre-logging your entire day including planning what you will order to take home? Having everything logged ahead of time so you can see what your calories look and having made the decision of what you are having already made might help.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
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    I used to work at McDonalds and at closing time, we would stand around and eat the extra food. However, I was also training for a 150 mile bike rally at the time, so I actually LOST weight. You can still lose weight, you just have to eat fewer calories than you consume.

    And as others have said, just because the food is free doesn't mean you have to eat all (or any) of it. If we had 20 chicken nuggets left over, I would eat maybe 5. Self-control is important. Also planning your food. Plan what you're going to eat before you even go to work and STICK TO YOUR PLAN.
  • ent3rsandman
    ent3rsandman Posts: 170 Member
    edited April 2017
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    RAinWA wrote: »
    Editme12 wrote: »
    RAinWA wrote: »
    I must be a weirdo (well, I am, but that's a different subject) - when working in a restaurant I lost weight because I just couldn't eat at work. None of the food seemed appetizing while I was working.
    What's worse is I don't really eat meals at work. If I'm getting the good food, and spending the calories, I don't want it to be rushed in between helping customers so I order the food when I'm leaving to take it home. So, in other words, I could just wait to get home and make food. But by the end of a shift I'm tired and starving.

    Yeah, that's a bad time to be making decisions! Have you tried pre-logging your entire day including planning what you will order to take home? Having everything logged ahead of time so you can see what your calories look and having made the decision of what you are having already made might help.

    I second this 100%, OP. There's nothing wrong with taking free food as long as you know it's not going to halt your progress, but the only real way to know that is to log the stuff before you take it!
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Editme12 wrote: »
    I started working at a big restaurant in August. And don't get me wrong, I struggled a bit with willpower before that point, but since then it's been damn near impossible for me. I've gained 10-15 pounds.

    I get free bread and soup whenever I want, so yes I try to stay away from that now, but for me the bigger issue is I often get free food (like the good food from the kitchen). And I'm not one to lose out on free stuff. So then it comes the willpower of choosing the "better" options. But it's such a big menu, it's so difficult! I've tried bringing my own portioned food.... but how does that compare to a chicken parm sandwich?

    So, anybody got any advice for me? I've found success with MFP before, even including eating out, but it's different when I have the option to eat out for free every time I go to work.

    If you can't get rid of that mindset, then you can just shut the door on losing weight right now. You don't eat food because it's free. Make a plan of what you are going to eat each day, and stick to it.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
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    The food is not free it is costing you calories. Calories work like a money budget you only have so many to spend so spend them wisely.

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