Restaurants are killer for weight loss!
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Meh. I lost the weight I set out to lose and have been in maintenance for a few years while eating in restaurants a few times a week. Any impact on the scale is temporary as long as you stay within your calorie goal.
I eat at fast casual places once or twice a week for lunch at work, fast food maybe once a week when running around with kids, and a family meal at a local pizza, Mexican, or Italian restaurant about once a week as well. I enjoy eating in restaurants and am not going to give that up, better to figure out how to make it work while still achieving my goals.1 -
I eat at a restaurant at least once per day. I lose just fine. Just saying...1
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I eat out 5-8 times a month. I lose weight just fine. Calories are calories. Maybe pick the less calorie dense options.1
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Just pick healthier options at the restaurants, assuming all the food isn't the type of place that covers everything with an inch thick of grease. The more plain it sounds (and shorter ingredient list), the healthier, and by healthy I mean lower calories. For tracking sodium intake, if it's a chain restaurant, you could look at the nutrition menu before you leave. Sodium is a preservative so it's in many different foods, especially fast foods. It sounds like you're more focused on sodium. I assume you were told by a doctor to watch your sodium intake...1
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My problem with eating out multiple times a week is the sodium and resulting water weight as well. It takes me 2 days to drop back to normal weight from a day of high sodium. If I have a lot of sodium the day after having a lot of sodium it just makes my weight go up even more and takes even longer for it to fall off. Yes, it's only water weight and it probably wouldn't bother me as much if I was in maintenance instead of trying to lose, but when I'm trying to lose...yeah, I don't like seeing the number on the scale go up even if I know it's from water weight and it'll be gone soon.
Don't get me started on the calories in most restaurant foods, the lack of nutritional information in a lot of the places I frequent, or the cost. . .
It's nice to do once in a while, but I can't see it being more than a once a week (if that) thing for me now and going forward.2 -
My problem with eating out multiple times a week is the sodium and resulting water weight as well. It takes me 2 days to drop back to normal weight from a day of high sodium. If I have a lot of sodium the day after having a lot of sodium it just makes my weight go up even more and takes even longer for it to fall off. Yes, it's only water weight and it probably wouldn't bother me as much if I was in maintenance instead of trying to lose, but when I'm trying to lose...yeah, I don't like seeing the number on the scale go up even if I know it's from water weight and it'll be gone soon.
Don't get me started on the calories in most restaurant foods, the lack of nutritional information in a lot of the places I frequent, or the cost. . .
It's nice to do once in a while, but I can't see it being more than a once a week (if that) thing for me now and going forward.
Exactly what you said!! Everyone seems so pompous about their restaurant choices/food selections but common knowledge and what every MD states is that preparing your food at home is far superior to eating out!
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My problem with eating out multiple times a week is the sodium and resulting water weight as well. It takes me 2 days to drop back to normal weight from a day of high sodium. If I have a lot of sodium the day after having a lot of sodium it just makes my weight go up even more and takes even longer for it to fall off. Yes, it's only water weight and it probably wouldn't bother me as much if I was in maintenance instead of trying to lose, but when I'm trying to lose...yeah, I don't like seeing the number on the scale go up even if I know it's from water weight and it'll be gone soon.
Don't get me started on the calories in most restaurant foods, the lack of nutritional information in a lot of the places I frequent, or the cost. . .
It's nice to do once in a while, but I can't see it being more than a once a week (if that) thing for me now and going forward.
Exactly what you said!! Everyone seems so pompous about their restaurant choices/food selections but common knowledge and what every MD states is that preparing your food at home is far superior to eating out!
Asking for things to be modified isn't difficult. I often ask for things to be prepared without oil, or steamed/grilled without seasonings/sauces, or have the sauces on the side. Swap chips/mash for salad or steamed vegies. Ask for no salt to be added if you're worried about sodium. If eating out is the only option you have, there are easy ways to make the food more "diet friendly".2 -
My problem with eating out multiple times a week is the sodium and resulting water weight as well. It takes me 2 days to drop back to normal weight from a day of high sodium. If I have a lot of sodium the day after having a lot of sodium it just makes my weight go up even more and takes even longer for it to fall off. Yes, it's only water weight and it probably wouldn't bother me as much if I was in maintenance instead of trying to lose, but when I'm trying to lose...yeah, I don't like seeing the number on the scale go up even if I know it's from water weight and it'll be gone soon.
Don't get me started on the calories in most restaurant foods, the lack of nutritional information in a lot of the places I frequent, or the cost. . .
It's nice to do once in a while, but I can't see it being more than a once a week (if that) thing for me now and going forward.
Exactly what you said!! Everyone seems so pompous about their restaurant choices/food selections but common knowledge and what every MD states is that preparing your food at home is far superior to eating out!
Superior in what way?0 -
I usually eat out one meal a week and don't see a big spike in my weight from it. I guess I do track my sodium intake and looking at the whole day try not to go too far over the suggested intake.
You can eat a lot of sodium at home too if you are not careful.
If you aren't tracking sodium you can go to your diary settings and add it under nutrients tracked.
If you prelog some or all of your food you might make better choices for you.0 -
How do consumer choices differ in restaurants versus the supermarket? Consumers cite that they are choosing less fried, more vegetables, more salads, more water, more grilled, and less dessert most often in restaurants, versus shopping in the supermarket for more vegetables, more fruit, less fat, less HFCS, less sodium, less fried, and less sugar. Single ingredients and foods to limit, (i.e. less fat, sodium, and sugar) seem to be on the minds of shoppers rather than restaurant patrons who generally try to limit unhealthy cooking methods or increase healthy items on their plates.
I eat healthier at home with total control over portion sizes and nutritional content. I control salt, fat…where the ingredients come from.0 -
How do consumer choices differ in restaurants versus the supermarket? Consumers cite that they are choosing less fried, more vegetables, more salads, more water, more grilled, and less dessert most often in restaurants, versus shopping in the supermarket for more vegetables, more fruit, less fat, less HFCS, less sodium, less fried, and less sugar. Single ingredients and foods to limit, (i.e. less fat, sodium, and sugar) seem to be on the minds of shoppers rather than restaurant patrons who generally try to limit unhealthy cooking methods or increase healthy items on their plates.
I eat healthier at home with total control over portion sizes and nutritional content. I control salt, fat…where the ingredients come from.
It's polite to cite your source when you copy/paste from other websites. http://www.supermarketguru.com/articles/restaurant-vs-supermarket-shopping-behavior.html0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »How do consumer choices differ in restaurants versus the supermarket? Consumers cite that they are choosing less fried, more vegetables, more salads, more water, more grilled, and less dessert most often in restaurants, versus shopping in the supermarket for more vegetables, more fruit, less fat, less HFCS, less sodium, less fried, and less sugar. Single ingredients and foods to limit, (i.e. less fat, sodium, and sugar) seem to be on the minds of shoppers rather than restaurant patrons who generally try to limit unhealthy cooking methods or increase healthy items on their plates.
I eat healthier at home with total control over portion sizes and nutritional content. I control salt, fat…where the ingredients come from.
It's polite to cite your source when you copy/paste from other websites. http://www.supermarketguru.com/articles/restaurant-vs-supermarket-shopping-behavior.html
I didn't realize that I was submitting a term paper for credit. It is called modified attribution, FYI!0
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