How often do you dine out? For lunch? For dinner?

WilliamAndersonLMHC

I have dinner in a restaurant no more than twice a week. It's just too caloric and stressful to try to eat reasonably in restaurants in order to manage weight. And I never "do lunch" at better restaurants. They are caloric nuclear bombs. I'll have a hot dog at BK or a hamburger at McD's, but no more than twice a week. A small percent of my clients insist that they must dine out a lot for one reason or another. The ones who do usually give up trying to eat responsibly pretty quickly and go back to gaining weight. They literally choose to gain weight rather than change. A few do OK dining out a lot, but it's rare. Most successful clients fix their own meals. What do you do?

JeromeBarry1

Eating out costs much more than eating in, so I seek to limit that to twice monthly. This weekend, for instance, is not one for eating out. I usually make it fit my calorie budget, but last weekend I deliberately did not.

Machka9

My husband and I eat at either Subway or Zambreros about once a week. We'll choose to eat at one of those places in the evening if we have gone to the gym or done a bicycle ride up the cycleway, and so I've got some extra calories to play with ... or if we're heading out to the symphony, and if that's the case, I'll do some extra stairs during the day so I've got the calories to cover it.

We will go out to restaurants on weekends about once a month, and again, we'll have the calories to cover it because we usually go for a really long bicycle ride before going to the restaurant.

I hardly ever "do lunch". I'd rather be out walking at lunch ... and apparently walking business meeting lunches are a thing, although personally, I use the time to get outside by myself. The only time I would "do lunch" are on the rare occasions the social club has a lunch that interests me. That last time that happened was about 2 months ago and they had a curry lunch delivered which was nice. Before that ... um ... probably Christmas.

Lounmoun

I eat one meal out a week.
It is too expensive and takes too much time to go out to eat more often for me and my family. I like to cook. I'm good at meal planning.
I have always been able to find items that fit my calorie goal when I eat out. I look up nutritional info for places that have it. I plan in advance what I am going to get. I log as best I can. It is not really stressful to me.
If people are claiming they can't lose weight because they have to eat out often that is BS. Likely they would also give up watching their calorie intake cooking at home.

malibu927

Dining in an actual restaurant, maybe once or twice a month, and almost always lunch because my mother doesn't like crowds. If I eat more calories than planned, I just compensate over the rest of the week.

I get fast food about once a week. Every Thursday night in the fall and winter. And then once a month I'll splurge and get lunch, dinner, and the next morning's breakfast at Panera (working third shift on Saturday nights).

slaite1

Including fast food and quick meals? Fairly often now a days. I find it difficult at restaurants (because I have to have the will power to eat a smaller portion) but pretty easy at fast food and quick serve restaurants.

-Half salad and cup of non creamy soup at paneras
-6 inch without too many condiments at subway
-crunchy tacos with black beans instead of meat and I make it fresco at Taco Bell
-most breakfast sandwiches on an English muffin without sausage/bacon is pretty low calorie
-thin n crispy crust at Pizza Hut

I could go on and on. I used to cook ALL of my meals. Since becoming vegetarian I cook almost none (I'm aware I'm in the minority here). I eat out a lot and lose consistently. I just find staples I know fit my calorie goals, try to get something relatively healthy (usually) and try to get snacks that fill in the gaps (I eat a lot of fruit/veggies/yogurts at home since fast food doesn't always load up the nutrients).

Sit down restaurants are WAY harder in a deficit bc they are not as consistent/reliable and so I do try to limit those. If I HAD to I would just customize my order (steak/fish without butter/oil, simple salad on the side, etc) anything to control the calorie content. Staff is usually very willing to accommodate if you're nice about it and acknowledge that you're being a pain....

Unknown

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Piqueaboo

I eat out all the time, I just try to make good choices. In France we get so-called "restaurant tickets" from work which encourages us to eat out, so I do use them for grocery shopping, but mainly to eat out It's most often for dinner, but I do lunches here and there at least once a week.

Luna3386

I eat out once a month or less, unless traveling. We don't really have anything in our small town and I'm on a pretty strict budget.

fireytiger

I eat out way too often, which has always been an issue. I am trying to cook at home more, but until recently I was eating out for almost all of my meals. Getting out of that habit is challenging for me but I'm really trying.

lemurcat12

For dinner, once or twice a week. It's part of my social life, usually before a play or the symphony, sometimes just with a group, occasionally (1-2x/month, not every week) for a work obligation. Nice restaurants, no calorie information available, I don't think it's worth it if the place doesn't have interesting or especially tasty food. I just try to eat reasonably while there and realize if I go out that often it is NOT an excuse to eat very indulgently. However, I do plan to have extra calories available because I tend to do longer workouts on a weekend anyway. I think of this as eating out a lot (and I consider myself a bit of a foodie), and it's similar to what I did before losing weight, but for me it's a non negotiable so I figured out how to make it work (by changing my mindset when eating out, mostly).

For lunch, ideally maybe once, but I sometimes do it twice. These are places near work as an alternative to the lunches I bring (quick serve or the like, places like Snap Kitchen, Protein Bar, Pret a Manger, a salad place, a mediterranean place, a poke place I'm currently into). Calories are generally available (they are at a lot of these types of places in Chicago). The food is really quite similar to what I would bring, as I still focus on having adequate protein, similar calories, and especially lots of vegetables, and the main drawback is that it's a silly waste of money to buy lunch rather than bring it, it's laziness. I do have one indulgent sandwich place that does my favorite sandwich I fit in occasionally -- good ham, gruyere, avocado, mango chutney, and jalapenos. It comes with either almonds or housemade chips. High cal compared to my normal lunch, but since I only eat three meals it's easy to adjust and have it fit in a day occasionally (not possible with my current macros, though, but that's okay since I'm good with having it rarely).

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

What's hard about asking for some grilled protein and veggies?

If you're clients choose the higher calorie options without making it fit their weekly calories then they made their choice. Each to their own but it is not hard.

I am away most weeks for work and manage fine.

neldabg

On my own accord? Rarely if ever. On my birthday, I go get the free food. Unfortunately, for the next two months, I'm required to go out to eat a minimum of 2-3 times a week, and pretty much everything on the menus are boring salads or what you've called "caloric nuclear bombs." I'd rather have neither...

elphie754

There is only restaurant I can eat out at, soot is a rare event. Due to allergies, I am pretty much bound to always making my own food at home.


To be 100% honest, the fact you keep mentioning clients rubs me the wrong way. Might be benificial not to always mention them. It could just be me though.

livingleanlivingclean

We rarely eat out - perhaps once or twice a month. If we go out during the day, we'll probably go for coffee but not food.

L1zardQueen

It's easy to eat out. I plan ahead, eat half or just cut calories where possible. Like salad dressing on the side, diet soda or plain iced tea, no fries. I am aware of calorie intake, i can do this for the rest of my life.

WilliamAndersonLMHC

Piqueaboo wrote: »

I eat out all the time, I just try to make good choices. In France we get so-called "restaurant tickets" from work which encourages us to eat out, so I do use them for grocery shopping, but mainly to eat out It's most often for dinner, but I do lunches here and there at least once a week.

I have a client who has an office and home in France, husband from Paris, and they are astonished to see the way we eat here. When they spend time here, they gain, and cannot wait to get back to Paris. They are spending more and more time in France every year.

WilliamAndersonLMHC

fireytiger wrote: »

I eat out way too often, which has always been an issue. I am trying to cook at home more, but until recently I was eating out for almost all of my meals. Getting out of that habit is challenging for me but I'm really trying.

It took a while to form a "repertoire", but now my house is stocked with all the ingredients for 5 different breakfasts, 4 different lunches, and about 15 different dinners, the components mainly in the freezer. The portions are the habits I've been practicing for years, so there is no real work anymore, not much thinking except what to defrost today. It was a lot of time and work to create the habits, but now, I can sleep-walk through perfect caloric-right days.

amusedmonkey

Out, as in just eat at a restaurant, not that often. Maybe once every few months. Out as in being invited to someone else's house or getting together with friends and family for food, that's a bit more often every few weeks, but as often as daily during holidays and special events.

Eating out often has never been a habit. I eat out now just as often as I did 120 lbs ago and I find it relatively easy to manage even when it's nearly daily (sometimes more than once a day) during the holidays. I just eat at maintenance if necessary, exercise extra, eat light other meals (or don't eat at all), and only pick the 2-3 dishes I like the most and completely skip the ones that are "meh" (if it's a buffet style gathering). I also go for diet drinks. I don't usually make my choices based on calories, I choose based on preference because if I'm happy with the food I don't feel like these calories have been wasted. The only time I use calories to decide is if I'm not sure which dish I want more. In that case I go for the one that has, to my knowledge, more forgiving calories.

saheel97

In terms of actual sit down restaurants, rarely. Although I'll grab a six inch sub or a pita a few times a week after work. So far it hasn't been affecting me negatively. I forgo all those "caloric bomb" toppings like cheese and sauces so overall calorically its not bad. I stay within my macros.

WilliamAndersonLMHC

elphie754 wrote: »

There is only restaurant I can eat out at, soot is a rare event. Due to allergies, I am pretty much bound to always making my own food at home.


To be 100% honest, the fact you keep mentioning clients rubs me the wrong way. Might be benificial not to always mention them. It could just be me though.

My work, the patients and clients, as well as my own recovery from being overweight, are central to my life. They are the reason for the use of myfitness pal. When I contribute to discussions of diet and weight loss help, it is they that I am thinking of as well as the other people here. We share what we know about in our lives.

sblackwell509

I was eating out waaaaay too much. Probably 4-5 times a week! My goal is to lose 20 lbs, and this is my first week of all healthy home cooked meals and I already have more energy.
Eating out for me was just easy and convenient. You don't feel like cooking when you get home from work, so I have been cooking all my meals the day before that will last me the entire day. It has helped tremendously! I may resort to eating out once a week for a cheat meal, but we will see!

cwolfman13

Usually once or twice every couple of weeks. We'll actually be going out for lunch today and dinner this evening...but my wife an I are also going out on a 30 mile date ride today.

blackcars7411

I don't eat out at all

inertiastrength

I have Wendy's chilli daily because I can't even make it for less than it costs to buy it and the macros are beautiful

inertiastrength

And the macros aren't bad on this for about 600 calories

WilliamAndersonLMHC

mrsnattybulking wrote: »

I have Wendy's chilli daily because I can't even make it for less than it costs to buy it and the macros are beautiful

And only 270 calories!

WilliamAndersonLMHC

mrsnattybulking wrote: »

And the macros aren't bad on this for about 600 calories

Looks great, but a bit heavy for lunch for me. The 600 would be fine for my dinner, but a hamburg is just not my idea of dinner! I'm old-fashioned and like the traditional dinner plate with meat, starch and veg at the end of the day!

However, that 600 Wendy's meal surprised me. Good find!

lemurcat12

I do homemade burgers for dinner on occasion (on rare occasion on a dinner out, but normally I'd rather use excess calories on something else and like my at home burgers as much for so many fewer calories, but 600 is not a lot -- the places I'd get a burger, local pub, for example, are surely much more and I would get fries so do it rarely).

Anyway, for me the burger fits the protein/veg/starch template which I followed until doing low carb too (for lunch as well as dinner, although I'd switch starch with fruit sometimes). Burger, bun (whole grain, not that it makes a big difference), vegetables (perhaps salad too). (The meal pictured fits that template too -- salad=veg, bun=starch, meat=protein.) Since I am not a huge bun person, I'd often do burger patty, roasted potatoes, vegetables. We'd also switch it up by doing a tuna steak on a bun with pickled vegetables (spicy), plus salad and veg sometimes.

Also, for me lunch and dinner are about the same calories unless it's a restaurant night.

Jamie23049

It's been years since I ate out at a restaurant or anything like that

GottaBurnEmAll

I almost never eat out, can't remember the last time I did and it's simply because finding a place that has a menu that accommodates me (I'm a vegetarian with celiac disease) and my picky children is just about impossible. I know of one restaurant where I can eat, but I'm not so sure that my kids would enjoy the menu offerings, and it's rather expensive.

It would be an indulgence to go there, and would be a date night thing for my husband and I and I really would not care about the calories at that point.