Some REAL Eating Out Advice

KimbersNewLife

I noticed a lot of people were disapointed in the last topic "some eating out advice" That may be because like me, they saw it and said YEA!! Finally some ideas on what to order when I go out. So,,,, I am starting a real post for that right here. Before anyone gets all in a tizzy about "health" I want to preface that this is for eating out so not necessarily the healthest choices but the lesser of the evils if you will..... Here are a few of my choices

Chick Fil A Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich (no sauces with wheat bun) with a fruit cup OR Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad

KFC 1 chicken leg 1 small mashed potato no gravy and one biscuit

MC DOnalds premium grilled chicken sandwich Hold the Mayo, or Premium Asian Salad with grilled chicken

BurgerKing Tendergrill Chicken Garden Salad with light italian

Wendy's A small Chilli with Brocolli Potato

Sweet Treats::: KFC little bucket parfait, McDonalds Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Cone, Taco Bell Cinnamon Twist, Mcdonalds Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

xonophone

There are a couple of free apps that I downloaded to my ipod touch that have nutritional content for several chain restaurants. One of them is the Jenny Craig Dining guide, the other is simply called Restaurants. The info is available offline, so I find it very handy when I have to grab something on the road to review my options first. I particularly like the fact that the Jenny Craig app lists food choices in the order of "healthiest" choices first, and least healthy choices last. Neither one lists every single menu item for every restaurant, but they are great as a general guideline. I also recommend double-checking the calories when you get home, against the restaurant's website. Again, just a guideline for when you absolutely, positively have to eat on the run.

auttyfrmca

Taco bell: anything Fresco but the fresco chicken burrito supreme is good.

jamie11k

The best advice I have heard or could give is to chose what you want before you go into a restaurant, and ask for a to-go box up front. Put half the dinner into the box, and eat your dinner. You'll be full and have a great lunch the next day!

Southwest grilled chicken salad is my favorite- McD's, Chickfil-A, anywhere!!

PoeRaven

These are good choices. :drinker:
Something I do at fast food places when ordering a grilled chicken sandwich is I request mustard and pickles (practically free food) and also that they substitute the regular bun with a small bun. Some of those regular hamburger buns have a horendous amount of calories! :noway:

nikki91950

You don't have to tell me about BUNS.

I went to Zaxby's the other day and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich minus honey mustard, and I figured: Heck, how bad could it really be? I checked online and it says it's over 500 calories just between the bun and the chicken breast filet. I couldn't believe it. I was so PEEVED. You really gotta watch out these days...

surfbabe

If I ever get a fast food hamburger I always get rid of the bottom bun. They normally dont put any condiments below the meat. I feel much better about eating it when I do this.

This is what I normally get.

McD's - 10chx nuggets and apple dippers( its pretty filling) water

Subway- 6inch turkey and ham on wheat with provolone (I cant do with out cheese) veggies, mustard, vinegar and NO oil. Then an unsweetened tea.
or
-turkey and ham salad which is less than 150cals and oil and vinegar for the dressing lots of veggies no cheese on the salad!

Wendys- chargrilled sandwich (take off one or both buns) small fry (I'm a sucker for their fries) water



These are the only fast food places I go. If I have to have a soda I get sprite b/c clear sodas are normally caffeine free and are a lot better than dark sodas.

caramel827

No matter what the fast food place is I feel you can't go wrong if you order a child's meal. The portion size is smaller but then you can have what you want to. Here's what i find myself ordering"

Wendy's: Small Chill, Baked Potato with low fat sour cream

McDonald's: 4 piece chicken nuggets happy meal

KFC: Laptop meal-one chicken leg mashed potatos (with gravy-I so love gravy!....)

Chinese: 1 egg roll or spring roll, egg drop soup

Mexican: Anything with shrimp (fajitas, etc.)

kayemme

i always look for the thing i would likely want to make at home at a different date. this way, if i really like it, i can note what things i liked and do it at home next time.

we don't eat out very often, in fact less than twice a month, i'd say.

my boss sometimes buys lunch for me, in which case i'm not very picky, but if i'm buying i'll buy the thing with the most vegetables possible.

subway: i always get a foot long veggie with almost everything on it.
pizza place near my house: we always get the feta & spinach pizza.
chinese: vegetable lo mein & pot stickers (even sometimes with pork)
seafood: lobster bisque / stuffies / clamcakes / crabcakes. any of these will do. they're all heavy, so i just get a little.

if we're out for real dining, then i ask the waitperson what they might recommend; if i'm spending the money to go out to dinner at a real restaurant, then i want the full experience of it.

i almost never eat hamburgers - not because of their meat conglomeration (you do know that there's like 100 different cows in a burger) but because i just don't really like them that often, and mostly i hate the atmosphere of fast food. it makes me kind of nauseous.

valeriebpdx

This is much nicer than the other post. I really just can't eat out at all. Kills the whole day for me when I do. Cheers to you who can make good choices. I like cheese fries and stuff like that--grilled chicken, I can do at my house.

Ryhenblue

No matter what the fast food place is I feel you can't go wrong if you order a child's meal. The portion size is smaller but then you can have what you want to.

This is a good rule to follow when ordering fast food. The kids meals have the calorie content of an adult sized meal and the value meals have the calorie content of a family sized meal.

I like Arby's Beef and Cheddar. I don't get it often and never eat the whole sandwich.

Subway Spicy Italian with all the veggies and Brown Mustard.

AriesGrl

The best advice I have heard or could give is to chose what you want before you go into a restaurant, and ask for a to-go box up front. Put half the dinner into the box, and eat your dinner. You'll be full and have a great lunch the next day!

Southwest grilled chicken salad is my favorite- McD's, Chickfil-A, anywhere!!

I THINK THATS THE BEST ADVICE TOO. MY HUBBY AND I ALWAYS LOOK ONLINE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WERE GONNA EAT BEFORE WE GET TO THE RESTAURANT SO THAT WE KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY CALORIES WERE EATING BEFORE HAND=)

navstar

Don't go out for food very often(2/3 times a year) but last month we went to Nando's with my sister and her family so I shared a meal with my sister (also trying to lose weight) we ordered what we wanted and split it (just ask for extra plate/cutlery) while they were happy to do this with the food, as they offer bottomless refills they wouldn't let us share a drink!!!

SHBoss1673

I'm going to be brutally honest here.

There are NO good fast food choices. There are some acceptable ones if you keep them to a minimum but nothing I would consider a "good" choice.

That said, I'm going to give a few thoughts on what you should eat (IMHO) and what you shouldn't

1) after examining closely the menus of both MacDonalds, and KFC, I've concluded that there is literally nothing on either menu I would consider acceptable (yes, that includes the grilled food and salads).
2) Acceptable means no buns, Wendy's chili could be worse, but don't eat the condiments and sides that come with it, and order it WITHOUT cheese. Also I find the baked potato ok as long as you don't get sour cream or cheese on it.
3)Subway is sometimes acceptable, but be aware that even their whole wheat bun is high in sodium and can have ramifications, other than that, their turkey and black forest ham are decent options, loaded with veggies and keeping the condiments to a minimum. (this goes for any decent sub shop, rolls aren't great, but they can be acceptable if done correctly, but wraps are better usually)
4) Sit down restaurants are a crap shoot, but here are some things to do when there.
-Always be "That" person who asks for everything on the side.
-Always tell them to cook with no oil or butter, be adamant about it.
-Always replace fries or chips with veggies or a salad, it may cost a bit extra but it's worth it.
-Don't reach for the pre-meal rolls, they're almost never a good thing.
-If the serving is more than the size of your fist, immediately ask for a take home container, split your meal before you eat, and CLOSE UP THE CONTAINER so you aren't tempted to pick.
-Eat slowly, give your body a chance to register how much you eat. When you are done, immediately ask the wait person to take the food away. Don't let food sit in front of you.
-SKIP THE DESERT. Seriously, you don't need it, have coffee or tea instead.

I know these sound restrictive, but nobody said this was easy. And it CAN be done (I ate as badly as the rest of you before I started my journey). You should never have the "I deserve this" attitude, that's a cop out. Your body doesn't take a day off from being healthy, so neither should you. Mistakes and relapses are part of any strategy, but they should be planned for, not planned around.

hope this helps.

HealthyChanges2010

I'm going to be brutally honest here.

There are NO good fast food choices. There are some acceptable ones if you keep them to a minimum but nothing I would consider a "good" choice.

That said, I'm going to give a few thoughts on what you should eat (IMHO) and what you shouldn't

1) after examining closely the menus of both MacDonalds, and KFC, I've concluded that there is literally nothing on either menu I would consider acceptable (yes, that includes the grilled food and salads).
2) Acceptable means no buns, Wendy's chili could be worse, but don't eat the condiments and sides that come with it, and order it WITHOUT cheese. Also I find the baked potato ok as long as you don't get sour cream or cheese on it.
3)Subway is sometimes acceptable, but be aware that even their whole wheat bun is high in sodium and can have ramifications, other than that, their turkey and black forest ham are decent options, loaded with veggies and keeping the condiments to a minimum. (this goes for any decent sub shop, rolls aren't great, but they can be acceptable if done correctly, but wraps are better usually)
4) Sit down restaurants are a crap shoot, but here are some things to do when there.
-Always be "That" person who asks for everything on the side.
-Always tell them to cook with no oil or butter, be adamant about it.
-Always replace fries or chips with veggies or a salad, it may cost a bit extra but it's worth it.
-Don't reach for the pre-meal rolls, they're almost never a good thing.
-If the serving is more than the size of your fist, immediately ask for a take home container, split your meal before you eat, and CLOSE UP THE CONTAINER so you aren't tempted to pick.
-Eat slowly, give your body a chance to register how much you eat. When you are done, immediately ask the wait person to take the food away. Don't let food sit in front of you.
-SKIP THE DESERT. Seriously, you don't need it, have coffee or tea instead.

I know these sound restrictive, but nobody said this was easy. And it CAN be done (I ate as badly as the rest of you before I started my journey). You should never have the "I deserve this" attitude, that's a cop out. Your body doesn't take a day off from being healthy, so neither should you. Mistakes and relapses are part of any strategy, but they should be planned for, not planned around.

hope this helps.

:drinker: This just seems better for me to simply stay away from it. I feel far healthier when I do and better about myself not falling into old patterns. Besides which it can easily be a quick trigger when fast food comes up, so it's far easier if I skip it completely. Unless I plan ahead and then I do it very carefully to avoid the comfort triggers (white breads, sodium, sugary junk, well wait, that's everything on most menus isn't it:ohwell: ) so it's just easier for me to stay away from most of it.

It's not that I loved the junk food even way back, but it was comfort food, I hate to even call it that but it was what I stuffed in when I couldn't deal with life, it's like my brain stopped after a few bites and I kept eating it anyway. So I can't honestly look back and say it turned out to be much comfort after all this work to get it offa me I sure as heck don't want to give my power back over to a Fish Filet from McDonalds. :sick:

Thanks for another great one Banks:drinker: It always shows how much you care about people when you post about good foods for our body, unhealthy food and healthier ways to move our bodies. I always appreciate seeing a post from you Steve. Please don't think you're not appreciated, you are by SO many of us here on MFP!!

Becca:flowerforyou:

LisaKC

I've gotta agree with the Banksinator's assessment.

Another good option at Subway is to get the kids meal. The sandwich is a little smaller, and you can get apples with it. I avoid McD's and KFC like the plague. If you have a Moe's nearby, they have all their nutritional info online, and a black bean taco is doable.

Wishful

Having the "not quite empty" plate removed from the table is a great idea! It's so easy to keep nibbling after you're full if the food is sitting right in front of you. And....there's always that guilty feeling of wanting to eat more because you are paying for it.:ohwell: So send that plate away.

arewethereyet

I agree with Banks.....but the bottom line is we ALL have to go for quick and easy sometimes. I laughed when reading because I fell into the sodium trap last weekend and gained 5 pounds :laugh:

I went to Panera........love their "organic, hormone free, free range, ate nuttin but gold" chicken(makes it sound so GOOD for you, huh?). Ordered whole grain bread, put the mayo on the side and a bowl of broc/cheese soup with an apple.

shoulda just ate the apple.........lol

the sodium, and I lie not...........was over 4k for the meal!! My calories were in line for the day, no prob.........but I swelled up like a water balloon. So not worth it for me at this stage.

ktcarr82

A great website to look up most restaurants is:

www.dwlz.com

It stands for Dottie's Weight Loss Zone. It is an awesome website if you have never been on it. On the right side of the screen you can scroll down to restaurants and pick the one you want to look up.

ldybugg

bump 4 later!

iRun4wine

Because I can't eat gluten, it makes it a lot easier to go out to eat because most of the menu is off limits. No rolls, anything friend, cake, brownies (or pretty much any desserts), sandwiches, etc. Last night I joined some friends at Chili's and had a cup of green chili chicken soup and a side salad with no croutons and balsamic vinegar. I think it was probably the best choice I could have made But, in general I agree that about 99% of choices when you eat out are terrible, unfortunately :ohwell:

Sammie8706

We try to stay away from the fast food, even when you find something lower calories, the sodium is outrageous!

megamom

I usually only go to one restaurant because I know what I will get and the cook will work with me on my eating plan. I get a carry out box right away because I usually never eat the entire meal. My meat is dry, no butter or oils, my dressing is on the side and the lower calorie they have. There are 3 or 4 different items at this restaurant I can eat easily and I tip well so they are happy to meet my needs. As far as fast foods, can't eat at any of them without getting really sick so that hasn't been a issue for years. Lucky for me.

Becka77

Here are some of my faves:

Taco Mayo: SalsaLITA Chicken Burrito - 325cal

Chic-fil-a: Chargrilled Chicken Club Sandwich - 410cal

Subway: 6" Turkey Breast & Ham w/ cheddar & sweet onion sauce- 390cal

City Bites - 6" Razzmatazz on wheat - 240cal

Red Lobster - Garlic Grilled Shrimp w/ Rice Pilaf and Asparagus 610cal (I usually eat 1/2 and take the other 1/2 home so it only winds up being 305cal)

Chili's - Spicy Garlic and Lime Shrimp with Rice and Veggies - 370cal

Burger King - Whopper Jr. w/ ketchup/mustard no mayo - 260cal

Mary_Burris

I'm going to be brutally honest here.

There are NO good fast food choices. There are some acceptable ones if you keep them to a minimum but nothing I would consider a "good" choice.

That said, I'm going to give a few thoughts on what you should eat (IMHO) and what you shouldn't

1) after examining closely the menus of both MacDonalds, and KFC, I've concluded that there is literally nothing on either menu I would consider acceptable (yes, that includes the grilled food and salads).
2) Acceptable means no buns, Wendy's chili could be worse, but don't eat the condiments and sides that come with it, and order it WITHOUT cheese. Also I find the baked potato ok as long as you don't get sour cream or cheese on it.
3)Subway is sometimes acceptable, but be aware that even their whole wheat bun is high in sodium and can have ramifications, other than that, their turkey and black forest ham are decent options, loaded with veggies and keeping the condiments to a minimum. (this goes for any decent sub shop, rolls aren't great, but they can be acceptable if done correctly, but wraps are better usually)
4) Sit down restaurants are a crap shoot, but here are some things to do when there.
-Always be "That" person who asks for everything on the side.
-Always tell them to cook with no oil or butter, be adamant about it.
-Always replace fries or chips with veggies or a salad, it may cost a bit extra but it's worth it.
-Don't reach for the pre-meal rolls, they're almost never a good thing.
-If the serving is more than the size of your fist, immediately ask for a take home container, split your meal before you eat, and CLOSE UP THE CONTAINER so you aren't tempted to pick.
-Eat slowly, give your body a chance to register how much you eat. When you are done, immediately ask the wait person to take the food away. Don't let food sit in front of you.
-SKIP THE DESERT. Seriously, you don't need it, have coffee or tea instead.

I know these sound restrictive, but nobody said this was easy. And it CAN be done (I ate as badly as the rest of you before I started my journey). You should never have the "I deserve this" attitude, that's a cop out. Your body doesn't take a day off from being healthy, so neither should you. Mistakes and relapses are part of any strategy, but they should be planned for, not planned around.

hope this helps.

Well said! I totally Agree!!!

lprewett86

bump!

KimbersNewLife

Here are some of my faves:

Taco Mayo: SalsaLITA Chicken Burrito - 325cal

Chic-fil-a: Chargrilled Chicken Club Sandwich - 410cal

Subway: 6" Turkey Breast & Ham w/ cheddar & sweet onion sauce- 390cal

City Bites - 6" Razzmatazz on wheat - 240cal

Red Lobster - Garlic Grilled Shrimp w/ Rice Pilaf and Asparagus 610cal (I usually eat 1/2 and take the other 1/2 home so it only winds up being 305cal)

Chili's - Spicy Garlic and Lime Shrimp with Rice and Veggies - 370cal

Burger King - Whopper Jr. w/ ketchup/mustard no mayo - 260cal

Right on!!! Thanks this is the kind of stuff I mean. It would be nice to be able to NEVER eat out but in my world that just doesnt happen :flowerforyou: at least not all the time as I would like

recipe4success

I think the thing to keep in mind is that just because it says on the website that a certain meal is 300 calories, doesn't mean it will actually be that amount. It could be significantly different based on the cook making it that day. So i think when we eat out, just order as good as you can, with the understanding that you could be taking in far more calories then you anticipate.

I ate out saturday morning at a local from scratch restaurant. I had 2 eggs, with multigrain toast (with pb and jam), homemade hasbrowns, and a fruit cup, and apple juice. Sounds healthy, no? Well, it was over 1000 calories when i did my estimates on here.

The best thing by far to get is salads, with dressing on the side, and grilled protein on it. Many salads come with bacon, breaded chicken etc, and that is just as bad as getting some burgers. Get the lowest cal dressing possible (light dressing or oil/vinegar).

Any cheese you get in a restuarant is bound not to be low fat (as you might buy at home).

That being said, yes i certainly do eat out, but with an open mind, and the realization that it might be the big ZAG in my zig zags of caloric intake.

kayemme

3)Subway is sometimes acceptable, but be aware that even their whole wheat bun is high in sodium and can have ramifications, other than that, their turkey and black forest ham are decent options, loaded with veggies and keeping the condiments to a minimum. (this goes for any decent sub shop, rolls aren't great, but they can be acceptable if done correctly, but wraps are better usually)

subway's wheat bread has high fructose corn syrup in it; you're better off getting a 6" white - the bread is the most healthy option.

i think the bankinator (?) makes some good points, but it's so restrictive that it makes you be the one whose food gets spat on in the back kitchen. yes, this happens, especially to "pain-in-the-*kitten*" customers. why? because the workers aren't being paid to satisfy your every whim.

so best bet when you go out to eat, eat slowly and lovingly; enjoy every bite. drink water. take half or more than half home. savor it and enjoy a lovely night out. not every day has to be a workday. if it is, then you're setting yourself up for failure after you've lost your weight.

imho, make conscious decisions and enjoy it.

katielouhoo

panda express- don't forget to opt for the steamed vegies instead of rice or noodles- as long as you avoid the fried items, their meals are do-able (yes, yes, yes- sodium, sodium, sodium)

if you go to olive garden ask for their diet menu- the apricot chicken is good.

t.g.i.fridays has some items now, the key west shrimp (& broccoli) are low cal- ask for it without sauce or sauce on the side, so it won't arrive drowned in butter sauce.

i have become the picky eater- "i would like a salad, please, but no cheese, no croutons, no dressing. & i'd like some lemon wedges." i don't complain or fuss, but i am specific about what i need (and i tip well).

depends on the restaurant sometimes just a grilled steak (ask not to have butter on it) is one of the healthiest, least sauced, fried thing on menu. just make sure when it arrives you cut the size piece you can have and save the rest to go home.
if you can learn to enjoy baked potatoes, salad, toast- plain, no added butter, dressing, extra calories- you will have saved yourself alot.

SHBoss1673

3)Subway is sometimes acceptable, but be aware that even their whole wheat bun is high in sodium and can have ramifications, other than that, their turkey and black forest ham are decent options, loaded with veggies and keeping the condiments to a minimum. (this goes for any decent sub shop, rolls aren't great, but they can be acceptable if done correctly, but wraps are better usually)

subway's wheat bread has high fructose corn syrup in it; you're better off getting a 6" white - the bread is the most healthy option.

i think the bankinator (?) makes some good points, but it's so restrictive that it makes you be the one whose food gets spat on in the back kitchen. yes, this happens, especially to "pain-in-the-*kitten*" customers. why? because the workers aren't being paid to satisfy your every whim.

so best bet when you go out to eat, eat slowly and lovingly; enjoy every bite. drink water. take half or more than half home. savor it and enjoy a lovely night out. not every day has to be a workday. if it is, then you're setting yourself up for failure after you've lost your weight.

imho, make conscious decisions and enjoy it.

yep, subway 9 grain wheat has HCFS in it, all of them have some pretty bad stuff, but I've checked, the amounts are super high , which means a 6 inch roll won't be TOO bad (thus my couched statement on subway).

as to eating out, I doubt, if you put it nicely, that asking them not to cook with butter and oil will cause them to spit in your food, they'd have to be a serious *kitten* for that, lots of people ask for that. Go to a reputable restaurant with a decent chef and that doesn't happen anyway (I've worked in both kinds myself, I think 1/2 the United States worked in some kind of restaurant at some point). I've talked with a couple of chefs (I know one personally that works in a nice but not super fancy restaurant) and he told me that cooking without butter or oil isn't an issue, it's just not quite as tasty (as we already know). And asking for things on the side really isn't an issue, the people who get their food spit in (in my experience) are the ones who are *kitten* to their server. If you're a nice person, smile, look them in the eye, say please, call them by their name...etc. then you will have a good server. And of course, TIP. Wait staff remember non-tippers over everything else. You can be a giant pain in the *kitten*, but if you give a 25% tip at the end, they won't care to much. If you're nice to them AND give them a good tip, they'll fight over getting to serve you, especially if you walk in with 4 or 5 people.