Some REAL Eating Out Advice

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.

HealthyChanges2010

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.

Well this statement alone makes it by FAR easier for me to not eat out anyplace but home. That's a discusting mind image, and yes I've seen the 20/20's, Dateline etc. etc. and seen all the hidden camera stuff, which might also be why I find it easy NOT to eat out. I'm real weird about food now anyway and that's ok with me, I'd rather prepare it myself and know what's in it.

I actually do appreciate you mentioning food being spit on as it'll help me think far more conscience about my food choices for the day.:ohwell: :laugh: Hey whatever it takes right?

Becca:drinker:

Edited: I have to agree once again with Banks:drinker: I'd like to think it happens far less than the drama shows in the evening like us to think. I do think it does depend on how you present yourself, being polite and asking nicely about alternatives/substitues for your meals. I also think what type of place you choice to put your money will have much to do with it as well. Someone mentioned going to the same place and them getting to know you has made all the difference in ease of getting what you need in terms of healthier food choices. Makes alot of sense:flowerforyou:

Becca