Need help choosing from a menu

judywalsh97

Hi guys,

I'm going out for dinner for the first time since starting CICO. Its for a christmas party so I'm treating it as a cheat evening and wont be tracking but i still want to make relatively good choices. Here's a link to the menu, will most likely be getting the Early bird, 2 courses. http://droppingwell.com/food-drink/ I don't want to think i'm choosing something good and it be disastrous. I know the likes of soup and Caesar salad are traps but could really do with some help

tinkerbellang83

Nothing for one evening is going to be disastrous. Worst case scenario you go a little over your calorie allowance or maintenance and you offset it another day. Nothing wrong with soup or caesar salad, they aren't a "trap" they just aren't low calorie, either one can fit easily into your day. If I am eating out somewhere that I don't know the calorie counts, I try to breakdown the meal by ingredient, if that's not possible I just quick add 1500 calories.

Nutritionally speaking your best bet for a balanced day is probably the Soup and the Roast Beef.

1 meal out is but a drop in the ocean.

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KeshiaV

I’d agree to do a salad and ask for the dressing on the side. If the soup is clear/broth based versus creamy, it’s likely to have fewer calories. You can also get grilled fish/veggies for fairly low cals.

BUT- what I prefer to do when I’m going to a restaurant that looks as delicious as yours is “bank” extra calories for a few days before so that I have a bit of a buffer to eat the things I want at the restaurant. For example, if I’m going out Friday, starting the Monday before I might eat under my daily allotment by about 100 cals each day. By Friday, I’ll have 400 extra calories to play with for drinks or perhaps a shared dessert

judywalsh97

I actually have and extra 1200cal from the week from exercise, but i already see them going on alcohol . I'm really bad at asking for changes in restaurants, it makes me very anxious. I'll probably just get whatever seems the nicest, do an extra hour or two in the gym on the weekend

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tinkerbellang83

I am sure you know yourself that Irish portion sizes in pubs aren't the smallest, I live in Cork and manage to fit a pub meal and drinks or takeaway and wine into my weekend most weeks and still lose just fine.

In your case it's a christmas party not an every week occasion, absolute worst case you eat a lot, drink a lot, enjoy yourself and chances are it's not going to be over 5000 calories, but if it was you gain a pound of fat, a couple of pounds of water weight on top of it, get back on your deficit, drink some water and a week later it's gone.

kenyonhaff

I'm with everyone who says "just enjoy".

But... if it were me with you at the restaurant recommending food...

I'd pick a nice roast meat, like the roast lamb. Most cuts of meat are fine on MFP. Restaurants have commercial ovens that make meats like steaks, roasts and so on that come out better than at home...and the calorie counts are reasonable.

cwolfman13

I'd get the pork belly. One night out is pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things...

Lounmoun

Get what you like.
I'd probably do soup and roast beef.

judywalsh97

Turns out they changed the menu but didnt update the website yet. Got a lamb shank, mash and roast veg. so yummy. And of course chocolate cake and a feed of pints. Dont regret a bit of it

DX2JX2

For your future reference - for most restaurant foods, it's less about choice and more about portion size. Foods are only traps in that people think they're low cal and eat an entire super-sized portion as a result.

In reality, most normal restaurant dishes will have more calories that you think due to the copious use of fat and sugars. These are the things that make restaurant food taste better than what we can make at home.

Unless you know for a fact that a specific dish is low calorie, then don't agonize too much over the meal choice and instead make sure that you eat only a reasonable portion depending on your targets (for example, 3-6 ounces of steak instead of the 'normal' 12-16 ounces offered by most high end steakhouses).