Calories?

jlk62

How do you add calories when you’re guessing, eating out, etc.?

deannalfisher

You can look if the restaurant has their menu listed; or if not you can either find a similar entry or try to deconstruct your plate

lynn_glenmont

deannalfisher wrote: »

You can look if the restaurant has their menu listed; or if not you can either find a similar entry or try to deconstruct your plate

^^This. Deconstructing (look at your plate and deciding it has, e.g., 6 oz. of ground beef, probably 80% lean, 2 oz. of bun, 1 1/2 oz of cheese, 5 oz. of shoestring fries, etc., gets easier as you gain experience in weighing and logging food at home. Also, I think it's easier to deconstruct a meal that you eat out if you cook a fair amount at home. Just do the best you can.

If you eat out a lot, and find after a month or so that you're not getting the results you expect on the scale, you may have to either rethink how often you eat out, where you eat out (look for places that post their nutritional information), or what you eat when you eat out (maybe focus on dishes that don't have "extras" in terms of sauces and high-calorie condiments that are hard to estimate and on "simple" meals that are easier to deconstruct, such as a piece of protein that is grilled or broiled or cooked in some other way that doesn't add fat, and get a side of a non-starchy vegetable that is cooked without a sauce -- maybe ask for butter or olive oil on the side so you can control and better estimate how much fat is being added).

Then, over time, as you gain experience in estimating amounts and deconstructing meals, you can start eating out more again, or going back to your old favorite restaurants that don't offer nutritional information, or eating more complicated dishes or dishes that come with sauces.

Best of luck.