Eating out with friends

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  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
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    Last minute dinner plans pop up on me a lot. If you know enough ahead of time to look up the menu and calories it can go a long way to not get sidelined with a calorie bomb of a meal.(AKA ordering what you want and *kitten* yourself when you log it.) If you get invited last minute and can't plan your day to include the restaurant, eat what you want within reason of course. Log the calories and cut it back the rest of the week. Strategies to lower your calories tend to vary by type of restaurant. At burger joints I like to ditch the whole bun or half the bun on my sandwich. Not because bread=bad, but because it's an easy place for me to ditch 200-300 calories and not sacrifice flavor. Chinese - go with veggie laden options or steamed veggies and meat, avoid breaded and fried things. Mexican - Don't overdo it on the free chips and salsa, and order a smaller entrée if you can. You could always get fajitas but skip the tortillas, or ask for romaine shells. Again, nothing wrong with tortillas it's just an easy way (for me) to slash a few calories. At buffets start with clear soups and a salad, eat a little of what you want, but focus on the veggie type items and again, avoid fried and breaded things. Have fruit instead of ice cream and cakes for dessert. A lot of restaurants now have a lower calorie section in their menu too, and that makes it easier to stay within your goals. Perhaps look into some of those restaurants and suggest you and your friends go there. Some that I know off the top of my head are Applebee's and Olive Garden. With some of these strategies I've been able to keep my restaurant meals between 600-1000 cals. depending on where I go and what I eat. Best of luck! :)
  • eshebam
    eshebam Posts: 40 Member
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    yeah - my friends are really as unhealthy as I have been, and it makes it harder to be healthy - we eat out a lot - even when I suggest other things lol - we end up at a resteraunt anyway. Then they order super delicious heavy foods - I dunno. I was trying so hard yesterday with dinner becuase I only had like 300 calories left and I wasn't hungry - but then my friend ordered an appetiser she couldn't finish and I ended up helping her, doubling my dinner calories - once in a while would be fine, but it just happens too much!
  • pamfin
    pamfin Posts: 169 Member
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    I plan ahead and sometimes even pre-log. Along as I'm within my calories over the course of a week, I don't stress about it.
  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
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    I try to pre-plan. I have my calories all laid out and a great dinner plan for the evening. Then I get a dinner invite from my dad, or one of our friends. Plans go out the window! So instead of "Banking" calories to plan for going out, since I don't really know when it'll happen, I'll "borrow" them instead. I eat what I want log it to the best of my knowledge, and then see what I can cut back on for a week so my weekly average is at or below maintenance. This has made my February weight loss slower than what I would like to see, but I have not gained anything so far. Have you tried looking into restaurants with a low cal. options on their menu, and then telling your friends you want to eat there? And I hear ya about over indulging at the restaurants anyways. I need to cut back on that myself. It's easier said then done though. Just gotta keep moving along though I suppose.

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