How do YOU log restaurant foods?

mtaratoot

Thanks for all the replies. It seems like most folks do pretty much like I do -- guess. I know that since I weigh things that I make myself and read labels for things I buy, my eye is better calibrated. I don't stress about it, but I want to be as accurate as possible. Otherwise, logging really isn't as useful as it can be.

I don't go to chain restaurants, so that easy solution is off my table. I try to find something as close as I can, but that only works if I have a clue what the item that's in the database actually is. Two examples recently: We had pizza last night at Pizza Research Institute. We ordered the Chef's Choice, which isn't the same pie from season to season, because it depends what vegetables are available. But I had a clue how many calories were in each slice (12" pie). I wanted to try to keep track of macros, so rather than just record quik-add calories, I tried to find a pie that sounded similar. I had actually overestimated calories as compared to several other pizzas in the database. Score. Then for breakfast today we had a galette that was made by our food co-op. It was anyone's guess. There are galette in the database, but the nutrients are all over the place. I picked one. Was I right? Who flucking knows? I think it helps just to be mindful even if the numbers are skewed. I know for a FACT that the calorie expenditure from yesterday is just a wild guess (a couple hours hiking with a break part of the way plus a couple hours paddling a tandem canoe on flat-water in the wind).

Good luck everyone, and thanks again for letting me know how YOU manage this part of logging/counting. I guess I'm doing ok because I'm still on the trend I want to be on, and I am very close to my goal when I switch to maintenance. I may have already sort of switched.

mtaratoot

Cheesy567 wrote: »

Log it the best you can, accounting for cooking oils, etc. Then I add on 20% or 33% more of “fake restaurant overage calories” that are set to my current macro goals. These are food entries I made and adjust as needed, set in 50cal servings so you can get just about any number you need to add. I use 20% overage for things I can quantify easily such as eggs, 33% for things I can’t estimate as accurately like curries.

I travel and eat out a lot, this method has served me well when I’m on the road for a month or more at a time. I’ve read that people usually underestimate what they eat in a restaurant by 25-40%, so adding in extra “fake” calories makes sense if you’re eating out a lot.

Thanks Cheesy.

I don't plan to add calories to whatever I log if I find something close in the database. It's kind of a neat idea, but I'd like to get close to my goal each day, not just under it. I do like that you set macros up so you can still track that, but it's also a guess depending on what it is you're ordering. It's a neat work-around. Thanks for sharing!

tess5036

I do something very similar to you. However, I tried to keep track of protein so I'm a dish like that I'll try to estimate the weight of the seafood, to get a rough idea of the protein, and then do a quick add for the rest.

CarvedTones

The way I look at it:

Very accurate (usually self prepared food) logging > using an entry that is probably pretty close > quick add of a guess > not logging

With '>' meaning 'is better than'. I have done the first three, but never not logging; I think that is a very slippery slope.

bpetrosky

Maddibeauty wrote: »

mtaratoot wrote: »

Cheesy567 wrote: »

Log it the best you can, accounting for cooking oils, etc. Then I add on 20% or 33% more of “fake restaurant overage calories” that are set to my current macro goals. These are food entries I made and adjust as needed, set in 50cal servings so you can get just about any number you need to add. I use 20% overage for things I can quantify easily such as eggs, 33% for things I can’t estimate as accurately like curries.

I travel and eat out a lot, this method has served me well when I’m on the road for a month or more at a time. I’ve read that people usually underestimate what they eat in a restaurant by 25-40%, so adding in extra “fake” calories makes sense if you’re eating out a lot.

Thanks Cheesy.

I don't plan to add calories to whatever I log if I find something close in the database. It's kind of a neat idea, but I'd like to get close to my goal each day, not just under it. I do like that you set macros up so you can still track that, but it's also a guess depending on what it is you're ordering. It's a neat work-around. Thanks for sharing!

This is done by my administrator, who is my cousin. As soon as he receives the products, he immediately weighs them, sticks a label and takes them to the kitchen. I only deal with the distribution of salaries and the purchase of new equipment. For example, I recently ordered new commercial cooking machines and now thanks to this the work in the kitchen has become more optimized. I would like to give you advice on products. Never leave products with ordinary employees, because personally in my kitchen I used to have very often cases of theft, but soon everyone tjhey realized that they didn’t need to steal from me))

Huh? This is an old thread about logging calories in restaurant meals, not about kitchen inventory management. Did you create an account just to post this?