Do you dread eating out now?

FitCanuckChick

I have become so obsessive with weighing and measuring and portions, my cals/macros, etc. that when I am invited to go out for lunch I just hate it, becasue I can't calculate it with my method. So, I look at the menu in advance, determine there are very few menu items that are appropriate (moreso that I think I can kinda calucate the cals) and then order that item. Then, I order and I think in the end overestimate cals that I am sure I go under overall in the day.

I wish I could pay extra if I went to the restaurant and I was guaranteed they weighed and measured my portions and handed me a slip of paper that included all the nutritional content. Now don't get me wrong, I have cheat meals. But a cheat meal is not going to be at a work lunch - that's such a waste of a good cheat meal, imo.

And then, if on the menu an item says it is prepared in a particular manner, (ex: poached) and it comes out sauted dripping in butter/oil, after I confirmed with the server the preparation method - I lose my mind on the inside, but have to keep my outward cool, becasue it is a work lunch, after all.

Anyhow, I think I am crazy - any other self-admitted crazies out there? Sigh....It is fine in maintenance, but I am on such a good momentum and have found the formula that is working for me I hate messing with the balance.

I know - I sound insane.:frown:

micheleb15

I don't want to say you sound crazy, but this part in particular "I wish I could pay extra if I went to the restaurant and I was guaranteed they weighed and measured my portions and handed me a slip of paper that included all the nutritional content" has never crossed my mind.

Most of the places around me don't have nutrition info since they are mom and pop type restaurants. I couldn't imagine not eating at them for fear I may go over calories. I definitely have to give you props for your consistency - I am not that well managed.

Wrxsti23

I feel the same in some ways. I went out to eat for dinner at a nice restaurant on Saturday and worked out that morning in order to stay within my calorie range for the day. The menu said this steak dinner would have 490 calories. It was supposed to be a 5 ounce sirloin with some jasmine rice and vegetable medley. Well when i get the steak it ends up being a 10 ounce piece that obviously had a butter onion type of sauce on it and I was just so mad. I had a "diva" moment and i know they thought I was crazy but in the end they took the steak back and cut it in half for me just so i wouldn't have to deal with it. Apparently no one in the place knows their own menu because they all didn't realize this was a menu item. It was just not a pleasant experience and those are the things I dread.

kr1stadee

Not any more. I enjoy my meals out. I try to make sure most days I prepare my meals at home, but when I know I'm heading out, I will look at the nutritional info/menu before I go. Drink water, stick with steak/chicken and a side salad or veggies, then I'm good to go!

Tonight we're having Dairy Queen for supper. I will have a grilled chicken wrap with lettuce and cheese (their ranch tastes a little.. off .. to me, so I don't get it), and a side of onion rings because I can.

If any of the calculations are off a little, it's not the end of the world. What matters is your week-to-week, not your day-to-day!

FitCanuckChick

I feel the same in some ways. I went out to eat for dinner at a nice restaurant on Saturday and worked out that morning in order to stay within my calorie range for the day. The menu said this steak dinner would have 490 calories. It was supposed to be a 5 ounce sirloin with some jasmine rice and vegetable medley. Well when i get the steak it ends up being a 10 ounce piece that obviously had a butter onion type of sauce on it and I was just so mad. I had a "diva" moment and i know they thought I was crazy but in the end they took the steak back and cut it in half for me just so i wouldn't have to deal with it. Apparently no one in the place knows their own menu because they all didn't realize this was a menu item. It was just not a pleasant experience and those are the things I dread.

LOL - Those restaurants that quote their nutritional content. Perhaps when their fancy chef did the prototype it was correct (I am thinking the "family" chains). But they sure seem way more cals then they are posting.


I am trying to be super good and limit my cheat meals. I am going so well - ya I kinda feel like a DIVA. I want it my way. lol.

KateK8LoseW8

In the 5 months I've been dieting, I've gone out to eat maybe 10-15 times. All of which, except for 3, were at restaurants with nutritional information available. I just don't go places where I don't know. The three times I did were special occasions and I wrote them off as a day over limit and moved on. It's not a big deal as long as you know what you're eating or, if you don't know, you do it very rarely.

kowajenn

I love eating out, but the stressful part is finding something within plan. Whenever possible, I Iook at the menu beforehand and calculate to the best of my ability.

I've gotten very good at eyeballing correct portion sizes, so what I do is ask for a take home container as soon as my food comes and put what I'm not going to eat in there immediately. Out of sight, out of mind.

bkyoun

I go out to eat every Friday night with my wife. I always choose somewhere that has a low calorie section of the menu and I look the options up in MFP beforehand so I already know what to order.

I realize everything may not be measured exactly right, but most of the time, it is close enough and I don't let it bother me. I just enjoy it.

It hasn't hampered my weight loss so far.

ChrisS30V

Even though I'm maintaining, I still get a bit apprehensive when I am invited out to eat. Fortunately, most of the restaurants around here are of the salad bar/buffet type so it's not too difficult to pick and choose what you eat as well as portion sizes. I mainly stick to whatever fruits and veggies are on the bar, maybe a couple small servings of something like mac & cheese or potato salad and occasionally a teeny tiny serving of dessert. Just like at home, moderation is key.

godsgrl33

I know how you feel. It is hard to go out to eat and eat something sensible. Usually, when people go out to eat it is "splurge" for them, so higher calorie regins the menu. Usually I do soup and salad or for breakfast the other day, I had oatmeal and fresh fruit.

cwolfman13

I really don't concern myself with it. I do as best as I can estimating my intake for meals out...I don't eat out often, maybe once per week or so...it hasn't had any impact whatsoever. I easily lost my 40 Lbs and have been maintaining for 6 months.

IMHO, focus on getting your nutrition on and your fitness on and ultimately you will be fine. It's not about accounting for every single gram or ounce or calorie...it's about consistency and overall adherence to a balanced diet that is rich in nutrition and maintaining a fitness lifestyle. It's not about the minutia of a lunch out or a day at the ball park or a holiday or friends B-day...it's about what you're doing 80% - 90 % of the time, not 10% of the time.

It's this kind of obsession that can lead you to dark places and some really disordered thinking so tread carefully.

upscalelifedownscalebutt

I hate eating out. They seem to do their best to give you the grossest food, in the hugest portions, filled with as many calories and salt as possible, at moderate prices.

It's not worth it.

karenbobaren

Haha I love this! I'm pretty obsessive myself. I log everything including my spices. I try not to eat out for that very same reason: I don't know what I'm eating so I can't accurately log it. A few weeks ago I was craving Pad Sew, but I didn't want to eat because I really can't accurately log so I made it myself and guess what? It was delicious! Not bad on the fat, but the sodium was ridiculous.

I allow myself a cheat day every now and then. I'll try to log it, but I won't stress about it. I've learned that you won't gain weight over a day of bad eating and that you won't lose weight in a day from working out.

wombat94

For me, when I am logging regularly (as I did all of last year, and as I am finally back to doing in the last week or so), I am much less worried about eating out.

We mostly go to larger chain restaurants that have nutrition info available - for those, if the resulting calories are understated by 10 or 20%, I don't sweat it. For the 4 or 5 times a month I eat dinner out, an extra hundred or so calories isn't going to blow the plan.

The real key is to be logging the other stuff. I'm back to weighing and measuring everything at home so breakfast and my packed lunch for work are pretty much dead on. The dinners we eat at home are the same.

Eating out is a "treat" but not a "cheat" for me. If the portions that come on the plate seem like they are totally off the charts, I am just starting to follow my wife's lead (she's been weighing/measuring her food for many years - well ahead of me learning to eat more healthily) and I'm not embarrassed to pull out a portable digital scale, ask for an extra small plate to use on the scale and measure out a reasonable portion. It takes a bit of nerve to do the first time, but I just tell myself that it is what I need to do to be healthy... nothing to be embarrassed about at all.

For the few local mom and pop places where we do dine, they know us and our "quirks" and there's nothing to be embarrassed about at all. One place even brings a couple of extra small plates as they set up "our" booth for us.

karenbobaren

I hate eating out. They seem to do their best to give you the grossest food, in the hugest portions, filled with as many calories and salt as possible, at moderate prices.

It's not worth it.

It always baffles me how a simple chicken sandwich can be so high on fat!

diannethegeek

For a long time I did. Until my therapist pointed out that I was more stressed about eating out than anyone she'd worked with who had actual medical reasons to worry about restaurant food. Who knew that crying in a restaurant because they were out of quinoa burgers wasn't normal? (that's rhetorical!)

That was a bit of a wake up call. If this is going to be a lifestyle change for me I had to come to grips with the fact that sometimes I can't be in 100% control of my food. If my diet ruins my enjoyment of time out with friends and family then it's not sustainable for me.

randomtai

Nope. I like to eat out... No perv. :smokin:

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mdhummel

I don't dread eating out, I just avoid it. Even if I can figure out the approximate calories it's hard to determine the sodium and fat content. Usually I order a chicken breast and steamed vegetables or garden salad with balsamic vinegar. Kinda boring options and I can make this food at home for cheaper so why waste money on eating out when I can spend my money on new "skinny" clothes and workout gear instead?

Onesnap

Nope.

Never have, never will (I've always been a healthy weight).

Pick restaurants that are not chains (where the food is homemade). Most chains are actually still "fast food" because the food is microwaved (yes, even pasta) and they are serving prepared meals that come frozen (similar to the frozen food found in the grocery store). If you go to a small, family owned non-chain you are more likely to get food made from scratch.

Do your best to log it by breaking out the ingredients.

I try not to eat out more than once per week (saves $$ as well).

Even a healthy choice at one of the chains could be over 1,000 calories for the meal. The only positive with a chain is that it makes it easier to log since the calories are often on their website!

Acg67

Sounds like the beginning of orthorexic tendencies

The caloric content of what I order at restaurants doesn't factor into my decisions at all

ashleyinthecold

I look at it as a CHALLENGE! I don't eat out much during the week, but when my boyfriend and I spend time together on the weekends, we usually eat out. Most of the time we go places where I can make somewhat good decisions. If I don't know calorie counts, I at least try to make the most healthful (and best tasting) choice. And then sometimes, we go eat chili dogs. You have to make healthy habits, not Hitler habits.

Buckeyegirlbritt

When eating out, I used to jump right to the salads and find one with chicken, order it with minimal stuff on it and my dressing was always on the side and I drizzled it on, I might have only drizzled on one tbsp., if that, to make sure I was always going to be under calories. My husband and family thought I was crazy!

Of course, now that I'm pregnant, I don't think that way, but if we do go out (for any reason), 9 times out of 10 I'll order a salad with no cheese.

You can never be too cautious what or how much you are being served at a restaurant, because everyone knows here in America, our portions are always double.

The_Gent_65

It's a double edge sword because I love the ritual of going to a restaurant and having a dining experience. The problem is the calculator in my head works over time as I am trying to estimate the portion size, is there oil, I know this isn't reduced fat cheese, etc. As an estimator by trade I always round up, and it usually doesn't look pretty in my diary

Cranquistador

NO.

awtume9

I don't go out to eat often at all, so when I do, I don't worry about it. I enjoy it!

LYNN8SUPERSTARZS

I plan ahead and i tip well, Most places i go know what i want before i ask. Im not afraid to ask questions .

EmilyOfTheSun

I get a little insane at times as well and think WAY too much into things like this. As long as you're not eating out every day/every meal....the little indiscrepancies (TIL that "indiscrepancies" isn't actually a word, hm), shouldn't hurt your progress. You gotta just try to let it go sometimes and enjoy special occasions.

ilovescarymovies

I was that way when i started. Got over it. Life is not enjoyable if you cant eat out with family and friends every now and then. I am going to a bbq restaurant this evening with my family and will choose healthy options and have done a workout already in preparation. Not the end of the world guys

schonsdragon

No I don't dread eating out. I make a reasonable choice for my meal. I had to learn that there is nothing wrong with leaving food on my plate. I also have learned to eat slower and to quit when I am full.

A couple of tips that help me on eating out, we tend to go to Mom and Pop places so there is seldom an online menu.

Tip one:Since restaurant portions are so large I plan on taking home half or more of my meal which helps on portion control and will ask to box up half before I eat. Second tip: If they have a lunch menu ask if you can have the lunch portion instead of the dinner portion it is smaller and have only been told no once, still usually can't eat it all. Another tip: If I am at a ethnic restaurant and they offer children's meal in that cuisine I will order a child's meal, if they offer what I want, since they tend to be smaller portions. I have found several places their children's meals are too large for me to finish.