Do you dread eating out now?

JulieAnn72

I love to eat out. I hate cooking. I eat out dinner 2-3 nights every week and lunch every Sat and Sun. I did this throughout my entire weight-loss journey and never dreaded it. I just make the best choices I can, and try not to overeat. I make up for it with healthy meals the rest of the week, but I've also found that I can get pretty healthy meals at most places anyway.

iechick

No, eating out is part of my life (we usually go out a couple times a week), and I had to learn how to deal with it appropriately, because I am not going to cut out something that I enjoy doing with my family. I've made a few small adjustments about what I order now, but I love going out to eat

wolverine66

it's one of my favorite things to do.

dswolverine

I enjoy going out, but i do agree with a lot of what you said. I dislike having to guess at how many calories i'm eating, particularly since restaurants always seem to be able to add more fat/calories here and there without you even knowing. But, I usually just try to do my best with the guessing. That's probably the best thing about major chain restaurants- a lot of them have nutrition information available either in the store or online.

dpcdpjm

I love eating out! My husband and I eat out usually once or twice a week. We avoid anything fried, and usually pick a healthy entree and share it. Portions are usually more than enough for two people. I don't worry as much about the calories as I do try to ensure that the portions are well within reason. And I always leave room for good wine.

Quieau

I love eating out but only for high quality, really good food. I will not waste calories or money on any chain restaurant fare (except Chipotle) if I can help it. I was reminded of why I had this rule this past week when by circumstance, I had to eat Dairy Queen ... even in nicer chains, like the Red Lobster, the food just SUCKS!

And the sodium? Even if you manage to stay under your calories and find something with decent protein in it, it's usually so full of sodium that I'm going to gain about 2-3 lbs water weight for the next few days anyway.

So yeah, I love to eat out, but I insist on doing so in places with quality fare. As a previous poster mentioned, Mom-and-Pop individual diners make the best options. Gastropubs and food trucks can be pretty good too. You just have to know the source of your food.

If you insist on high quality restaurant fare, check out Urbanspoon.com ... helps me make the right choices even in cities I don't know!

JoRocka

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.

Call me stupid, ignorant or naive, but I thought that was why God invented "to go" boxes. :huh:

I agree

the fCK is wrong with you that you send back 10 oz of steak- seriously that boggles my brain- does your steak knife not work? cut it and take it home.

I measure ALL my meats foods at home to prep- I have a pretty good idea of what 5 oz is- so if I either add 10 oz to my day- or I cut it in half and take it home with me.
I don't understand the diva freak out?

you literally just threw money away. that to me would warrant some sort of something. that's too much IMO. it's one thing to be aware and do your best- it's another to send food back for something you could have solved yourself.


And no- I don't hate eating out- I know what I'm eating- it's pretty much the same thing I eat at home. I run a conservative estimate on my activity level- and a generous helping of my food- so I'm alway safe. If I'm going out- I do my best and let it go.

If it's something specific- I specifally ask for it a certain way (IHOP omlettes- I make them make it not as an omlette but as scrambled eggs with the veggies in them- the way I make them at home- cuts out the pancake batter- and it's back down to 300 calories that I eat for breakfast every day)

- seriously. I don't understand what the crisis is.

avskk

I eat out so rarely that when I do I try to just enjoy it without stress. I do get a brief moment of "omg I have NO IDEA HOW TO LOG THIS" when I'm deciding what to order -- but it passes, I do my best to make healthy choices within the parameters of what I actually want, and I use as much common sense as I can when logging. And then I try to just let it go and enjoy what is, for me, a special occasion.

SoDamnHungry

I have a love hate relationship with eating out. Either I get something low cal and am annoyed that I'm paying so much for it and don't really want it, or I blow a ton of calories on something that tastes great and am annoyed that I just did that. Normally I'm fine going out for a big, delicious meal, but the past two months have been full of birthdays and friends from out of town, so I'm constantly scrambling to try and meet calories since I can't blow it every.single.time.

bellesouth18

You are doing the smart thing by looking at the menu prior to going whenever possible. I do that as well. While we can't be 100% sure of what our caloric intake has been, you can make informed choices from what you have learned.

I always figure that the cheaper the restaurant is, the lower the quality of the ingredients are. And the reverse is true.
The more expensive the entrees are at a more expensive restaurant, that the ingredients used are usually higher end.

"Faster" food: Fattier meats, cheaper oils for cooking, more sugar and salt to help your palate like the food, and more limited choices--hamburgers, hot dogs, sometimes salads, chicken sandwiches, etc.

Higher end, like an authentic Italian restaurant: Olive oil, butter, risotto, real cheese, handmade pastas and breads; higher quality meats and seafood, grilled steak, chicken, and seafood; healthy sauces (some of them are but not all), and a wider menu selection.

I'd much rather eat an 800 calorie plate of Italian food over an 800 calorie hamburger, fries, and soft drink.

auroranflash

In the real world of eating healthy and having a healthy relationship with food, you're going to have to learn how to estimate and how to ask the waiter/waitress if they could please prepare the food in a lighter manner if possible i.e. lightly oiled, steamed, grilled, etc.

It helps to realize that, no matter how carefully you measure, everything is actually an estimate. It takes weeks of tracking and months for your body to adjust and to see what works for you and what doesn't. Just keep good notes as much as possible. If you're not seeing results for a few weeks, you may be underestimating calories or overestimating exercise calories. Adjust as necessary.

Weight loss is like a science experiment on the body. No need for stress. Lots of need for patience and note-keeping.

auroranflash

I'd much rather eat an 800 calorie plate of Italian food over an 800 calorie hamburger, fries, and soft drink.

Honestly, as much as I love Italian food, it depends on the day. Sometimes you just need a good hamburger and fries. :laugh:

Fullsterkur_woman

Sounds like the beginning of orthorexic tendencies

QFT. I found myself carrying salad dressing and fat-free cheese and a pocket scale in my purse so I could pick apart my meal, weigh each ingredient separately and log it before I reassembled and ate. I was miserable and miserable to be around. You know what happened? I ended up binging a lot, hiding food wrappers, and other disordered eating behavior. I gained back all the weight I had lost and five pounds more over 4 years before I finally managed to turn the ship back around.

Now I go to restaurants much more infrequently, I eyeball the portions, I log as best I can, and I go on with my life. I am meticulous about weighing everything at home where I am in control of and responsible for whatever goes into my food, so it all evens out in the end.

Please don't keep going down this road.

ThickMcRunFast

Nope.

If you're so obsessed with counting everything that you freak out over how much oil/fat/cheese is in something, to the point that you can't just enjoy a nice meal out, then you're not controlling food. Food is controlling you.

doIlhands

I love eating out. I dont do it often anymore so when I do, I go all out and get back on track the next day. Its working for me

keepongoingnmw

Sounds like the beginning of orthorexic tendencies

QFT. I found myself carrying salad dressing and fat-free cheese and a pocket scale in my purse so I could pick apart my meal, weigh each ingredient separately and log it before I reassembled and ate. I was miserable and miserable to be around. You know what happened? I ended up binging a lot, hiding food wrappers, and other disordered eating behavior. I gained back all the weight I had lost and five pounds more over 4 years before I finally managed to turn the ship back around.

Now I go to restaurants much more infrequently, I eyeball the portions, I log as best I can, and I go on with my life. I am meticulous about weighing everything at home where I am in control of and responsible for whatever goes into my food, so it all evens out in the end.

Please don't keep going down this road.

*enthusiastically clapping my hands and nodding my head*
I also see skinny people at these resteraunts eating 1200 calorie meals without batting an eyelash all the time. I log it as best I can and enjoy it, and move on. I try to keep things in my calorie range, order something I like (not chicken and steamed veggies EVER I can have that at home)

seltzermint555

I only go out to eat 1-3 times a week, which probably sounds like a lot to some people...but for me it's not as I used to go out almost daily and every meal on weekends.

Anyway, every time I know I'm going out, I eat lighter for the meals before/after. It is a bit "scary" estimating calories & content, but I feel it's worth it. I try to err on the side of overestimating when possible. If an existing entry for pad Thai sounds high or low, I'll look up 3 more and split the difference.

ktaylormusic

To me, one of the main points of logging food meticulously is to become really aware of portion sizes and to learn how to eat that will feel good (for me, I'm learning to eat a lot more protein than I have in the past, which makes me feel way more satisfied than a higher carb diet of the same calories.) And after only a month at this, I've learned that my ability to correctly eyeball cups and ounces is already pretty accurate (I check)... So eating out doesn't become a logging nightmare, usually. I tend to overestimate on purpose the amount of oils I assume things were cooked in, because it's probably more than I can imagine! Anyway, as many have said, it's the week not the day.

But, more importantly, I think it's important to remember that what we're doing here - or at least what I'm doing here -- is learning to eat in a healthy and SUSTAINABLE way. Healthy includes psychologically healthy, i.e. not having to freak out in ANY food situation. The goal for me is to be happy, not stressed, about eating and my body. WHen I notice myself getting obsessive I know I'm heading down the wrong path.

I have found myself wondering over the past month here about all of us on here, about whether even being part of MFP requires being a certain kind of person, someone who is a) very interested in control and b) likes data. I know for myself that I have to remind myself that a fully quantified life is pretty boring and also a delusion.

Yanicka1

Sounds like the beginning of orthorexic tendencies

QFT. I found myself carrying salad dressing and fat-free cheese and a pocket scale in my purse so I could pick apart my meal, weigh each ingredient separately and log it before I reassembled and ate. I was miserable and miserable to be around. You know what happened? I ended up binging a lot, hiding food wrappers, and other disordered eating behavior. I gained back all the weight I had lost and five pounds more over 4 years before I finally managed to turn the ship back around.

Now I go to restaurants much more infrequently, I eyeball the portions, I log as best I can, and I go on with my life. I am meticulous about weighing everything at home where I am in control of and responsible for whatever goes into my food, so it all evens out in the end.

Please don't keep going down this road.

*enthusiastically clapping my hands and nodding my head*
I also see skinny people at these resteraunts eating 1200 calorie meals without batting an eyelash all the time. I log it as best I can and enjoy it, and move on. I try to keep things in my calorie range, order something I like (not chicken and steamed veggies EVER I can have that at home)

This. You understand that this is a lifestyle. If my lifestyle would make me that stressed out over something so insignificant, I would have to rethink my lifestyle.

FattieBabs

I love eating out and do so at least once a week.

Italian, I stick to fish and grilled meats. If I am faced with a 10 oz steak I will eat it and compensate the next day.

Indian, I love curry and will eat it for breakfast. I regularly go to 3 Indian restaurants and they are used to me eating half and taking half back, for breakfast!

Chinese. Yes, this can be problematic as there are so many sweet sauces around. I usually only eat half a portion of rice and leave the rest. Dim Sum is ok and I avoid sweet and sour, sticky ribs etc.... Love prawns though!

I take photos of my food at home having measured portions and logged meals so have a reference guide as to how much a 5-6 oz piece of meat or chicken or fish is - what 150g of potatoes looks like etc.... That way I can estimate roughly how much is in a restaurant portion. I get my mobile out when noone is looking and do a quick check. I am now getting better at estimating portions when I go out.

I usually skip pudding but find a good cheese board almost impossible to refuse.....

As I am usually in good company, it takes a while to eat the food, talk, relax. I usually find it a lovely experience and look forward to it. If I am going to drink alcohol and possibly go over I cut back on cals the day before.

I would hate to feel guilty about a great evening in a restaurant!