Need tips on eating better food in restaurants

johanneleger

My husband and I take a lot of little trips. He does NOT eat healthy (I keep trying to help him, but I guess he`s not ready). In the next four days, I will be eating in restaurants. I always go in with the best of intentions, however, I find that after resisting a few times, I break down and make bad choices. It doesn`t help sitting in front of a husband who will eat french fries and burgers at every meal. However, this is MY challenge and I need to find ways to be stronger and stick to the plan.

If you have any tips on how you were able to surmount this challenge that I`m facing, please let me know. Any input...

Dragonwolf

Avoid fried foods. The calories rack up quickly with them. I've seen a 200 calorie chicken breast get turned into a 700 calorie beast, thanks to breading, frying, and a honey drizzle.

Watch the starchy sides. Again, they rack up calories quickly, as well. You don't have to avoid them, but be mindful of them.

Grilled meat or eggs are usually a good bet. Aside from sauce-heavy meats (ie - ribs), grilled or baked meats or egg dishes (omelets, etc) are usually a safe bet, especially if you're unfamiliar with the menu. Couple them with steamed veggies or a salad, and you'll do quite well.

Just get the main dish. Appetizers and desserts add up quickly. If you really want dessert after a meal, don't make a habit of it, and see about splitting it, either with hubby, or with a to-go box (so don't get desserts that are prone to melting, like ice cream!).

Don't assume salads are inherently healthy. While they're marginally better than some dishes, some salads can get pretty beastly. This is especially the case if they have things like fried chicken strips, tortilla strips, or special sauces on them. Likewise, you don't have to assume that a burger and fries are inherently bad (okay, you can probably do without the fries -- trade it for a salad, some coleslaw, or other better option). A well-designed burger is actually quite good. Try it lettuce-wrapped, load it up with tomato, onions, and other whole-food toppings. If you're short on calories, then trade the mayo for mustard.

Remember that restaurants tend to be higher-calorie by default. If you don't know for sure the calorie count of what's on the menu, then assume it's at least half again what you think it is (so if you think it's 400 calories, assume at least 600), and plan accordingly. Whether that's "saving" calories, or putting half of it in a to-go box.

Drink water or unsweetened tea. This is especially important in places that provide free refills, as it's really easy to down a few hundred calories just from your drink. Some people report feeling hungrier with diet sodas, so be mindful of that possibility and avoid them if that's the case for you.

Skip the dinner rolls. O'Charley's "unslicably soft dinner rolls" are awesome. They also clock in at something like 300 calories per roll, without anything on them. So be careful with dinner rolls, or ask the waiter to not bring them at all.

Watch sauces, gravies, etc., particularly house-made ones. They tend to be more calorie-dense than you'd expect. So try to go easy on them.

BigT555

^great advice

ill only add, main dishes in restaurants tend to be huge, often when i get my meal i split it into 2 on my plate, eat one half and save the rest for later. some people put half in a box as soon as they get the food, but i dont just for the off chance i finish the first half and am still hungry (after all, i dont get out to restaurants often so going over when i do isnt a huge deal)