What do you do when you go to local diners?

TinaBean007

There are a ton of great suggestions.

Something I keep in mind is that I don't eat out very often. I make the best decisions I can, keeping in mind that most days are good days and one not-so-bad meal isn't going to hurt my weight loss. I compensate earlier in the day and eat less knowing that my dinner is going to be larger than normal.

Do the best you can but don't worry if it's not perfect.

skullshank

i find small diners easier to estimate than big chains.

if we're talking breakfast, its pretty easy. i seem to order the same thing, but sometimes prepared in different ways...

3 eggs scrambled, bacon, toast, butter, maybe jelly, maybe hash instead of bacon, homefries.

if i decide on a sandwich it's basically the same thing...maybe swap out a bulkie roll for the toast, maybe add cheese.

much easier IMO than, say, dennys or ihop (though i have no real reason for saying so lol).

and dont be too shy to ASK QUESTIONS.
if they know the answer or have access to it, they'll tell you.

1. Try to plan ahead (I take my own dressing for salads)
2. NEVER order fried foods
3. Once my order comes, if it's bigger than my fist I IMMEDIATLY ask for a to-go box.

1. you could always ask for dressing on the side and ask them what brand it is (a couple of TBS of dressing aint gonna kill ya)
2. why not? unless you have IBS or something, if you can fit it in your day, theres nothing wrong with it.
3. what if you're hungrier than that?

MsBetteDavis

I always just accept that what I input is going to be more of an estimation. So for instance, I'm going out to lunch with my work next week and I'm going to get a grilled chicken burger from a pub that doesn't have any nutritional info online. So I just searched "pub grilled chicken burger" and stuff came up. So I just inputted that (although I did .5 only since that's what I'll eat. .5 of that and .5 of the fries).

And then I'll try and make sure that I exercise that day (and I probably won't eat those cals back) because I'm sure I'll be eating over what MFP has estimated my meal as. So I just do my best to fit it into my daily calorie allowance.

twinkletwinklemeganstar

I get very "naked" food, like instead of a chicken sandwich with bacon, cheese, onion strings, mushrooms, swiss and a garlic butter bun...just go with a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato...to me the more ingredients in the dish or on the sandwich the more salt and junk you'll end up eating without knowing it, and I would always get condiments on the side! Oh and 1 more thing, get something that will taste good reheated later, that way you can only eat 1/2 at a time and you'll have something to look forward to later :-)

da_bears1008

I use my common sense and say...

self, this grilled chicken breast is probably less yummy than the creamy penne pasta, but less calories and more protein.

"Ummm, I will have the creamy penne pasta. With 2 of those fresh baked buns. Thanks!"

Rainboots80

I always get an omelette

AmyRhubarb

I use the SWAG method - Scientific Wild *kitten* Guessing. :bigsmile: And I make a note of it for that day in the little Notes box that it was guesswork, just so I know if I look back later.

I find what seems to be the closest match in the database and just go with it. It's only one meal. Occasionally I'll even just quick add my remaining cals for the day and call it good, but only if the meal is complicated or there just isn't a good match to be found.

Been doing this for over 2 years and it hasn't affected my progress. Love local restaurants too - such good food!

bluecat145

Thanks for all the replies! I ended up getting a grilled cheese (because it was easy to 'dissect') and fries. I did not eat the fries. I estimated the sandwich (2 slices of bread, cheese, and some butter) then added 100 to the total.

nxd10

I eat at diners at least once a week. I log all the pieces of the sandwiches (85% fat hamburger, 1/4 pound, onion slice, tomato slide, lettuce leaf, wonder bread hamburger bun, etc.) The hardest is french fries. Those I actually count and have found ones that look pretty similar at a fast food place and log that. It may be off by 50 calories or so, but that isn't a lot in a week.

Don't forget that virtually all the bread/toast is buttered.

I have typical diner meals saved once I've logged them.

skullshank

Thanks for all the replies! I ended up getting a grilled cheese (because it was easy to 'dissect') and fries. I did not eat the fries. I estimated the sandwich (2 slices of bread, cheese, and some butter) then added 100 to the total.

shame about the fries.

PapaChanoli

I do two things. I use the database, looking for the most comparable thing I can find, usually picking something with the highest or near highest calories, so my guesstimate is a little padded.

Then I just don't worry about it.

This is a long term game of estimates. In the end, being a couple hundred calories off on one meal is not going to make or break my diet. The effect is negligible at best. I weigh my foods when I can, but when guests are over I generally treat it as a restaurant meal.

I find that the more anal I am, the less I want to count my calories. The more relaxed I am about it, the more sustainable it becomes. The fact is, I never even paid attention to calories before, and now I watch my calories every day. That's a huge change and the very nature of the change tells me I will succeed. So far, if I'm goofing up at all, it's that I'm losing weight a little too fast. I'll take that.