a guide to eating out

Marinaclare

Can someone point me in the right direction if this has been asked and answered already but where is good to eat out on my fitness pal? How do you monitor it if its an independent restaurant with no calorie listing?

Also do you skip lunch to allow for the extra calories etc

weightliftingdiva

Try and go to a place that has nutrition information (many fast food options and chain restaurants have nutrition information).
If that is not an option, try to stick to lean meats and vegetables with no sauce and no sweetened beverages.

That being said... If this is a a big celebration or a rare treat, just eat whatever you'd like without stuffing it. One night out won't hurt.

extra_medium

If I know I'm going to have a big meal coming up I'll either eat a super light lunch, or work out a bit more. I get fussy if I miss a meal completely.

It can be hard to guess calories at a restaurant but to at least get a very huge ballpark estimate you can try to input the ingredients as best you can into the recipe creator thing.

shadowloss

I'm learning the hard way. I go out with a group for lunch everyday. I try to choose the most healthy option and stay away from anything fried. Then I come back to the office to log the food I thought was good, only to find it was nearly the worse thing on the menu. Needless to say it's water and lettuce for dinner. (not really I just learn).

Now I'm learning to look at on-line menus before hand and making the suggestion as to where to go to lunch. That way I know what I'm going to order and know I'm going to stay within my plan.

That doesn't answer the question for when their menu or nutrition is not on line. As others have mentioned, think about where your going, what you will order and try to determine before going?

Not real helpful, but the more I live the more I learn. Best of Luck.

Raynne413

I try to mostly eat at places with nutrition information available. If it's not, I try to find like foods in the nutrition database. If that still doesn't work, I assume that a semi-healthy meal out is around 1000 calories, so I will take 1/2 home and assume I ate around 500 calories. Not perfect, but it's something.

wheird

I wrote an excellent guide for this recently

SaintGiff

I wrote an excellent guide for this recently

Every man thinks that we are an expert. We are all wrong. Every damned one of us.

silver_arrow3

I wrote an excellent guide for this recently

Every man thinks that we are an expert. We are all wrong. Every damned one of us.

He seems to get a lot of praise for a non-expert. He may not eat out daily, but apparently his knowledge should be shared with the MFP world.

shutyourpieholeandsquat

I wrote an excellent guide for this recently

Every man thinks that we are an expert. We are all wrong. Every damned one of us.

He seems to get a lot of praise for a non-expert. He may not eat out daily, but apparently his knowledge should be shared with the MFP world.

hell I know some people that he could share it with... :grumble:

wheird

I wrote an excellent guide for this recently

Every man thinks that we are an expert. We are all wrong. Every damned one of us.

He seems to get a lot of praise for a non-expert. He may not eat out daily, but apparently his knowledge should be shared with the MFP world.

:laugh:

baba_helly

I wrote an excellent guide for this recently

Every man thinks that we are an expert. We are all wrong. Every damned one of us.

He seems to get a lot of praise for a non-expert. He may not eat out daily, but apparently his knowledge should be shared with the MFP world.

I would like to keep it all to myself.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

If there's no calorie count available then I choose something similar in the database. If there's a wide calorie range I choose something in the middle. I don't eat in restaurants enough to really hurt my progress even if my calorie info is off.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

I never skip a meal, I don't avoid places with no nutrition info. I pick database entries that seem in line with ate. I use big chain entries and I skip generic entries that seem overly generous. A regular serving of restaurant french fries isn't going to less than 100 calories.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I never skip a meal, I don't avoid places with no nutrition info. I pick database entries that seem in line with ate. I use big chain entries and I skip generic entries that seem overly generous. A regular serving of restaurant french fries isn't going to less than 100 calories.

WHAT? :sad: :brokenheart:

lemurcat12

If I know I'm going to have a big meal coming up I'll either eat a super light lunch, or work out a bit more. I get fussy if I miss a meal completely.

It can be hard to guess calories at a restaurant but to at least get a very huge ballpark estimate you can try to input the ingredients as best you can into the recipe creator thing.

This, and I always add extra butter or oil to my guesses about ingredients.

I mostly do dinners out at local (calories not available) restaurants, and do it about once a week, so it's definitely possible. Depending on where you go, I even think those kinds of places may have better options than some of the major chains. But what matters is what you order, of course. I've always found that people are willing to answer questions and, of course, you can ask for dressing on the side and stuff like that. I tend to assume it's going to be lots of calories and prepare accordingly, though.

elydotap

Ask for the restaurant's nutritional menu. They are suppose to have one.

Mr_Bad_Example

Can someone point me in the right direction if this has been asked and answered already but where is good to eat out on my fitness pal?

I think this particular guide is hidden in the library of the high school where "American Pie" takes place.

dopeysmelly

I don't eat out a lot (maybe 2x per month), but I do travel for business. I don't usually log, but I skip the bread and usually the dessert (unless it's really good and I can just taste a teaspoon of it). If it's a business trip I skip breakfast or buy/take my own. I go for healthier options like fish or chicken, but I generally have whatever I want (and DEFINITELY a cocktail or glass of wine with dinner), and just keep my Eating Out Mantra in my head "moderation, moderation, moderation" and eat fairly slowly so I can more easily gauge satiety and enjoy the conversation and company more.

I have found I focus much more on choosing things I really want and really enjoying them than I used to.

ShannonMpls

Also do you skip lunch to allow for the extra calories etc

Skipping lunch to me means what would be an 800 calorie meal becomes a 1,500 calorie meal because I'm so hungry. I recommend eating a small lunch, but definitely still eating.

The whole time I was losing weight, I only rarely logged a meal out. Such a pain in the *kitten*, never accurate, I did not bother. I rarely do it now either. To each their own, however.

Joannah700

www.healthydiningfinder.com

is a great start.

Makes it easy-ish to find/suggest places to go out and know that there's healthy food out there.

SnuggleSmacks

If there's no nutrition information, then some choices should be fairly obvious: grilled chicken or fish, steamed veggies, salads with light dressings or oil and vinegar. For other things, ask questions about the ingredients and preperation, and choose the closest thing you can find in the database.