Dume ? - How did you stop eating out?

SaraWojcik19

I know this seems silly, but I think the biggest contributing factor to me having gained, and not losing any weight is eating out. I honestly think I eat out like 5 times a week between lunch and dinner. I just feel like I have zero motivation to cook. I used to enjoy it, but know with life as crazy as it is, it just so much simpler to grab something quickly.

I have heard many times about pre-cooking and freezing, but truthfully, my freezer won't allow me to do this.

Has anyone else overcome something like this? How did you stop eating out?

I know it sounds easy to just 'stop eating out'........but it has proven much harder than that for me.

VJ150

I'm sorry you are having difficulties. When I decided to stop eating out, I thought about the amount of money I would be saving. The calculations were huge. That alone was motivation enought. I then thought about the effects fast foods were having on my body and what kind of example I was setting for my grand children. Also, I realized that shortly after eating fast foods, I would be hungry again and would crave more fast food because it was "easy". So I realized I needed to stop and did.

NoAdditives

I watched Super Size Me and vowed to never eat fast food again. After knowing what's in fast food and what it does to your body it's been easy to resist. And knowing how many calories are in restaurant food is enough for me to stay away.

kelika71

For me, it was when I started logging sodium. That was a HUGE eye opener with restaurants. I'd prefer to not max myself out on sodium for days in one meal.
I don't really like cooking because it's just for myself. I've learned to just cook things that I can store in the fridge for a few days. Cook only a few times a week...works for me. Plus, I get more food with less cals, carbs and sodium this way.

I haven't for awhile, but sometimes, cooking up a batch of soup has helped me, too. Baking chicken (in water so it doesn't dry out) to put on salads, eat alone, etc. has helped.

Good luck!!

NanBar

I guess honestly- it's just a matter of choices. If that is your downfall and that is what you really feel has contributed to your weight gain....then....you have to stop doing it...or limit it. Or I am afraid you wont see much of a change. You could commit to eating healthier when your out, or limiting the times per week you go out. Or trade a night out for an extra night at the gym.

I say this often. You have to really WANT change, and then CHANGE to SEE changes.

johnandholli

I have the exact same problem. My trainer at the YMCA said even eating the lower calorie fast food isn't going to cut it. I live about 10 miles from where I workout, I am starved after working out. Right now, since the weather is cooler, I am bringing a low cal snack or maybe even a sandwich, to leave in the car, so I am not tempted. Also, I bought a $10 year subscription to tasteofhomes.com, they have easy to make recipes (I hate cooking all the time). They have different themed ones too, like the cassarole issue. If u don't eat it all, definitely freeze it! My hubby freezes everything!

CarolHudson11

That's one area where I consider myself pretty lucky. I love to cook and very rarely ever have the desire to eat out. (My problem is that I like to eat what I cook while I'm cooking it, and then eat it again at the meal.) I used to eat out quite often when I was younger, but it cut a huge hole in my budget so I learned how to cook, which gave me a sense of achievement, and I quit eating out. A homemade hamburger is so much better than McDonalds or whatever. I'm sure it's easier to just grab something, though. Good luck and you can add me as a friend, if you want.

Cytherea

I completely understand this. After a long day, the last thing you want to do is cook. Even if you are short on money (as we are) it still is worth it for the convenience sometimes. And that's ok, as long as you plan for it.

What really worked for me was planning things out in advance. I don't make a weekly cooking schedule, but I make sure to always have stuff in the house for lunch, so I only have to worry about dinner. And then I figure it out in the morning or the night before. The late nights, when I don't get home until 7pm, I would plan on having fast food/something out quick and make sure to put that in my diary. On the other days, when I got home at a reasonable time, like 5pm, I would make sure to have something prepared in my mind to eat. The meat would be thawed in my fridge, marinating, and the other stuff ready to go, so that when I get home, all I have to do is start making it.

My husband and I are really bad with leftovers, so we never do that "make a ton and freeze it for later" thing. And I don't have a crock-pot so I can't do it in the morning and leave it all day (which would be so helpful). I'm still not GREAT at it, there are still days where we end up going out and I haven't accounted for that, but what I do then is just try to figure out what place and what meal at that place fits best into my diary for the day so that I don't go over. You can still eat out and lose weight- you just have to be smart about your choices. And there is always the option of only eating half and taking the rest home for later!

NightOwl1

I'm a big fan of frozen dinners. Some people here rail against them, but they're a low calorie alternative to eating out, especially when you don't have the desire to cook. Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice, and Marie Callender's all make a number of great meals, most between 250-400 calories. I used to eat out all the time, because I don't really cook. Now that I've been committed to losing weight, I keep my freezer stocked with frozen dinners, and they've helped a ton.

Rondaks

I don't know if this will help, but the problem I have with eating out isn't so much me, but my family. I have found that I can 'let' them eat out, but I'll give myself a dinner from home. I do like to cook, but sometimes I just say forget it and do a DIY day. That's where my son and husband and I 'forage' for dinner. It might be left overs or soup or something we can just heat up in the microwave.

The freezer space can be a problem, but if you can overcome it, it is nice to have frozen single serving food (often just homemade soup or just left overs). Sometimes we just have to chose to not eat what the rest of the family is eating... or modify it in a healthy way.

I know it's tough... I hope this helps. In any event, I feel for you. I get that's it's easy to say, "just don't do it", but saying it is easier than doing it.

motoxmom1

The only meal I ever really ate out was lunch. I have had a lot of success using the Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice and WW Smart Ones for lunch. A lot of people will say they are too high in sodium but they are significantly less then that of a fast food meal. When I first started I kept them to 300 calories or less. When I got in the habit of eating them I went down to 250 calories or less. They are really good and there are a lot of great options! I buy them when they are on sale and use coupons and it's usually costs me around $1.50 to $2.00 per day. What do you spend per day on fast food??

Rondaks

The healthier frozen dinners are a nice simple way to make dinner if you aren't in the mood to cook. I agree with you completely. Some of the meals, while often high in sodium, can be a good option. Especially if it is reserved for those times when you just don't feel like cooking.

BaseballMom18

Speaking from someone that ate out everyday for lunch and dinner, I know where you are coming from and this was huge change for my family. i started my journey back in August and you can see my before and after pics in success stories thread.

You just have to stop making excuses and do it, I know it's hard but you have to take charge and make the decision to change! My life did not stop and we ate out due to convenience with 2 boys in activities every night it was so much easier. I learned to prepare certain things in advance, like I would take one day of weekend and prepare meals for week. This was hard because my hubby and kids were not ones on diet and didn't want to eat same things I was eating. I would also prepare my meals too, so that meant cooking my brown rice and chicken in advance and if I had time i would pre-portion them off in baggies. That way if I was on the go I could grab some baggies of chicken to eat on road.

I carried a soft-side cooler everywhere with me, full of healthy foods to get me through the day. When I say everywhere I mean to baseball fields, football games, etc. Things like mustard, 100% whole wheat tortillas, tuna cups, pre-portioned cooked chicken, apples, jar of natural peanut butter, sugar-free jello cups, crystal light packets, raw broccoli or cauliflower, almonds, etc.

You can do it, just have to make the choice to do it!

SaraWojcik19

You guys are so supportive. Thank you. I think I am going to take all of you upon your suggestions. I am for sure going to watch Super-Size Me. I think I need the reality check. Also,I like the idea of cooking and packaging single servings for quick grabbing later. I also really like the idea of carrying a cooler around with 'allowed' foods in it.

Really great suggestions. Thank you all!!!!

melodyg

Eating out really contributed to my weight gain (and regain) as well. One of the reasons I ate out so much (besides the fact I had more money than I do now!) is that I was so busy and didn't feel I had time to cook. After a long day at work it was so much easier to just go out somewhere.

Eating out is still my downfall and I still go out to eat much more than I would like to. I am eating out less than I was before though. I do like to cook, and one thing that has helped me immensely is planning out my suppers for the week in advance. With just a family of 3, that leaves me with at least one night of leftovers too so I do get a bit of a break. When I do go out to eat, I have learned to look at the nutrition information online and plan out what I am going to eat in advance. If that isn't possible (like it isn't going to be this week eating out with a friend -- no nutrition info on the webpage), I at least try to find a menu and plan something semi-healthy. I also try to only eat about 1/2 of my food (unless I've preplanned to eat more) and box up the rest.

I will say that even though I think I still need to cut back on eating out, I am glad that I haven't completely cut it out. Sometimes I see people on here who are really concerned because they haven't eaten out in months and are afraid one meal out is going to be a huge setback. I look at eating out as part of the new lifestyle changes I am making, and learning to stick to my nutrition goals while eating out is part of that. It *is* harder to eat healthy when you are not the one cooking (especially because of that sodium!) but it is not impossible to fit into a good (well, maybe decent) eating plan. I guess what I am trying to aim for is letting eating out be something that I plan for and enjoy, not just a default solution on a bad or hectic day.

nickeymhughes

I bring an apple with me (stick it in my coat pocket or gym back) I read that an apple helps you recovery quickly after a workout.. I used to leave the gym weak, shacky, and hungry but the apple has helped that.. when I get home I fix my protein drink, (although I did read you should drink your protein right before bed, but I don't know I haven't tried that yet)..

nickeymhughes

how did you get both tickers on your profile.

esorcel

I'm a big fan of frozen dinners. Some people here rail against them, but they're a low calorie alternative to eating out, especially when you don't have the desire to cook. Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice, and Marie Callender's all make a number of great meals, most between 250-400 calories. I used to eat out all the time, because I don't really cook. Now that I've been committed to losing weight, I keep my freezer stocked with frozen dinners, and they've helped a ton.

I have become a big fan of frozen foods, too! With so much focus on weight loss and exercise, and taking care of my family, I haven't had much time or the motivation to cook for myself. Also, it is easier to calorie count with foods that are already prepared. I know that the sodium is higher, but it seems to be working because the calories are lower in a lot of the healthier option ones. I mostly go according to calories than anything else. I have become the queen of microwaving food (lol). Anything goes for trying to make losing weight easier.

Back to the topic: To make a change from eating out constantly to eating healthier foods can take time. People go through stages of change. I still allow myself some take out food, but in moderation. It was a hard transition, but overtime that change became easier to do. Don't be hard on yourself, everyone slips up here in there, especially when beginning the journey to weight loss.

esorcel

I don't know if this will help, but the problem I have with eating out isn't so much me, but my family. I have found that I can 'let' them eat out, but I'll give myself a dinner from home. I do like to cook, but sometimes I just say forget it and do a DIY day. That's where my son and husband and I 'forage' for dinner. It might be left overs or soup or something we can just heat up in the microwave.

The freezer space can be a problem, but if you can overcome it, it is nice to have frozen single serving food (often just homemade soup or just left overs). Sometimes we just have to chose to not eat what the rest of the family is eating... or modify it in a healthy way.

I know it's tough... I hope this helps. In any event, I feel for you. I get that's it's easy to say, "just don't do it", but saying it is easier than doing it.

I can relate to this. I don't like to let my family eat out often because take out doesn't provide the same "comfort" and "love" as eating home-cooked foods. It's kind of like how some of us miss out mother's cooking (or whoever's cooking you grew up with). This is the same feeling you can provide to your family, if possible. I don't always eat the same as my family does because I am the only one who is not a picky eater. Because I can't cook so many different meals, I have turned to mostly healthy, low-calorie microwavable foods for myself. This way, everyone wins.

kiffypooh

I can totally relate to your problem. To top mine off, my husband is just as bad as I am about eating out. We love to eat out. My mom and sister have called it our hobby, because we really don't have a hobby. This year cutting back on eating out is our number one priority for health as well as financial reasons. it sounds so silly, but it is so hard for us not to eat out. Tonight for example i defrosted a whole wheat pizza crust, fingered out all my calories for the pizza, was ready to make it and we decided to go get dinner out instead. Why? No idea, but we did. Two things I have noticed about myself is that I like the socialization. When I'm home with my 3 year old daughter all day I get lonely so I'll take her to lunch so I can chit chat with the staff (I'm totally that girl :O)) and SODA!!!! I LOVE fountain drinks. Tonight we went out because I wanted a soda, that's how the topic came up. I can have a can of soda at home, but it's not the same.

My plan to help motivate us to stop eating out is this. I know approximately how much we spend at all our regular places. So, when we have a night like tonight where we want to go to XYZ restaurant, I plan to tally up how much we would have spent if we did go. I hope that motivates us. At this point, it's not a choice any more. I don't want my daughter growing up craving foods offered at restaurant rather then home cooked healthy meals. Although, on the plus side she eats pretty healthy at a restaurant since we go out so often.

Lastly, I saw this article today and where fast-food burgers comes from scares me. It's the first one on the list:

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-your-weight-gain

lkm111

I do a lot of "Cook once, eat twice (or even three times!). Whatever I'm cooking, I make sure to cook more than I need. It doesn't go into the freezer, it goes immediately into leftover containers and into the fridge. I usually don't eat it the very next day, but it will get eaten before the week is up. I know this doesn't work for everybody, but it works for me. It takes a little bit of organinzing, but once it is a habit I find it to be very easy.

I've posted about this cookbook before, but I like it so much. It's Bill Phillips's "Eating for Life". His recipes are designed for what he calls "Planned-overs". You cook, eat, and put the leftovers in the fridge that you plan to eat sometime during the week.

Hope this is helpful!