Eating out and not going over

MalyMal

Hi, just wonderig if anyone had any tips for eating at resturants. I find it really hard to go and enjoy a nice meal and not go over my calories, or to just have water and tiny salad. Just wondering if anyone has any good tips since valentines days is coming up and I no I will probably go out and I really don't want to go over. I am open to anything.

royam01

Drink water and only eat half of the meal. I usually have them box half of it before it even comes to me. I get whatever I feel like having I just never eat the whole thing. Many meals have upwards of 1500 calories! Not worth it... and if you save some you have lunch for the next day!

petithamu

I'd normally check out the menu before I go if i know where I'm going. It makes planning a bit easier so I can 'conserve' my calories on the day i'm suppose to go out and eat. If you don't know where you are going, the best tips I can give you is: Nothing fried, try grilled. Everything with sauce on the side if you can (unless you're in the UK where substitution is almost unheard of and people give you evils when you request...god I miss the States sometime..), and whatever you do, eat half of what's on your plate so you're about 80% full.

Oh, I also drink a bowl of miso soup before I head out to line my stomach.

Lastly, enjoy your meal, it's okay once in a while!

hsnider29

We went to Olive Garden last night for dinner and I actually oloked up their nutrition info online before we left. I was really suprised at how many calories are in some of their dishes. I ended up getting the Minestrone soup (100 calories) instead of house salad (350 cals) and the shrimp pimavera which was 740 calories and I ate half and boxed the other half. I left there feeling very proud of myself and quite full/satisfied. If you can just research beforehand and decide what you are going to have before you even get there. I also made sure to do 30 minutes on my elliptical before heading out to dinner. This is the first time I've been out to dinner since dieting and it went really well. I actually have the confidence now that I can make smarter choices and leave the restuarant full and happy but not guilty. Good luck!

Ps. The sodium content is horrendous in restuarant foods, so I just ignored this fact and went with one of the lower calorie choices.

wolfchild59

I just special order my own meals. I ask for steamed veggies and grilled fish or chicken with no sauce or rubs on it. Never had a problem being accommodated and it's always tasty. Here was one plate that I got at a place where every dish had creamy sauces and/or came with piles of rice. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfchild59/5403272917/ It was delicious and many of the people in my group commented on how amazing it looked and wondered how they'd missed that on the menu.