Holidaying in USA - advice to help me stay on track?

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Hello Pals! I'm visiting the USA for 6 weeks next month from Australia, and i was hoping some local MFP members could give me some tips on how to prevent myself gaining weight while in America. This is my first trip to America, so i am unfamiliar with the food on offer. What are your tips for keeping track of my weight loss goal while on the road, where all my food will be from restaurants, hotels and roadside diners? Any foods to avoid? Any foods i should try to eat? What should i order from restaurants? ANY advice you can give would be wonderful! Thanks so much!

Jenyfur1

Where are you going to visit??? State, town...???
I love Chipotle veggie burriot bowls.. No Cheese or Sour Cream.. THey are good and low cal. Stay away from Buffalo Wild Wings or Wing places..... Order food with out sauces or on the side. Eat a salad before your meal.. I guess just like in Australia.... I don't think there is too much difference... Good Luck and Welcome to the US!

acasey0123

be careful if you get like stuff in bags and what a serving size is...it could be a small bag of like chips or cookies but really it serves like 2.5 people...also watch out for sauces and serving sizes in restaurants as well...most of it is for like 2 people....so eat half and save the other half for later...also go online to the restaurant youre planning to go to beforehand and check out the menu since most of them have their nutrition on it

Have Fun!!!

acasey0123

sorry it posted twice for some reason

tarrox

If you'll be eating out at any chain restaurants, watch the portions carefully! A lot of places cam easily give you a serving for 4 or more in your order. Welcome to the states and I hope you enjoy your stay

deenaspell

I'm not sure what you have over in Australia, but....here are the all-around bad choices: Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Arby's, Hardee's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Cold Stone Creamery, The Cheesecake Factory, Outback, Longhorn, Olive Garden...oh my god, who am I kidding?! There are too many!!

Good choices: Chick-Fil-A, Subway, Blimpie, IHOP, Denny's, Waffle House - always go grilled and sugar free syrup or light everything. Say no butter - look for healthy marked meals on menus. Avoid milkshakes at said places (they are amazing, but will do you in)! I would type more, but I think it's best to say just eat grilled everything, go for veggies, avoid cheese smothered things and anything fried and you'll be ok. Salads are everywhere :-)

Enjoy your trip!

AdAstra47

Depends on what you consider "healthy." If you're doing low-carb, message me and I can give you my list of good foods to be found at the most common chain restaurants.

If you have your computer or a smartphone with you, you can continue to use MFP. Most of the chain restaurants you'll encounter already have their foods in the database.

I've never been to Australia, but I've been told by people from Europe that the portion sizes here are much larger. So that's something to watch. Don't feel like you have to clean your plate; chefs here don't get upset about that kind of thing. Even the nicest restaurants here think nothing of it if you ask for a box so you can take some of it home instead of eating it all at once. Also, I second the person who said to order sauces and dressings on the side. That way you won't end up with something swimming in unnecessary calories.

Most places you'll stay offer a free continental breakfast, but that can vary widely in quality. Sometimes they just set out a couple boxes of cereal, some milk, some fruit and some donuts. So don't count on being able to start your day with protein unless you provide it yourself or go out for breakfast.

It's not healthy in any way, but if you're visiting Indian Country (anywhere in the Southwest or any of the Reservations) I recommend you find a place to get frybread, the traditional Native food, usually served with honey. Sinful but delicious. Or, even better, an Indian Taco, which is frybread covered in spicy meat, beans & cheese. And if you are in the Kansas City area, you gotta have some of our Kansas City steaks.

Hope you enjoy your vacation!

OnMyWay2STay

I'm not sure what you have over in Australia, but....here are the all-around bad choices: Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Arby's, Hardee's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Cold Stone Creamery, The Cheesecake Factory, Outback, Longhorn, Olive Garden...oh my god, who am I kidding?! There are too many!!

Good choices: Chick-Fil-A, Subway, Blimpie, IHOP, Denny's, Waffle House - always go grilled and sugar free syrup or light everything. Say no butter - look for healthy marked meals on menus. Avoid milkshakes at said places (they are amazing, but will do you in)! I would type more, but I think it's best to say just eat grilled everything, go for veggies, avoid cheese smothered things and anything fried and you'll be ok. Salads are everywhere :-)

Enjoy your trip!

Actually, you CAN get healthy foods at some of these "bad choices." My favorite is the Whopper Jr. from Burger King *without mayo.* I would stay away from fries or eat just a few instead of a full serving. Fried Chicken from anywhere is a bad idea. Subway does have good options, but be careful about the sauces. Also, the tuna is full of mayonnaise there.

The main thing is to look at the nutrition facts provided. If can look at menus online in advance that will help.

Ruby Tuesday as well as some other places mark healthy choices on their menus and provide nutrition info upfront.

breezad

walk everywhere!!!!!!

if you walk everywhere instead of taxis and buses ect, not only do you see more of USA but you can pretty much eat watever you want!
i only gained 1.6kg after 6 weeks in america and i didnt hold back let me tell you
have a good breaky every morning and WALK!

sooooo jealous i want to go back, from australia too

Abigailblue39

It shouldn't be too hard. The food here doesn't taste very good. (compared to European food). I've moved to the US from Germany and have even lost weight over the years. The soda pop drinks, and desserts are too sweet and everything else is greasy or full of sodium.

Nonetheless, some restaurants have good food, I chose things like salad, dressing on the side and some lean protein. Ahi-tuna salads are mostly good choices. At restaurants they usually are pretty good about not putting extra butter or salt on your steak/fish, but tell them.

Avoid fast food places.

You could eat sushi, but I've lived in Sydney and the sushi and seafood is way better there, hehe.

amandanzgirl

Hi, my hubby is American and we go back once a year (Im from NZ). My advice would be to have one meal a day where you eat what you want, but try to stick to healthier type options the other 2 meals.
Could you visit a supermarket and stock up on cereal for breakfasts, fruit for snacks etc?

A lot of chain type restaurants have the calorie content right on the menu, so that's a help too. Often my hubby and I would order 1 main and share it, as more often than not burgers/ toasted sandwiches etc come with a generous portion of chips etc (more than enough for 2 people!).

And as Bree said, WALK everywhere, will mean you can eat more!


Last but not least, you're on HOLIDAY, try not to stress about calories etc, enjoy the different food options, and you always have MFP when you come back!!

inlander

I've heard American portions are way larger than portion sizes anywhere else, so keep that in mind when ordering. If you order a regular entree in a restaurant, halve the portion and put the rest in a box. What else? Stay away from fast food. Even "healthy" fast food isn't that healthy. If you're staying in places with a kitchenette, it's ideal to buy small things from the grocery and prepare stuff in your suite. If you only have a fridge/microwave, get some fresh veggies and fruits and maybe additive/preservative-free microwave dinners?

If you've got the money and want to eat out every day, most sit-down/waitress-staffed restaurants will have healthy options.

And most of all, HAVE FUN!

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Best advice EVER!! Thank you so much everybody!!! Absolutely brilliant, i'm so grateful!!

I'm heading from LA to NY...so it is going to be an adventure!!

Thanks so much again!