If you absolutly must!

Loves2snack

Where do you eat when you go out to dinner, what do you eat?
I want to go out to dinner with a friend but, Im at a cross roads. I was thinking applebees.

azQmaster

What about sharing tacos?

Hoppymom

Applebee's has some great choices under 500 calories. Love it! You can look at their menu online and check calories on the ones that interest you too. Have fun!

jmeeej

Steak with grilled veggies and a salad on the side without dressing. Done and done.

tera7363

I have such a hard time eating out. My top picks are Applebees b/c of the weight watchers items or Ruby Tuesdays I like the spaghetti squash marinara & have a salad w/it & take half of the entree home for lunch the next day

Qarol

We don't eat out a whole lot...I prefer to cook at home. I can't stand restaurant mark ups. But when we do, and I want to be good, we go to Outback. I get the lobster tails with a house salad and steamed broccoli. I do not eat the bread.

MikeSEA

I have a taste for chicken fajitas atm if that helps I usually just don't eat the tortillas because I prefer to have some chips instead and there's plenty of carbs elsewhere.

Stooooo

Look for a place called Bonefish. Great healthy food.

Or 52 Seasons

Acg67

i like trying new places all the time, so i don't normally hit up chain restaurants. and when i go i feast, mult apps, good wine, mult desserts and then back on track the next day.

glockster972

We don't eat out a whole lot...I prefer to cook at home. I can't stand restaurant mark ups. But when we do, and I want to be good, we go to Outback. I get the lobster tails with a house salad and steamed broccoli. I do not eat the bread.

Lobster sounds really good, plus the broccoli. Now I'm hungry.....again

TeaBea

http://www.applebees-menu.com/applebeesmenunutritionfacts.html

They have some lower cal stuff there. I like Olive Garden too - but I really have to watch the salad & breadsticks.

chubby_checkers

red lobster can be pretty good as well. i ususally get some sort of baked or blackened fish with steamed broccoli. also, i limit myself to one cheddar bay biscuit; it's not very easy to do!

Fitnin6280

I used to HATE going out to eat. But then I decided to do my research. I went on line to each of our favorite places and found my best options for each. I found that just about every place has a healthy option. My favorite though is Chili's. They have a great menu for plates under 500 cals. Now we go out once a week. Especially since I don't believe in cooking on Fridays!

ejohndrow

Hmm well there's:
The Windjammer
The Jerk House
The Cuban Club
Mongolian bbq night
.....I'm guessing you weren't talking about any of these. (The Jerk House is the best though).

spacecase76

My boyfriend and I are both on here (and have both lost a good amount of weight--him almost 200 pounds), when we go out to eat, we go to Zea's, Bonefish Grill, any steakhouse, Mexican food, etc. We used to do Applebee's a lot, but haven't in a while. I also eat Indian / Nepali fairly regularly. I feel that there is *something* appropriate to eat almost anywhere (just avoid Chili's, lol). When we "splurg" or have a cheat day, we do the Chinese Buffet!

oh, sheesh, I forgot to mention our "after church" restaurant. We eat Greek food every Sunday!

rml_16

Where do you eat when you go out to dinner, what do you eat?
I want to go out to dinner with a friend but, Im at a cross roads. I was thinking applebees.

Applebees I guess is OK if you want to find really low-cal foods. But last time I went there, it was like eating a plate full of salt. It's not very vegetarian friendly, so I rarely go there unless it's someone's birthday and that person's choice or something.

Truthfully, you can find healthy meals at any restaurant, so my suggestion would be go where you like and make a good choice. Or save up calories and get in a workout and get something you love that isn't so healthy.

tymee

Cheesecake Factory actually has a great 'healthy' menu, look it up online, I think called the Skinnylicious menu items...

SoDamnHungry

Some place with pasta. =D If I'm gonna eat out I go for it.

RuthAne

I like going to local Asian and Mexican restaurants. At Asian restaurants I can usually find soup and a healthy salad/vegetable dish. At Mexican restaurants I go for a bean or chicken dish w/o cheese, sour cream etc

Grokette

Where do you eat when you go out to dinner, what do you eat?
I want to go out to dinner with a friend but, Im at a cross roads. I was thinking applebees.

Why not find a locally owned restaurant that cooks REAL food and not some chain restaurant that brings in much processed foods to "reheat".

Grokette

I like going to local Asian and Mexican restaurants. At Asian restaurants I can usually find soup and a healthy salad/vegetable dish. At Mexican restaurants I go for a bean or chicken dish w/o cheese, sour cream etc

We do the same...........

Asian - Soup, meat and stir fry veggies

Mexican - shrimp, chicken and steak fajitas, extra guacamole, sour cream and salsa - no beans, no rice and no tortillas.

MikeSEA

Without picking a side on the locally-supplied/real food issue, I will say I tend to avoid chain family restaurants simply because I dislike trying to enjoy dinner and conversation in what amounts to a playground.

wolfchild59

This:

i like trying new places all the time, so i don't normally hit up chain restaurants. and when i go i feast, mult apps, good wine, mult desserts and then back on track the next day.

And this:

Why not find a locally owned restaurant that cooks REAL food and not some chain restaurant that brings in much processed foods to "reheat".

I don't plan on spending the rest of my life not enjoying the variety and quality of food available at great local restaurants and the good times with friends/loved ones that go along with those outings, so I don't do it now. I mostly cook at home, but the one or two times a month that the hubby and I do go out, for whatever reason, I enjoy that meal and time to the fullest. Then I'm back to my regular eating the next day. I spent a lot of months when I first started MFP not allowing this and it sucked, so I changed my outlook and have been a lot happier.

Loves2snack

Without picking a side on the locally-supplied/real food issue, I will say I tend to avoid chain family restaurants simply because I dislike trying to enjoy dinner and conversation in what amounts to a playground.

LOL