Holy crap: Eating healthy while eating out.

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Boyfriend and I were wanting to go out to dinner tonight, and so I hopped online to look up nutrition menus for our favorite restaurants.

Chili's was out, with nearly every palatable item (in my eyes) in the 1,000+ calories range. Outback Steakhouse wasn't much better. Olive Garden was just upsetting-- 150 calories for ONE breadstick? And 300+ for a serving of salad? That's more than I wanna intake and that's not even to the entree.

I was getting very frustrated, and so we decided to just pick a restaurant and I would find something when we got there instead of over analyzing. After driving past several places and seeing the lines to get a table, we settled on Ruby Tuesday's -- Kudos to them for having, from what I can tell, the most health-friendly menu of the places in this area.

I wound up ordering the petite sirloin, (450ish cals), the sweet potato fries (330 cals) and the Garden Bar. I was so proud of myself because with the fries, I indulged a bit, but didn't overdo it. RT has a yummy sounding Spaghetti Squash Marinara dish that appealed as well, but I wanted something that would 'stick to my ribs' a bit more than that.

Hit the Garden Bar first, loading up on lettuce, cukes, zuccchini, onions, and peas. I allowed myself a tiny helping of diced ham and a small scoop of Bacon bits, along with a small portion of cheese (which I would usually HEAP on top. Go me!). Topped the whole thing with balsamic and dug in. Finished about half of that, and my entree arrived-- I ate about half of the steak and fries and was satisfied.

My point is, I'm proud of myself for indulging without going overboard.

And I proved to myself that it is entirely possible to go out to eat as long as you control portion size and make better choices.

Bonus points for me tonight. :)

Anyone have any helpful tips for eating well when you go out?

Replies

  • VeganInTraining
    VeganInTraining Posts: 1,321 Member
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    Kudos lady! When I go out to eat i usually just throw calorie counting out the window. Way to stay on top of things!
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
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    Thank you! It's a pretty incredible motivator, knowing you did something good for yourself.
  • shenny54
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    I agree, it is hard to find a healthy, low fat meal at most restaurants. One thing I find to be helpful is to be very careful with other meals that day before eating out. That way, if I do eat more calories/fat than I should, it's not that big of a deal because it balances out in the end.
    Good job on your experience! I'll have to remember that RT is a good spot when I'm looking next time. :)
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
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    True. I ate pretty good today, so that helped with having some wiggle room.
  • netsirk12
    netsirk12 Posts: 220 Member
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    RT is awesome. I love their samon. They have drinks that are under 150 calories too. Great for a girls night out! :)