Eating healthily in restaurants

hollythehutt

Today seemed to go quite well at first, as far as diets are concerned: I ate 128cal of fat-free yoghurt for breakfast, did some exercises, then went out. However, I had a family dinner in a local restaurant, one where most of the patrons clearly don't care about their calorie intakes.

I ordered what looked like the healthiest options - no nutritional information... - namely, roast chicken breast with salad, followed by cheeses (my mother insisted that we all order sweets, and everything else on the pudding menu looked like a calorie Tsar Bomba). I didn't finish either course, either. However, I somehow managed to eat almost 600 calories! That might be an underestimation - I guessed that there was one cubic inch of each cheese, but there may have been more or less, and I'm almost certain that there was more celery with the cheese and more tomatoes with the chicken than I thought...

I thought I had healthy eating in restaurants worked out, but after that train wreck of a meal, clearly not. Has anyone else been in a similar situation, and does anyone have any tips on keeping calories down in restaurants? Thanks!

lizard053

Eating healthy at a restaurant is so much harder than it seems!
Order the salad, they're healthy! Dead wrong in most cases, they are some of the highest calorie meals on the menu!
I like to get a side salad and an appetizer to keep my calories down.
Or order off the kids menu, if they let you. Much smaller portion sizes there.
Always get any sauces/dressings on the side, that way you can control how much goes on your food.
And finally, don't go out to eat. LOL! I know it's impossible.

bcattoes

A 600 calorie meal is bad??

mydeloo78

600 calories for a restaurant meal (with dessert) is actually pretty good. Remember in restaurants not to be afraid to ask for things how you want them. Also, many restaurants offer fresh fruit or sorbet for dessert.

hollythehutt

Eating healthy at a restaurant is so much harder than it seems!
Order the salad, they're healthy! Dead wrong in most cases, they are some of the highest calorie meals on the menu!
I like to get a side salad and an appetizer to keep my calories down.
Or order off the kids menu, if they let you. Much smaller portion sizes there.
Always get any sauces/dressings on the side, that way you can control how much goes on your food.
And finally, don't go out to eat. LOL! I know it's impossible.

There weren't any salads, thankfully; one less trap to fall into. There wasn't a kids' menu, and it'd have been considered rude to demand dressings on the side. Sigh... Thank you, though. Hopefully my (considerably overweight) family find a different favourite restaurant, because, as good as the food is at this one, it's absolutely impossible not to overeat.

ctsmith

I think you did very well considering eating out is so tough!!!

BarbWhite09

A 600 calorie meal at a restaurant is really good...?

MotorCityFemmeFatale

Next time pull a menu before you go and pre-log the option you want. It will give you an idea before you go, you also have the option to either hold the cheese or only consume a portion.

whitleynoel

Try telling the waiter to put half of your meal in a to go box before they even bring it to the table. It sounds funny but it takes away the temptation to overeat.

Tmarinari

I went to tgi fridays last night, I orderd what i thought at the time was a healthy meal. Untill i got home and looked it up..
this is the " from the menu..

Mediterranean Skewers

Marinated, well-seasoned and grilled with lemon-garlic sauce. Served with grilled pita, ginger-lime slaw and a tasty tzatziki cucumber yogurt sauce. Served with your choice of Grilled Chicken or Black Angus Sirloin.

First it came with No slaw and had rice, also came with some kind of zuchinni on the side which was yummy. Came with 2 skewers about 5 bites on chicken on each and small pieces of pepper and onion.

on the web site they have nutrition info, 1400 calories 67 grams of fat 250 carbs 4140g sodium 55g protein..
Good thing I always ask for a box first put half my meal in it at the beginning and eat the rest..

itontae

If I eat in a restaurant I eat exactly what I want.
Isn't that the point ?

Once in a while won't affect your weight loss significantly

itontae

I went to tgi fridays last night, I orderd what i thought at the time was a healthy meal. Untill i got home and looked it up..
this is the " from the menu..

Mediterranean Skewers

Marinated, well-seasoned and grilled with lemon-garlic sauce. Served with grilled pita, ginger-lime slaw and a tasty tzatziki cucumber yogurt sauce. Served with your choice of Grilled Chicken or Black Angus Sirloin.

First it came with No slaw and had rice, also came with some kind of zuchinni on the side which was yummy. Came with 2 skewers about 5 bites on chicken on each and small pieces of pepper

on the web site they have nutrition info, 1400 calories 67 grams of fat 250 carbs 4140g sodium 55g protein..
Good thing I always ask for a box first put half my meal in it at the beginning and eat the rest..

So you can discount the nutritional info , because the meal served was not as described, right?
Sounds delicious -was it?

hollythehutt

on the web site they have nutrition info, 1400 calories 67 grams of fat 250 carbs 4140g sodium 55g protein..
Good thing I always ask for a box first put half my meal in it at the beginning and eat the rest..

1400 calories in one meal?! Eek. I don't think I could eat that without feeling nauseous. Or, rather, I'm scared that I could eat that without feeling nauseous.
Sometimes I like to think that the restaurant industry is conspiring with the medical industry to sell more gastric bands, haha.

AntWrig

A 600 calorie meal is bad??

No it isn't.

Here is what I go by. It's all dependant on the day. If it's a training day, I keep protein high, fat low and carbs high.
If it's a rest day, Keep protein higher, fattier cuts of meat, no carbs.

Both days will order veggies with the meal.

gleechick609

If you can't enjoy a meal when you go out to eat, you might as well avoid going out all together.

You are not going to gain 30 lbs eating one meal out. Next time, order what you want, eat until you are satisfied and take the rest home. If you are constantly questioning caloric intake and choosing a meal because it's healthy instead of it being something you really want, you are overthinking the weight loss process too much.

Just relax and enjoy.

_Amy_Budd

...it'd have been considered rude to demand dressings on the side.

It is ABSOLUTELY not rude to ask for dressing on the side - as long as you ask politely. Restaurants get requests like that ALL THE TIME.

Yesterday I had to meet someone to drop something off, and we ended up going for lunch. It was an ale house kind of place, which really didn't have any healthy as-is choices on the menu. So I ordered a Chicken "Philly cheesesteak" sandwich, but asked the waitress to please hold the cheese and the bun, and substitute broccoli for the fries. I ended up with a plate of white meat chicken mixed with sauteed mushrooms and onions, and steamed broccoli as the side. This turned something unhealthy on the menu into something healthy on my plate, and the restaurant was happy to accomodate me. As a matter of fact, when the waitress came by to ask if everything was okay and I said my meal was delicious and thanked her and the chef for altering it, she said, "I think it's fantastic - what a healthy meal you got!"

As long as you are polite and respectful, do not feel that you can't ask for sauce on the side, or no cheese, or whatever alteration you need to get a healthy meal on your plate!


Amy

Johnvan63

Order the biggest most expensive thing you like on the menu. Then start planning how many other meals you can make out of it if you don't eat all of it right now. I ordered a 24oz prime rib, ate 4 oz, half the baked potato, no butter, no sour cream, use 4-6 drops of fat-free ranch dressing and dust the salad with 1/4 packet of small individual Crystal Light lemonade. (put the rest in your water!). Take the remaining meat, and potato home and split it into at least three more meals. Grilled make an excellent breakfast two days later. Appro 500-550 calories per meal, averaging $5 or less each meal. I love this app!. Lowest weight I have seen in 10 years!
John

jtyack

I have to eat gluten and dairy-free, but I also like to eat out, so I have learned to ask for things... If you ask nicely, they are normally happy to accomodate.

Here are a few things I do:
1. Instead of an entree, ask for a veggie plate - pick 3 or 4 veggies that they normally serve as sides, to be served as your meal.
2. Get salad dressings or sauces served "on the side", that way you can see how much you are using.
3. Ask for a half portion of the entree and a bigger portion of the veggies, since they're usually the lowest calorie things on the plate.
4. Ask for substitutions - I ask for a lettuce wrap instead of bread on a sandwich, for example.

I guess, what I'm trying to say is - just don't be afraid to ask. Get creative. Ask the waiter for ideas. If you ask for things in a way that says "I really need your help" and not, "I'm trying to be a pain in your butt", they will normally be glad to help. Tell your waiter that you are on a diet. They might even have a low-cal menu that they don't bring out unless someone asks to see it... can't hurt to ask.

AntWrig

If you can't enjoy a meal when you go out to eat, you might as well avoid going out all together.

You are not going to gain 30 lbs eating one meal out. Next time, order what you want, eat until you are satisfied and take the rest home. If you are constantly questioning caloric intake and choosing a meal because it's healthy instead of it being something you really want, you are overthinking the weight loss process too much.

Just relax and enjoy.

This

Athijade

A 600 calorie meal is bad??

That was the first thought when I read the OP. Heck, I have 600 cal meals all the time, but it always fits within my daily calories and my macros. If my meals are smaller then I have to eat a heck of a lot more snacks to meet my goals... especially if I work out!

If I go out last minute (aka running errands and need a meal), then I really do my best to order lower calorie and healthier items.

If I plan to go out, then those are usually a splurge for me and I don't really worry about it. Tomorrow night is a good example. Carrabba's for my birthday dinner! Since I maybe go there twice a year, I am going to get my favorites and not freak out too much about it. I will still half my entree, but that's mostly because there is NO way I can eat the whole thing in one sitting. But I will enjoy my appetizer, soup, entree, and bread... and get right back on my normal meals the next day!

Tmarinari

they were called fridays fusion skewers. Mediterranean Skewers chicken. and yes they were good.