Anxiety from eating out?

c_hampagne

In the past few months I've developed this serious level of anxiety about eating out. I live in the city, and although I eat at home as much as I can, eating out is a huge social thing and I can't always avoid it. We tend not to go to restaurant chains, and smaller restaurants don't always have the nutritional info available. It's become incredibly stressful and I realized that I've started isolating myself from my friends because I'd rather stay at home then deal with the anxiety of it. I did agree to go to brunch at the Cheesecake Factory tomorrow, and nearly had a heart attack when I saw the nutritional info. I keep telling myself that going out to eat is ok once in awhile, but I'm still worrying about how I'm going to stay under my BMR at the very least (forget about the 1200 I'm supposed to net to lose 1.2 lbs a week). I do plan on exercising before hand, but I feel like this is taking over my life. Do you guys have any advice? I'm exhausted from worrying about this all the time.

hoffman1990

how about eating a big healthy meal before you go out so you won't eat much. order drink water chicken and a veggie. cut it in half and eat the rest later. really don't stress so much, there are choices to make. try to figure out why the whole situation stresses you out so much.

pundas

I typically have this problem a few times a month. It was really difficult this week because 3 of my friends were all celebrating birthdays out to eat all on different days. I'll usually eat my meal before I go out and if I'm still hungry I will get a healthy appetizer or a small salad. I always look up the nutritional information before I go out. I also have the same problem about smaller places not having the nutritional info, so I will usually get a salad with the dressing on the side. If I know I am going out to eat that day I will try and exercise earlier in the day and eat really healthy so I don't feel as bad!

chachadiva150

It's one meal on one day. It's not going to derail your entire program. Dorry worry about it.

Get a simple salad or a sandwich. You'll be fine.

fjrandol

No need to panic! As far as cheesecake factory goes, they actually have a great menu add-on called Skinnylicious. Check out the nutrition data:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/nutrition-facts-calories/cheesecake-factory-skinnylicious

http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu/skinnylicious/

Having been there recently and eaten from this menu, I can tell ya that the food is really good, and well worth it.

When it comes to other restaurants, large chain or not, you can typically tell what's healthier than the rest. When you order your drink, stick with something that's naturally lower in calories, like water or iced tea. If you getting a steak, get a smaller cut, and leave off things like blue cheese crust on top. Skip whatever they put in the basket on the table while you're perusing the menu, and you can stave off quite a few calories before you even order. Get yourself broth based cup of soup or a salad (dressing on the side, dip your fork in it!) as a starter, and you'll feel fuller faster. When I get my food (that steak, for example) I always start with eating half my side of vegetables, then alternate through whatever else is there. That way, I don't discover that I've had half a plate of cheesy mashed potatoes and haven't touched my broccoli. Don't be afraid to not clean your plate. I don't know how many times we were all told as children to eat what's in front of us, but particularly when eating out it's okay to leave it there on the plate. If you don't want to waste it, get a togo container, otherwise just send it back to the kitchen.

Hope some of that is helpful to ya, and enjoy the time out with your friends. It's supposed to be fun after all!:drinker:

Oh, and when it comes to the cheesecake, we always order cups of coffee, one slice of cake, and a bunch of forks.

cgray

I completely understand although I'm "lucky" in the sense that everyone knows I've suffered from an eating disorder and if pushed to eat out I could and would starve myself for up to a week after. So, I sometimes just order a drink. I'm being social, I'm there I'm just not eating. Friend me if you need someone who understands.

SweetSammie

Yes, I feel the same. I just try to split a meal with someone, and work out. before or after. I also try to eat lightly on other meals that day.
It is still mentally stressful, because you JUST DON'T KNOW if you are even close to correct on the calories you log.

chinowitz

No need to panic. It just takes a little planning. For me, regardless of what restaurant, I check the menu online ahead of time and figure out what I will order to make sure it fits into my food plan that day/week. If the portions are larger than what I estimated, I only eat part of it and take the rest home in a take-out container. Also, if I know I will be eating out w/friends, I schedule in more exercise to balance out the extra calories. I also try to stay away from chain restaurants because a lot of the food is pre-manufactured, not fresh, and not as healthful as you would think. While it is harder to estimate calories at smaller, independently owned restaurants, the food is usually made from fresh ingredients and tastier. I figure if I'm going through all this effort to be able to eat a nice meal outside, I want to make sure the extra calories worth it! LOL.