need advice...worried about eating in restaurants

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fashionfitness
fashionfitness Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
I am fairly new to calorie counting and am puzzled as to what I should do when I eat out. I don't know how to effectively count the calories, and I was wondering if anyone had tips or advice to help.

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  • heather0mc
    heather0mc Posts: 4,656 Member
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    i suggest you go to the particular restaurants website before you go to see if they have nutrition information. then log what you plan to eat before you go and stick to it. if they dont, stick with grilled chicken or fish and careful with salad dressings. :drinker:
  • JoyousMaximus
    JoyousMaximus Posts: 9,285 Member
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    Avoid sauces at restaurants. If you get any type of sandwich, ask them to toast the bread NOT grill it (they add oil when they grill it). When you go to breakfast, ask for everything cooked dry (again, without oil). Also, most restaurants have a light or healthy section of the menu. When in doubt, order from there.
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
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    Beware portion sizes too. Order a to-go box along with your order. :smile:
  • msh0530
    msh0530 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    Don't think that just because it says "salad" it is the best choice! Some have well over 1000 calories!

    Check this site:
    http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/21278/americas-worst-and-best-salads/
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
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    don't get anything fried

    look for grilled, lean, loin etc
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
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    Heather0mc is right - try the restaurant's web site. Many now have calorie and nutrition information on their site - you can choose what to get before you go.

    Beware, however - some restaurant's don't WANT to publish their nutrition information because it's so terrible.

    In that case just do a Google search for the place you are going and see if the information is available on another site somewhere.

    If I know I am going out to eat, I eat VERY lightly all day until I go because eating out is usually a large hit.
  • fashionfitness
    fashionfitness Posts: 11
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    Thank you so much for all your advice. I feel more prepared now. :happy:
  • willywonka
    willywonka Posts: 743 Member
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    Hi, I know what you mean- I have always loved going out to eat and then I became fearful of it. Now I am at a happy medium. I have turned into one of those people that brings their own condiments in my purse, BUT it helps me have control over what I eat. So, at Outback I get grilled chicken on the barbie, plain salad, plain baked potato and then I add my own fage greek yogurt to the potato and my favorite low fat salad dressing! Just as tasty and without all the guilt.
  • kankan213
    kankan213 Posts: 105
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    Check out the book Eat This Not That! It has a restaurant index in the back with rules of thumb for eating at different types of places.
    For example:
    Anything with "crispy" in the name is FRIED! Steer clear and opt for steamed and grilled items.

    Any sauce that is WHITE is usually mayo based, which means LOTS of calories!

    If you get sandwhiches ask if they butter the bread, always get dressings on the side because you never know what is in them. I worked at Johnny Carinos and one of our "healthy" sounding dressings had BACON GREASE in it! Yuck.

    Also, I know its "salad" but Caesar Salads are chock full of calories. For ex: a dinner sized caesar salad has as many grams of fat as a big mac. Ew!

    There are also some things that just should be avoided for calorie reasons:
    Lo mein has insane amounts of calories (I'm not absolutely sure why...)
    Corn bread (a tiny muffin has about 390 calories)

    And everyone always says to get appetizers (size reasons) but they are usually always deep fried. Deep fried food is very yummy- but surprisingly the most calorie laden dishes on the planet!!!!!

    Some general tips for calorie cutting- skip extra bread, cheese, dressings, sauces.

    Hope that helps lol
  • kankan213
    kankan213 Posts: 105
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    also- pitas and sandwiches that are tuna salads or chicken salads stay away!

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