Eating out...?

theatregoddess

Ok, so since I started dieting and excersising, I've been EXTREMELY strict on what I eat and don't eat. If there's something that I love, but I know it's not healthy, I tell myself, "No, it's not good for you." But now since I havn't had those certain foods in a so long, I'm getting monster cravings for them!! I'm afraid I'm going to start binge eating at this rate, and I know how bad that is for you.

For instance: I lovelove Chinese food. It's one of my favorite things to eat. But since I started dieting, I havn't had it at all. I feel like I can't ever eat out, because since I can't see the nutritional facts of what's being put into my body at a restaurant - and that bothers me.

So I guess my question here is: to eat out, or not to eat out? I have been repeated told not to deny myself, which I understand. I just want to know how much is too much, and what are the best choices to make when eating out?

Thanks!
~Nicole

Georg

If you're having serious cravings & feeling deprived, you may be headed toward a binge. :noway:
Don't let it happen.
Look up the calories for the foods you like - Chinese or whatever. Then plan out what you can eat for other meals that day & how much exercise you need to stay within your nutritional goals for the day.
Be proactive & plan it out. Then it will be even better when you know you stayed on your plan & still got to eat out.
Be extra careful with your foods the days before & after. Since there's extra sodium in many restaurant foods, drink extra water that week.
You can do it.
Enjoy!
:flowerforyou:

leavinglasvegas

Most places wll have nutrition info if you ask. If not here are some tips....from health.com


Steer clear of menu pitfalls with these tips from our experts Hope S. Warshaw and Cheryl Forberg.

Order it your way
You’re the customer, and most restaurants will do everything they can to keep you happy. So don’t be afraid to nicely ask to have that shrimp special grilled instead of fried.
Think tapas
Don’t feel compelled to order an entrée. You can put together a healthier meal out of two or three appetizers and side dishes.

Beware of the four Cs
Crunchy, cheesy, crispy, and creamy. Those words are code for fat-dense foods.

Say bye-bye to bread
There’s no need to test your willpower. Take just one slice, then ask the waiter to remove that breadbasket from the table.

Undress your salad
Dilute your favorite salad dressing with a squeeze of lemon or a few drops of vinegar.

Wrap it up
Get your doggy bag up front. Wrap up half before you dig in—out of sight, out of mind … and mouth.


And dont restrict. That is the biggest setup for a binge.....What you resist persists!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

pattitricia85

you could also try splitting an entree w/ a friend/boyfriend/husband! I say if you think your going to go on a binge have a little of what you want!

april_mesk

I believe that you shouldn't deprive yourself and should have Chinese food if you want it occasionally. If you can control it I would say once a week and you would still be fine as long as you track what you eat and don't slip the rest of the week. Also, working out helps to eat more.

One other thing and this is just a suggestion and my opinion. You could try making your own type of Chinese/Asian food. I found this dressing from Ken's that is called Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger Soy-it is absolutely fabulous as a stir fry with chicken or just dipping your chicken in it or even on a chicken salad. Very good. I love the Ken's Lite dressings - all of them are excellent.

Good Luck!

LivyJo

I too think that you should not deprive. Yes you are trying to lose weight, but you are also wanting this to be for a lifetime, right? Your body and mind will resent you and this "calorie restrictive time" if you dont enjoy some of your favorites once in a while. And it will be much easier for you to continue this type of food lifestyle in your maintenance period if you already know how to incorporate the healthy w/ the unhealthy. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Just enjoy each bite and stop eating when you are full. Don't stuff yourself!

And bonus! having a little unhealthy can give your metabolism a little super boost and help you get over a plateau. I was stuck at 178 for 2 weeks. last night had a hamburger and a glass of sangria and boom...down 2lbs this am. :drinker: :flowerforyou:

goldk

Steamed Dumplings... YUM:drinker:

barbarella

Since "Portion Control" is my new best friend....... :laugh:

I use this approach when going out to an Asian restaurant with friends.
We always eat "Family Style" = many plates of different foods shared with all.

Instead of heaping piles of stuff on a plate, ask for a rice bowl to eat out of.

I then measure by eyeball, quantities of approx. 1/4 cup of only my faves.
Rice first in the bowl, others on top, one at a time usually.
Eat slowly, use chopsticks & savor those tasty bites!

Notice how you feel when eating & STOP before getting full.
It takes a few minutes for fullness to set in..........

ENJOY but don't overdoobie doobie do! :flowerforyou: :bigsmile:

margaretthedevil

Since "Portion Control" is my new best friend....... :laugh:

I use this approach when going out to an Asian restaurant with friends.
We always eat "Family Style" = many plates of different foods shared with all.

Instead of heaping piles of stuff on a plate, ask for a rice bowl to eat out of.

I then measure by eyeball, quantities of approx. 1/4 cup of only my faves.
Rice first in the bowl, others on top, one at a time usually.
Eat slowly, use chopsticks & savor those tasty bites!

Notice how you feel when eating & STOP before getting full.
It takes a few minutes for fullness to set in..........

ENJOY but don't overdoobie doobie do! :flowerforyou: :bigsmile:

Great advice barbarella for eating at Asian restaurants! That's how Chinese people do it at home. Also order as many vegetable and seafood/fish plates as you can (nonfried of course). If there's too much oil or sauce on your veggies and other food, get a cup of water and dip your oily food into the water. Gets rid of some sodium too. Try not to eat too much of the meat and sauces.

theatregoddess

Thanks for all the great tips! One other question: do you think a noodle dish or a meat dish is a healthier choice? Aka, Yakisoba/Lo Mein VS Mongolian Beaf/General Tso Chicken/Sweet&Sour Pork?

iRun4wine

Thanks for all the great tips! One other question: do you think a noodle dish or a meat dish is a healthier choice? Aka, Yakisoba/Lo Mein VS Mongolian Beaf/General Tso Chicken/Sweet&Sour Pork?

Certainly General Tso's chicken and sweet and sour pork would not be the best choices- they're both deep fried! I think the best choice would be steamed veggies, but if you're looking to indulge, I'd go with the lo mein :flowerforyou:

michellem81

You can eat out....just make healthy choices and another good idea is to order a meal and ask for a box so that you can split your meal before you start and eat the rest the next day for one of your meals to stay on track.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

margaretthedevil

Thanks for all the great tips! One other question: do you think a noodle dish or a meat dish is a healthier choice? Aka, Yakisoba/Lo Mein VS Mongolian Beaf/General Tso Chicken/Sweet&Sour Pork?

The meat dish will generally have fewer calories unless it's loaded up with fatty sauces. However, you would be getting no carbohydrates in and all too much protein. On the other hand going with the noodle dish will make you hungry in like 2 hours (unless of course it's whole wheat but that more likely the noodle is made from rice at a chinese restaurant). Best idea would be to get both and split it between you and a friend. And save the extra if it's too much for the both of you. If you can get a soba noodle that would be a better choice. Udon noodles and rice noodles are extremely carb dense and you will get hungry really quickly. Again it's best to get a vegetable dish or a nice soup to fill you up first before eating any meat and noodles.

RecliningFigure

First, like all restaurants, it depends on the restaurant you go to. There are greasy pit stops, and there are more authentic Chinese restaurants. The more authentic, the more likely the less garbage (heavy sauces) you'll find in the dish (where a lot of the calories are). I'm being rude, but I'm not trying to be so forgive my lack of diplomacy. What I mean is not that these restaurant owners are not trying to be authentic, but rather, in order to survive, they must develop dishes that their public understands and wants. Southern Cantonese cuisine is focused on flash stir fry, on fresh ingredients, and minimal sauce. It's about the crispness of the food, and the flavor from within. Northern cuisine (where it is colder) tends to be hot (and sometimes more sauce). Although I hear that spicy foods can help with losing weight.

Don't deny yourself. Like going out to any restaurant, just limit the times you do that. But Cantonese cuisine is quite easy to make, and you can do that yourself. Most supermarkets have Asian ingredients (ok, so I don't know if most supermarkets have them, but they do in California and New York). And instead of white rice, you can make brown rice at home (although I love, love, love Jasmine rice).

Now, I know that many of you know that much of the food found in some Chinese restaurants are not really Chinese per se. For example, Sweet and Sour Pork was invented in the U.S. to accommodate American tastes. Yes, a certain element of it is Chinese, certain flavor profiles. But the high content in sugar, lots of breading, deep frying, heavy sauce was added to meet tastes here.

I know I am very picky about my Chinese cuisine and somewhat of a snob (I don't do it on purpose). But I grew up with a Mom who was a teacher of Chinese cuisine in Hong Kong, and a father who knew a lot of the managers in Chinese restaurants in Chinatown (where we would get special treatment every time when we went for dinner). So, be patient with me. I can't help it, it's ingrained.

Although there is a lot more to it, I would first think of Cantonese food like this: lots of veges, very thinly sliced meat, flash stir fried in a very hot wok (putting food in layers to develop flavor profiles), flavors from natural ingredients like fresh ginger and garlic, or maybe a little rice wine). One of my favorite things to eat is Bok Choy: Hot wok with a little oil, sliced ginger and garlic for 5-10 sec, bok choy for a few minutes (until it's the softness/crispness that you like), and you're done. Salt it to your liking. The Chinese food I grew up with is not fattening, not over sauced, full of dark veges, and moderate portions of protein.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on a rampage, but I'm passionate about Chinese food. I want you to feel good about it, not feel guilty. Chinese food at its best is very healthy, and an excellent way to maintain a healthy diet.

Peace, and enjoy your Chinese food!

BrendaLee

In the past when I've been on diets, I would never allow myself a treat, take-out, or an extra serving no matter how badly I wanted it. Then the cravings became so strong, and I felt so deprived that one good binge would end that diet for good.

This time around, if I want something, I'll have it. Right now, I just have to...if I start to feel deprived, I go in to self-defeat mode, and I can't afford to go there and stay there or those 19 pounds I've worked so hard to get off will be back in no time...along with some friends.

Since I've started this plan in June, I've had chinese, I've had chicken McNuggets and fries, I've had cake...I've had just about everything. The key is, I don't have it every day. I have more good days than bad, and I exercise off as many of the bad calories as I can, so the weight is coming off nice and slow, and I'm good with that.

So...I say have your chinese take-out.

leavinglasvegas

First, like all restaurants, it depends on the restaurant you go to. There are greasy pit stops, and there are more authentic Chinese restaurants. The more authentic, the more likely the less garbage (heavy sauces) you'll find in the dish (where a lot of the calories are). I'm being rude, but I'm not trying to be so forgive my lack of diplomacy. What I mean is not that these restaurant owners are not trying to be authentic, but rather, in order to survive, they must develop dishes that their public understands and wants. Southern Cantonese cuisine is focused on flash stir fry, on fresh ingredients, and minimal sauce. It's about the crispness of the food, and the flavor from within. Northern cuisine (where it is colder) tends to be hot (and sometimes more sauce). Although I hear that spicy foods can help with losing weight.

Don't deny yourself. Like going out to any restaurant, just limit the times you do that. But Cantonese cuisine is quite easy to make, and you can do that yourself. Most supermarkets have Asian ingredients (ok, so I don't know if most supermarkets have them, but they do in California and New York). And instead of white rice, you can make brown rice at home (although I love, love, love Jasmine rice).

Now, I know that many of you know that much of the food found in some Chinese restaurants are not really Chinese per se. For example, Sweet and Sour Pork was invented in the U.S. to accommodate American tastes. Yes, a certain element of it is Chinese, certain flavor profiles. But the high content in sugar, lots of breading, deep frying, heavy sauce was added to meet tastes here.

I know I am very picky about my Chinese cuisine and somewhat of a snob (I don't do it on purpose). But I grew up with a Mom who was a teacher of Chinese cuisine in Hong Kong, and a father who knew a lot of the managers in Chinese restaurants in Chinatown (where we would get special treatment every time when we went for dinner). So, be patient with me. I can't help it, it's ingrained.

Although there is a lot more to it, I would first think of Cantonese food like this: lots of veges, very thinly sliced meat, flash stir fried in a very hot wok (putting food in layers to develop flavor profiles), flavors from natural ingredients like fresh ginger and garlic, or maybe a little rice wine). One of my favorite things to eat is Bok Choy: Hot wok with a little oil, sliced ginger and garlic for 5-10 sec, bok choy for a few minutes (until it's the softness/crispness that you like), and you're done. Salt it to your liking. The Chinese food I grew up with is not fattening, not over sauced, full of dark veges, and moderate portions of protein.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on a rampage, but I'm passionate about Chinese food. I want you to feel good about it, not feel guilty. Chinese food at its best is very healthy, and an excellent way to maintain a healthy diet.

Peace, and enjoy your Chinese food!

:drinker: I know what I'm having for lunch!:bigsmile: You made me hungry:laugh:

stormieweather

My guy and I go to all-you-can-eat buffets (Golden Corral, usually) once a month or so as a treat. No, I don't look it all up ahead of time, and yes, I log it all here. Keep a notebook handy so you can write stuff down as you eat.

I've stayed within my goals for the most part, every meal out. I avoid pastas, breads and sauces, eat meat broiled or roasted, lots of salad & veggies, and one-two bites ea of several different desserts (OMG their sugar free blueberry pie is to die for). I NEVER finish everything I put on my plate and I always stop well before I feel uncomfortably full. I don't worry too much about it and if I go over a bit, I go over...it isn't worth freaking out about and knowing I have a cheat night coming makes the sacrifices much easier in between. :bigsmile:

Georg

My guy and I go to all-you-can-eat buffets (Golden Corral, usually) once a month or so as a treat. No, I don't look it all up ahead of time, and yes, I log it all here. Keep a notebook handy so you can write stuff down as you eat.

I've stayed within my goals for the most part, every meal out. I avoid pastas, breads and sauces, eat meat broiled or roasted, lots of salad & veggies, and one-two bites ea of several different desserts (OMG their sugar free blueberry pie is to die for). I NEVER finish everything I put on my plate and I always stop well before I feel uncomfortably full. I don't worry too much about it and if I go over a bit, I go over...it isn't worth freaking out about and knowing I have a cheat night coming makes the sacrifices much easier in between. :bigsmile:

That's exactly what I did on a cruise one summer. I didn't gain a pound the whole 2 weeks & I tried everything!
:huh:
Now if I could just do that on a daily basis I'd be doing great!
:grumble: