What do you choose at those chain restaurants?!

erikaaaaaaaa

While most eating situations are avoidable in some form or fashion, sometimes when a friend invites you out to eat, you just want to go. Living in a place that is heavy on the chain restaurants a la Chilis, Olive Garden, and Cheddar's and light on the cafes and health friendly establishments, I was just wondering if y'all had any go-to meals for these chain restaurants or loop holes you've found in the caloric black hole that is America's dining out experience.

As a sidenote, if I know I am going out, I try to find what I'm going to order using MFP. I also have the app, so if it's a spontaneous decision to go out, I still try to look things up, but I am just curious of what y'all have found out for curiosity's sake.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!!

SuperSexyDork

Ruby Tuesdays has a lot of great choices that are low on calories (and sodium!). If it's my choice I try to go there and plan out my meal ahead of time.

erikaaaaaaaa

Ruby Tuesdays has a lot of great choices that are low on calories (and sodium!). If it's my choice I try to go there and plan out my meal ahead of time.

I wish we had a Ruby Tuesday here-- I think the closest one is an hour and a half away. I always loved their salad bar. Dangerous thing, that is!

patkterry

I go out to eat alot- more than I should. Chili's has a new menu that's lighter. Olive Garden- ask for light dressing on salad, or minestrone, no bread sticks- choose chicken, red sauce etc.. watch your pasta- high calories!!!- do they still have mixed grill??

Most restaurants have a grilled chicken salad, or seafood option. choose a light dressing.. your golden!!!

Soup is filling and is usually lighter on calories- but it has alot of sodium.

Good luck

toledochic

Chili's has a light menu. I get the 6 oz. sirloin with steamed broccoli.

Phaedra2014

While most eating situations are avoidable in some form or fashion, sometimes when a friend invites you out to eat, you just want to go. Living in a place that is heavy on the chain restaurants a la Chilis, Olive Garden, and Cheddar's and light on the cafes and health friendly establishments, I was just wondering if y'all had any go-to meals for these chain restaurants or loop holes you've found in the caloric black hole that is America's dining out experience.

As a sidenote, if I know I am going out, I try to find what I'm going to order using MFP. I also have the app, so if it's a spontaneous decision to go out, I still try to look things up, but I am just curious of what y'all have found out for curiosity's sake.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!!

Nothing. I don't go to them and didn't even before MFP. The food is tasteless and salt laden.

kmhenry84

At Chili's I eat the lighter choice sirloin with Black Beans. 300 calories for the meal :-)

As for salads, I say unless they offer their calories online, even with grilled chicken salads be careful, as restaurants like to sneak in hidden calories.

Olive Garden is a rough one for me, I just stay away! lol

Cheddar;s - lemon pepper chicken with green beans, and I take half home.

Applebee's has a light sirloin as well, but I forgot what its called.

mamagooskie

all the chain restaurants I go to have at least a handful of healthy options, so I usually choose fajitas, veggies burgers, salads, stirfry, etc.

PayneAS

Olive Garden.

Get a salad. Dressing on the side. Meat to the side (if, for example, you get the grilled chicken Ceaser salad). No croutons. Take the meat home for lunch, or dinner, the next day. Use half the dressing and not all of it. Eat no bread sticks.

That's pretty much for anything honestly. Most places have (Chicken) Ceaser salad. Or any salad and you can follow the above rules for it.

RealWomenLovePitbulls

i just work out extra so i dont have to worry and also try to pre-log different options to keep from going overboard

sionnain

i use veganeatingout.com to make all my choices.

jbloomfj

Most of our chain restaurants such as Kelseys have a half dozen or so low cal meals from under 500 to 700 cal.

Skeebee

Sadly, there isn't TOO much good choices. Yeah, a lot of places offer lower calories. But, in return, you get higher fat or increased sodium to compensate and that is not much better. I just have to take my MFP mobile app with me everywhere and try to pick what is best based on macros.

StillChangingAmie

I don't go out to eat much, but my family loves fast food. If I absolutely have to, I'll get a grilled chicken snack wrap from Wendy's with honey mustard. It's really good, and about 250 calories.

scottbrown78

I have NO problem asking for the waitresses opinion on the subject and have been given some really good tips, like avoid the grilled chicken at rib crib, it's covered in honey and something else (I forget now) that jacks the calories up. If the waitress doesn't know, I ask if they have a calorie count menu, some do, some don't. If not I can google any info I need in just a few moments. If there is nothing there that is low cal, I ask for a to go box with my meal, cut the meal in half, before I even start eating. Avoid bread and appetizers at all costs.

erikaaaaaaaa

Thanks for all of the feedback! This is great! I will try to carry all this with me the next time I go out!

KrazyAsianNic

chili's i've been trying their different salads. applebee's has the under 550.

If I can choose the place or know ahead of time, i try to plan it out. If not, I either choose the healthiest thing or just have one bad meal. it's not the end of the world.

erikaaaaaaaa

i use veganeatingout.com to make all my choices.

I'd never heard of that before. Very cool... definitely going to use this from now on.

paintlisapurple

I just go and order something I like with a salad. I know this is weird, but I bring my own a.c. vinegar with me to use on the salad, eat only half the entree and bring the rest home for lunch the next day. I can usually even squeeze in a "light" dessert and remain within my caloric limits.
Everyone needs a treat though. We can't be perfect all the time.

mijmades

BLT OR STRAWBERRY SALAD. NEVER EAT AT OLIVE GARDEN. GAIN 2lbs. Walking through the door.

mccbabe1

applebees has a lot of light selections.. dishes 550 calories and under!!! had one last nt was fabulous
and 450 cals.. and a steak!!

TheRealParisLove

Order your meal, then ask your server to split it, with half to go.

Avoid carbs. Ask to replace your pasta, rice, potatoes and bread with steamed veggies.

At the Olive Garden, there isn't much that would be ok, aside from once or twice a year, to indulge on. The best dinner entree I could see on their menu was the Herb Grilled Salmon. That might be about the only entree that you can order as-is and not be totally off on your calories or macros. Also try the Venician Apricot Chicken, skip the soup, salad and breadsticks or Chicken Marsala hold the potatoes. Avoid the breadsticks and pasta like the plague.

Enjoy your meal with a glass of red wine--not chaniti as it is too high in sugar-- such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot or Pinot Noir. The red wine will slow the fat and carb absorption. That's why the French aren't fat.

Just remember a few things when dining out:

1. No carbs. Avoid bread, pasta, rice, tortillas and tortilla chips, and potatoes.

2. Order extra steamed veggies.

3. Order from the grill, not the fryer.

4. Order salad dressings on the side and avoid the fat-free dressings. Fat-free salad dressings are usually very high in sugar and the oils in the dressings are usually the good kind that your body needs. Also, your body can absorb the nutrients from greens only with the help of fats. Ditto with the lycopene in tomatoes. Enjoy an olive oil vinaigrette, and feel good knowing that it is also good for you.

5. For dessert, enjoy a cup of coffee with cream (whole cream if you can get it) and sugar for a decadent treat. A cup of coffee with whole cream and sugar may have 150 calories. Most chain restaurant desserts are close to or over 1000 calories.

ctgirlscout

applebees has a lot of light selections.. dishes 550 calories and under!!! had one last nt was fabulous
and 450 cals.. and a steak!!

Same here...last night at Applebee's had a 7 oz steak, fried red skin potatoes, and broccoli for 450 calories! Actually only ate half the steak for a savings of 125 calories, so about 325 calories for a nice meal (that I didn't have to cook) !

Awkward30

I don't eat out very often, but when I do, I take the opportunity to get what I want, whether or not it's healthy. Burger with the bun and bacon, yes please!

If I'm just out and about busy and need to eat out, I'll usually pick subway so it fits in my calories.

DollyMiel

It doesn't matter what I'm eating—I always get a to-go box right away and split it in half before I even take the first bite. The portions at these places are gigantic. It helps immensely having the food out of sight, and makes me super happy knowing I have yummy lunch for the next day.

A lot of places have pretty decent 'healthy' menus these days but even then I still cut them in half. XD

Cliffslosinit

<----we eat what we want in moderation.

desiv2

Right now. Go to the website of all those restaurants, look at their menu and make a note in your phone on what the best choices are, include the calorie/carb/sodium/etc info on the note for a few meals. This way, every time you go out you know you have already found the best meal choices for you for those restaurants. That's the best advice I can give, because everyone has different preferences, and different calorie goals they have to abide by. I tend to get the small steak with steamed veggies, salads, grilled chicken, etc.

kareinlib

If I know I'm going to dinner, I look at their website beforehand and choose what I'm going to eat. Most places are now posting either online or putting a downloadable .pdf on their site with nutrition information.

Olive Garden is somewhat difficult, I'd avoid that one if possible because even their healthier things may as well be stuffed with salt, they have so much sodium. Chili's has a new "lighter choices" menu that you should definitely choose off of because everything else is 1k calories and up - I like to get the Margherita Grilled Chicken, it's SO GOOD.

Also try to only eat half. You'll notice that if you make a conscious decision to only eat half of your meal, you'll see that you're actually full and that before you were just stuffing yourself for no reason. And you have food for the next day!

brainfreeze72

I try to look at the menu and nutrition information ahead of time so I can make better choices. We went to the 99 the other day and I didn't have time to plan ahead. I knew I shouldn't have potato skins but I indulged anyway and went a little over on my calories and a lot over on my sodium for the day.

Lookingforfitat40

While most eating situations are avoidable in some form or fashion, sometimes when a friend invites you out to eat, you just want to go. Living in a place that is heavy on the chain restaurants a la Chilis, Olive Garden, and Cheddar's and light on the cafes and health friendly establishments, I was just wondering if y'all had any go-to meals for these chain restaurants or loop holes you've found in the caloric black hole that is America's dining out experience.

As a sidenote, if I know I am going out, I try to find what I'm going to order using MFP. I also have the app, so if it's a spontaneous decision to go out, I still try to look things up, but I am just curious of what y'all have found out for curiosity's sake.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!!

Nothing. I don't go to them and didn't even before MFP. The food is tasteless and salt laden.

Wow...that helped us all so much. Thank you for that.


To the OP...you've gotten a lot of good advice here. Stay away from the breads, pastas, potatoes, get the dressings on the side, and put the fork down and take two large sips of water between bites.

MouseTmom

fast food
Southwest Salad at McDonalds
Jambalay at Popeyes

Sit Down Restaurant
Applesbees has under 550 cal meals
Chili's had under 700 cal meals