Eating in Restaurants

RMNPHike

How come when I eat out, even if I eat small and count calories as much as I can, I am 2 lbs heavier the next day and then it takes several days to lose it? It's not like I'm eating 3000 - 7000 calories! Anyone else experience this?

Melo1966

Massive amounts of sodium in resturant foods.

pamwhite712

Are you eating food with lots of sodium? Restaurants are notorious for adding large amounts of salt. I always drink a lot of water during the meal and the next day.

Mich4871

Sodium!

I was surprised at the amount of sodium in a salad!

lewcompton

Restaurant food is notoriously high in sodium and you are experiencing water retention due to the extra sodium regardless of the calories. Calories are the energy in fats, carbohydrates, protein and alcohol. To lose weight you need to eat at a deficit to use the energy stored in the fat tissues in your body and then they release their water and shrink in size. If your salt intake is too high then your body retains this fluid and may retain additional water that you consume.

sbrownallison

Aside from the fact that restaurants give us easily 3 to 4 times the serving size we need, we're getting a tremendous sodium load. That can certainly make the body retain water, which will show on the scale. I find I can't eat in restaurants and lose weight. It's so easy to eat the sides of chips and rolls, plus the huge portions of food overloaded with fat, salt, and calories. For me, it's asking for trouble. I might go to a restaurant for a meal once (or fewer) times per month.

wolfchild59

Yup, what everyone else said. It's the sodium. I can be under my calories for a day, but if I ate someplace that has high sodium food, I'll always be up a pound or two the next day, without fail. Even with drinking more than enough water up to, during, and after the meal.

RMNPHike

Thanks, I had a feeling it must be that. I don't ever order a full entrée which is normally enough for 4 people! And I try to be honest about the calories, so it has to be the sodium. Maybe I should skip the food altogether and just order herbal tea. I never put salt in my food at home.

wolfchild59

I never put salt in my food at home.

This is just cheating yourself out of flavor. A pinch of salt in a meal (while cooking, not at the table) will bring out the natural flavors of the food and make them taste more vibrant and fuller.

Also, I found that when I was being extreme with the salt reduction and trying to never use salt and keeping things so strict and tight on my sodium levels, that it made food with salt in it have extreme reactions for me. I would bloat so badly from one meal it would actually hurt my hands and thighs.

Once I calmed down, starting cooking with salt again (which my husband immediately noticed and appreciated) I get the little jump on the scale, but no painful bloating, and the scale drops back down in a day or two.

rachyoung12

I feel the same way as you. Just the way food is cooked in restaurants I suppose!

kaylinn9

Depending on the restaurants you go to, there are tons of MSG and/or sodium supplements in their dishes.

I always check the calories before I go to any restaurant. Restaurants are the bane of my existence, they're so loaded with fatty calories and even if you eat the tiniest portion, you're still getting a normal meal's worth of caloric intake.

2 pounds isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, though! So don't stress too much about it.

quill16

Sodium! I always gain at least 2 lbs and sometimes up to 4 lbs when I eat out even in my calorie allotment. It usually goes away in 2-4 days, so I keep that in mind, but I only eat out about once a month.

glitterjam

Yup, what everyone else said. It's the sodium. I can be under my calories for a day, but if I ate someplace that has high sodium food, I'll always be up a pound or two the next day, without fail. Even with drinking more than enough water up to, during, and after the meal.

This should be in bold, underlined, highlighted and italicized. Exactly.

Marilyn2303

I would say it's the sodium. I had a nice low calorie meal at a restaurant the other day consisting of a bowl of chicken noodle soup, a small garden salad and rotisserarie chicken. I usually make homemade soup with no salt added and couldn't believe how salty the restaurant soup was, it was really bad all I could taste was the salt. It's amazing the difference when you are eating very low sodium

lorihalsted

Well, everyone said what I was going to say. Sodium. Just keep yourself hydrated and it will disappear. Sometimes it takes almost a week for me. :grumble:

whitmars106

Everyone else seems to have answered your question, so here's a little tip: I know for me, going to a restaurant can sometimes be a last minute decision, but if it's something that is planned, check out the menu, find what you like, and search the database for nutritional information. Some restaurant sites have that info listed as well. If it is a last minute decision, then spend a little more time ordering your food, and use MFP on your phone to check out the information before ordering. Otherwise, treat it as a splurge, and just drink a lot of water.

4_Lisa

Sodium will do it. I found that this past week too, I ate out on Friday night and what should have been down a few pounds Saturday morning for my weigh in, ended up being a 1 lb gain.

cwolfman13

Yup...sodium. Restaurants typically load their foods with the stuff. Many entrees will have in excess of 1,000 - 1,500 Mg of sodium.

Doctorpurple

I know everyone else said sodium which is an obvious answer but I was wondering if you order alcoholic drinks when you eat out? Although alcoholic drinks are diuretic, it can cause a temporary weight gain by dehydrating you thereby making your body cling more to water. I usually gain 2 lbs when I drink.

darkangeljanie

I ate out at Texas Roadhouse on Friday and I ate heavy, it was a refeed day so generally that's the point, however I gained a couple pounds, well it's impossible to gain that much in that amount of time so like other have mentioned, restaurant food contains lots sodium, so chances are you've retained some water! Just keep drinking that water. It'll drop down again!

darkangeljanie

If you are wearing socks today, take them off and see if there is a red circle around your ankle, that's a good indicator you are retaining water.

Rehobobound

Well, everyone said what I was going to say. Sodium. Just keep yourself hydrated and it will disappear. Sometimes it takes almost a week for me. :grumble:

Me too and it totally stinks!

RMNPHike

My daughter told me to balance the sodium with more potassium, and not to force the water drinking if I am retaining. Btw, I NEVER order alcoholic drinks when I'm out and I don't drink at home either. That would be a lot of wasted calories.