Eating Out - Top Tips please

pootle69
pootle69 Posts: 35 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am going out tonight to a lovely Michelin Star restaurant. I don't want to deprive myself, as I want to enjoy the experience, but I also want to be as good as I can be. Any thoughts on how I can get the right balance?
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Replies

  • Marilyn2303
    Marilyn2303 Posts: 91 Member
    Whenever I go out to a nice restaurant I plan ahead. I look up their menu online and make not of calories or points (I also follow WW)I make sure if I'm having an appetizer to have a broth based soup, or a garden salad with fat free or calorie wise dressing on the side. I don't eat the dinner rolls at all. As for the main course I try and stick to fish or chicken (non breaded). As for desert if it comes with the meal, for example cheesecake I only eat one or two small forkfulls.

    It's a challenge for sure but planning ahead makes it fairly easy and less time deciding on the menu choices
  • jenniferwren
    jenniferwren Posts: 189
    Keep it as carb free as possible :drinker:
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    Ask for a to go box and put ½ of everything in it.
  • tndejong
    tndejong Posts: 463
    i have never heard of that place. chicken and fish dishes are a good start. look for steam veggies for a side. watch for little things like the extras on dinner salads. opt for the dressing on the side. some places have the calorie content or menus set up for low cal meals. and like the other person suggested, you can try to look up the menu in the database.
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    ^^^What they said. And avoid sauces. The fewer ingredients in a dish, the less likely it is to carry all kinds of hidden calories, so keep it simple and delicious.

    Plan ahead, then don't even look at the rest of the menu when you get there. Just enjoy your evening!
  • marykpfist
    marykpfist Posts: 141 Member
    Keep it as carb free as possible :drinker:

    Ditto. Avoid as much bread and pasta as you can, and you can enjoy yourself without as many worries. But don't let one night sink you...the evening is about good friends and conversation, along with atmosphere...right?

    You can always add an extra workout that day..
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    It depends. If you eat at Michelin starred restaurants regularly then do the usual 'avoid fried foods/creamy sauces etc.', but if it was me that might be the only time in my entire life I get to eat food that good. So I'd just go, eat what I wanted, hopefully enjoy it, and maybe rein it in for a day or two afterwards. :drinker:
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    If you're forking out for a special restaurant I would just try to restrict my calories more during the day and hit the exercise harder this week and not worry tonight xxx ;D

    However if you really are planning on being good just try to watch out for buttery, cheese and cream based sauces. X have fun x
  • kat5556
    kat5556 Posts: 164 Member
    Plan some extra exercise, avoid sauces and get salad dressing on the side - and most of all enjoy yourself!
  • jb1164
    jb1164 Posts: 40 Member
    Lucky you, however... Michelin doesn't award stars for being 'diet' friendly', and I would suggest you enjoy the experience; avoid dishes you know are likely to contain unhealthy amounts of calories (double cream, cheese etc.), but don't be a diet bore. This is a special 'one-off', not a return to unhealthy eating habits. See it for what it is, and make an adjustment to your calorie intake over the rest of the week. You don't want your Michelin experience to be a green salad! I hope you have a fabulous time! ;0)
  • mllst18
    mllst18 Posts: 188 Member
    Anything grilled. Get extra veggies rather than a carb like potatoes or pasta. Try to get lean meats like chicken or fish.
  • Jubee31
    Jubee31 Posts: 93 Member
    It depends. If you eat at Michelin starred restaurants regularly then do the usual 'avoid fried foods/creamy sauces etc.', but if it was me that might be the only time in my entire life I get to eat food that good. So I'd just go, eat what I wanted, hopefully enjoy it, and maybe rein it in for a day or two afterwards. :drinker:

    ^^ This.

    I've never been to a Michelin Star restaurant but if I ever get the opportunity to go, I WANT to try their sauces and desserts! Definitely go enjoy yourself, and don't feel guilty about it!
  • SWFLGUY
    SWFLGUY Posts: 40
    I was about to offer my opinion here since I travel on business extensively and eat many meals at restaurants. But most of the suggestions offer good advice - start with a healthy soup or salad - that fills you up - and stay away from sauces and anything made out of white flour. It takes about 20 minutes before the brain gets the message from the stomach that it is full - so start healthy, eat slow and when you feel full - stop. I will only share a desert - and maybe only one or two bites.
  • cld111
    cld111 Posts: 300 Member
    If I was going to a Michelin Star restaurant, I would just 100% enjoy every moment of it!
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    If I was going to a Michelin Star restaurant, I would just 100% enjoy every moment of it!

    I agree, enjoy the night and return to your regime the next morning.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    It depends. If you eat at Michelin starred restaurants regularly then do the usual 'avoid fried foods/creamy sauces etc.', but if it was me that might be the only time in my entire life I get to eat food that good. So I'd just go, eat what I wanted, hopefully enjoy it, and maybe rein it in for a day or two afterwards. :drinker:

    ^Every word of this!
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Anything grilled. Get extra veggies rather than a carb like potatoes or pasta. Try to get lean meats like chicken or fish.
    Again, if this is a regular thing then fair enough, but eating this way at a Michelin starred restaurant kind of seems like a waste of money to me. If you're not going to enjoy the whole experience, what's the point in going?
  • Danni1585
    Danni1585 Posts: 250 Member
    If its Michelin starred enjoy the treat and do more exercise next week. This is a great treat so it would be a shame not to let yourself enjoy it. Have a fab time xx
  • alexbusnello
    alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
    carbs are not the enemy....if you want carbs then have them in moderation and make sure they are the healthy type. If you want any kind of sauce, ask for it on the side if they allow that and if not...then don't get it. Get grilled chicken or fish, veggies that are not soaked in butter or sauces and if you want dessert, split it with someone or more than one other person. Ask for a doggy bag for left overs and save it for another night at home.
  • 212ackley
    212ackley Posts: 431 Member
    It depends. If you eat at Michelin starred restaurants regularly then do the usual 'avoid fried foods/creamy sauces etc.', but if it was me that might be the only time in my entire life I get to eat food that good. So I'd just go, eat what I wanted, hopefully enjoy it, and maybe rein it in for a day or two afterwards. :drinker:

    This exactly!!! If it's a once in a blue moon type of experience, I would eat whatever sounds the best, but try to keep within reason ( like no desert unless you are still hungry)
  • WAHMto5
    WAHMto5 Posts: 375 Member
    If I was going to a Michelin Star restaurant, I would just 100% enjoy every moment of it!

    My thoughts exactly!
  • Progman
    Progman Posts: 47 Member
    Yep, if you eat good on a regular basis, there's no reason why you can't indulge yourself, for one evening. Enjoy the experience

    Nothing at all wrong with a little self indulgence once in a while. You won't be derailed :smile:
  • mattvandyk
    mattvandyk Posts: 50 Member
    If its Michelin starred enjoy the treat and do more exercise next week. This is a great treat so it would be a shame not to let yourself enjoy it. Have a fab time xx

    We do this ^. We eat out somewhere particularly nice (often Michelin-rated or starred) a couple times a month. Avoiding carbs, creams, sauces, etc. defeats the purpose. You're not going there to sample their lo-cal offerings; you're going there to have the best of what a great restaurant has to offer. So, goes my thinking anyway.

    Also, I'm one of those who enjoys the experience of reviewing the menu in the restaurant, listening to the specials, etc., so I rarely review the menu in advance or otherwise plan ahead beyond the reservation. Instead, we just go and get whatever we ordinarily would have without giving a second thought to MFP (or, more often, consciously trying to suppress the "I wonder how many calories this has" thought out of my brain) -- this is shockingly liberating. Then, I just make a mental note of what I ate (I do this anyway for our restaurant diary; note that the itemized bill if often handy for this), and assess the MFP damage after-the-fact (always estimating on the high side). Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised, sometimes I'm unpleasantly surprised, but in both cases, I've had another memorable worry-free dining experience in the books and I can spend the next week "accounting" for it by adjusting calorie consumption and exercise frequency to "absorb" the meal into the rolling average (over the course of a week, this easier than it sounds).

    Bon appetit!

    --Matt
  • ptimek
    ptimek Posts: 9
    I recently just heard of the left-over box idea. Before you start eating ask for a box and put half of your meal in it. I think this is a grand idea. Then you can have the rest later.
  • lomins
    lomins Posts: 32 Member
    I once heard when going out to eat - bread basket, wine or dessert - choose one. I still struggle with this. I want all 3! I'm too much of an all or nothing person.

    Enjoy your dinner!
  • magiejbailey
    magiejbailey Posts: 6
    If I was going to a Michelin-starred restaurant, I would just have what I fancied (unless cost was a limiting factor). Then be good for the next few days to make up (Dr Michael Moseley's Fast Diet is great for this). If I go out to an 'ordinary' restaurant, I order what I fancy, but take a plastic tub in my bag, and put half of the meal into it, and eat this the next day! This approach always works for me.
  • honeyandmilk
    honeyandmilk Posts: 160 Member
    Honestly? Just be mindful of what you eat the rest of the day and enjoy whatever you want at the restaurant. Order whatever you want, regardless of how "healthy" it is and enjoy the experience.

    Another tip is to not waste calories on things like the bread basket (if there is one) or multiple drinks. Stick to 1-2 drinks and forgo the bread. Chances are, unless there is a really unique kind of bread in the basket, you know what it tastes like.
  • LouiseH238
    LouiseH238 Posts: 199 Member
    If you're going to a Michelin-starred place it's not going to be the kind of restaurant where you get a doggy bag - I would imagine the portions aren't going to be that huge anyway. Go and enjoy it and make up for it the rest of the week.
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  • Faulkners407
    Faulkners407 Posts: 62 Member
    Planning extra cardio today and tomorrow.

    Remind yourself that this is a life style change, and you can occasionally enjoy a night off.

    Ask for to go box, when your food arrives. Place half in it. Put under your chair, or somewhere out of the way.

    Drink water.

    When you are full. If there is still food on your plate, add it to your to go box or cover your plate with a napkin.

    I would enjoy the dinner, stop when full. But leave the to go box.

    This would ensure it was one meal. And do not have food guilt.
    Work out tomorrow.
    have fun.

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