Psychology of "eating out"

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Replies

  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    For me, eating out is a rare event and a treat...usually means my wife and I are on a date. My wife and I eat out maybe once or twice per month...

    This is why marriage sucks....sex life goes straight out of the window!!

    Then perhaps you are married to the wrong person. Sex should get WAY better and creative with the person whom you trust the most in this world.
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
    It is because we go out to get something we cannot make at home, or something that would be too much trouble to make at home. That is the point of going out. I'm not making complicated sauces or 20 layer cakes or wood fired pizza. I go to places that specialize in those particular things. And there is no point of going to these places if you are not going to get what they are best at.
  • thatcrazykat
    thatcrazykat Posts: 73 Member
    My husband and I eat out once a week as a kind of relief from the every day boloney of me fixing dinner, barely getting to the table before everyone is finished and then cleaning up after everyone. I make smart choices also within the realm of the restaurant. Don't want to pay exhorbant fees for a salad when half the time it comes with cheese and too much dressing. I order specials or chef's favorite and just limit my portion sizes accordingly. Also order twice the veggies and no rice, potatoes, etc as they usually aren't worth the calories.
  • OkieinMinny
    OkieinMinny Posts: 834 Member
    can we be naughty yet>

    Thats what I came in here for
  • Babeskeez
    Babeskeez Posts: 606 Member
    We eat out for dessert a lot. Usually right before we fall asleep.
  • jzebracki
    jzebracki Posts: 112 Member
    I eat out more than I eat at home. I hate cooking, I am not creative, and I hate cleaning up! I have plenty of friends who like to meet for dinner. It is hard not to indulge when you go out, but a big part of going out is usually socializing with friends/family. I try to look at the social aspect of it and tell myself - you are not here to eat crazy! You are here to be with so and so . . . I try to focus on the social activity part rather than the food part. Restaurants have become more health conscious, and it is usually pretty easy to order within your calories - as long as you PLAN for it. I like to look up the menus BEFORE I go, plan my meal, and make sure I don't go over my calories. Plus, restaurant portions are controlled - you get the plate in front of you and you eat it (or part of it!) At home, it is easier to have seconds, thirds, etc.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Probably my favorite thing to do is eat out. Mostly because it is a time for good interaction and it usually is for the benefit of others. I could sit home by myself no problem but if i have an opportunity to eat out...i'm diving right on it.

    i can't top this. well played sir, well played

    applause_zps160699ba.gif
  • lilrhody
    lilrhody Posts: 84 Member
    Mea culpa - I walked right into all the dirty minds with my title. I didn't think that kind of eating had a caloric factor.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Since I think we're supposed to be talking about food, I'm a mom of a 2 year old. I don't care what the restaurant puts in front of me so long as it tastes good, someone else cooks it, and I don't have to do the dishes while simultaneously keeping the restaurant from being destroyed. Because at home, that's the way it goes. 30 minutes of house cleaning for every 5 minutes spent in the kitchen.

    If they put a candle on the table at IHOP and there was a babysitter at home with the kids, I'd be game.
  • RedHotHunter
    RedHotHunter Posts: 560 Member
    Why put "eating out" in quotes only to make this post about actual food?
    I know I'm not the only one disappointed by this.
    :grumble:
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
    Who wants to order things they can make at home, ideally the food you order is something you don't often eat and of high quality. What fun is it to order plain boring food while out
    "of high quality" is debatable lol
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
    can we be naughty yet>

    i've already started....i've got Brett's tongue in my mouth to save him from logging it himself.
  • FitnSassy
    FitnSassy Posts: 263 Member
    If I bite my tongue any harder I'm gonna have to log it.

    well then let me bite it for you....that way you don't have to log it and then I'm eating out too!

    But is it a treat, or could you have had tongue at home?
  • Jennisin1
    Jennisin1 Posts: 574 Member
    I eat out almost every single day... I eat wonderful, healthy tasty foods because I have the restaurants which carry those things all scoped out.. and that's where I go
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    She likes it. Both the innuendo way, and what this topic is actually about. Good stuff.
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    :( Totally not what I wanted this thread to be about, not gonna lie.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    If the documentary I watched a while back is to be believed, all weight gains over the past few decades are down to McDonald's evil marketing campaigns :/
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
    If I bite my tongue any harder I'm gonna have to log it.

    well then let me bite it for you....that way you don't have to log it and then I'm eating out too!

    But is it a treat, or could you have had tongue at home?

    oh this is totally a treat....
  • SStrauss79
    SStrauss79 Posts: 124 Member
    Probably my favorite thing to do is eat out. Mostly because it is a time for good interaction and it usually is for the benefit of others. I could sit home by myself no problem but if i have an opportunity to eat out...i'm diving right on it.


    lol lol I see what you did there!!!! Good one!
  • Sarah0866
    Sarah0866 Posts: 291 Member
    Probably my favorite thing to do is eat out. Mostly because it is a time for good interaction and it usually is for the benefit of others. I could sit home by myself no problem but if i have an opportunity to eat out...i'm diving right on it.

    That's my reasoning behind going out to eat too...I love the social element of it. I also don't feel deprived when I make healthier choices at restaurants. That's the lifestyle I lead on a regular, so unless I'm having a "cheat meal" or satisfying a random craving weekly or bi-weekly, I don't feel like I have to order the unhealthy items on the menu just to benefit from going out to eat. I still get to enjoy a meal with people I want to be out with.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    She likes it. Both the innuendo way, and what this topic is actually about. Good stuff.

    To add to it, psychology wise, she LOVES to be serviced. Again both the innuendo way, and what this topic is actually about.
  • lizzybethclaire
    lizzybethclaire Posts: 849 Member
    I struggle with this too. We have eaten out quite a bit more than usual, so those occassional treats became more like weekly treats this month. My mom when I was younger used to hide all the goodies and would only serve me a serving of food when I was younger. So once I got the freedom to eat what I wanted, I gained a crapload of weight. My doctor when I was younger was an idiot. I was having massive growth spurts which is why I was so hungry. I would shoot up 3 to 4 inches during the school year. I went from 5'6 in 5th grade to 6'0 in 7th grade. I feel like if they just fed me lots of healthy food when I was hungry, I wouldn't have had all these frigging issues with food. Now when I eat, I eat junk because I feel like I'll never get it unless I eat it right now. What a terrible way to think of food.
    I don't blame anyone but myself for overeating so much. Even if a foundation was laid in childhood, I still controlled what I ate as an adult.
  • majoki
    majoki Posts: 151 Member
    I think eating out at a restaurant is kind of rude to the other patrons who are trying to enjoy their meals.
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    I think eating out at a restaurant is kind of rude to the other patrons who are trying to enjoy their meals.

    Best post in this thread.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    For me, eating out is a rare event and a treat...usually means my wife and I are on a date. My wife and I eat out maybe once or twice per month...

    This is why marriage sucks....sex life goes straight out of the window!!

    LOL...see what you did there? :laugh:

    In that RE, it's not the marriage part...it's the toddler and 6 month old. I think my wife has gotten about 8 hours sleep in the past 2.5 years....actually sex life got back to normal when my toddler was around 9 months...thus the other kid. We're hoping to turn a corner soon, but this time I'm getting myself all fixed up so that this never happens again.
  • UnderCoverShyGirl
    UnderCoverShyGirl Posts: 254 Member
    It is strange isn't it. I used to eat out all the time, for convenience, whether going to a nice restaurant or grabbing fast food or whatever. And for some reason, in my head, every time i ate out, it was a "celebration" and I would look at the menu thinking "what is the yummiest best thing i can have!" - i was treating it like it was that "special rare night at a nice restaurant" even though it was a daily habit!! I was treating it like something i might never get to do again!

    Now i rarely eat out - if i do eat out at lunch during a workday, i'm very cautious about what i have, and when i do go out for that "rare special night at a nice restaurant" i try to be conscious but do allow for the splurge because it's truly rare!
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    my sarcasm radar is a little rusty today... i can't tell if some of you are serious, or you really just aren't catching on
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    Why does it feel like a victory to have ordered a sandwich at a place like Subway and NOT get the bag of chips they push on you with the "combo," when if you'd made that same sandwich at home you'd never even have thought about chips.

    This is a very good question for so many people! For me, it's more about a habit and for some people, breaking that habit is what feels like a victory. Example: Yesterday, my bf & I went to Subway for lunch. Out of habit, I went to get the Sun Chips we always have because we often order one "meal" and then share the soda and chips. But we're practicing Lent and have given up all prepackaged snack "foods" and soda. So when he waved his finger in front of the bag, I realized, "oh my! I was totally going to fall into habit!" We got just the sandwich, which was already a bit of a stretch, since we don't really eat bread, specifically not overprocessed bread, but considering we eat vegetarian, we let it slide.

    For some people that would feel like a victory, and I certainly can understand why. For me, it felt like I was being aware. And that's good enough for me.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    it's not the marriage part...it's the toddler and 6 month old.

    Kids change things, for sure. But eventually it all comes back aournd. ALL of it. :)
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    the dude who posted early on has it right; eat out only when it is food you can't make at home.. i feel like it is a waste of money to eat out just for fun..when i can make the very same thing ibetter at home and better for me too. Eating out should be for going to ethnic restaurants or a place where a chef pulls off a fantastic dish you could never imagine cooking at home. Shifting your desire to that will impact your wallet and waist in a great way..making one grow and the other shrink. :flowerforyou:

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