eating out and/or cheat days?

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rayyesnk
rayyesnk Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just started MFP but am wondering how I will handle eating out. Have people found it difficult to log foods when they eat out? Do you just do the best you can with the information you have? Do you sometimes skip tracking for a day or a meal here or there -- or do you all log every thing every single day??

I eat out maybe once or twice a week ... just wondering if this has been an issue for anyone. Thanks!

Replies

  • Rose_bee
    Rose_bee Posts: 226 Member
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    This is my issue too!

    I'm meeting my mom to go out to lunch together in an hour, and I have no idea how to track that meal. Especially when the restaurant doesn't publish nutrition facts.


    I'm just going to see if there's a generic restaurant meal similar to the one I order. I assume it's going to be massive calories. :(
  • spade117
    spade117 Posts: 2,466 Member
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    If it is a chain restaurant, most of the time it will be in the database here. If it isn't, you can find something similar and use that.
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    If your not losing as fast as you think you should be or your struggling with why your not losing then you need to log every single thing. That will either motivate you to do better or tell you why your not doing as well as you should.
  • TimeForMe99
    TimeForMe99 Posts: 309
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    Search the database, or just go back to Valentines Day. This is one of the more popular subjects on the board.

    I eat out twice a week minumum when at home and often travel for four or more days at a time, so taking a cheat day or meal isn't a viable option. I try to plan ahead and if I'm asked where I'd like to go I speak up with a restaurant that offers a few options. I log everything because it's too easy to forget about that little snack or the fries I stole off my daughter's plate.
  • dward2011
    dward2011 Posts: 416 Member
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    I try to plan ahead. I search online for the restaurant(s) menu and see if they list nutritional information. I look over the menu and decide what I want to eat (before even going to it). If there is no calorie estimate given (or I cannot find said place online) then I break down my meal into parts that I can log. It helps me to make a good meal decision knowing that I have to log it into the site. For the times that are not planned, I choose a meal that is simple and sounds healthy. I make substitutions if I can or only eat half (especially for things like burgers). Then I break it down to log into the site.
  • jennymendiola
    jennymendiola Posts: 77 Member
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    I try to plan ahead. I search online for the restaurant(s) menu and see if they list nutritional information. I look over the menu and decide what I want to eat (before even going to it). If there is no calorie estimate given (or I cannot find said place online) then I break down my meal into parts that I can log. It helps me to make a good meal decision knowing that I have to log it into the site. For the times that are not planned, I choose a meal that is simple and sounds healthy. I make substitutions if I can or only eat half (especially for things like burgers). Then I break it down to log into the site.

    Yes, I do this exactly, and to be honest, I don't go out to eat very often.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    I tend to eat lightly the rest of the day and try to get a run or some other exercise in to balance it out.
  • nashsheri33
    nashsheri33 Posts: 225 Member
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    I try to plan ahead. I search online for the restaurant(s) menu and see if they list nutritional information. I look over the menu and decide what I want to eat (before even going to it). If there is no calorie estimate given (or I cannot find said place online) then I break down my meal into parts that I can log. It helps me to make a good meal decision knowing that I have to log it into the site. For the times that are not planned, I choose a meal that is simple and sounds healthy. I make substitutions if I can or only eat half (especially for things like burgers). Then I break it down to log into the site.

    ^this.^

    i have a few places that i regularly like to eat, so i looked on the web sites and decide what i'm going to order before i get there. i write the info in a little notebook that i keep in my purse, so if going out (say, with a group of people) becomes a spontaneous decision, i am prepared.

    i do not have 'cheat' days, i just eat regular food. nobody knows i am dieting, and they can't tell because i don't eat 'diet' food.

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