Social eating tips please

carollu101

I do pretty well at home but when eating socially I tend to have items that I would deny myself at home & then it shows up on the scale as a frustrating setback. I am improving but wondering what others do to stay on track when out or eating with friends?

Doctorpurple

Just don't get carried away with the menu. I have some tips with social eating.

1. Research the nutritional facts of the restaurant you are planning to eat in. This will help you decide what to eat before getting there so you don't over eat.
2. Have a snack prior to the meal. If you have a planned dinner with your buddies. Eat a small snack before that. It will help you not feel so hungry on the restaurant dinner table and order so much from the menu.
3. Another thing I've learned is when you order automatically tell them you only want half of the meal served and half on the baggy. Most of the meals served in restaurants are not meant to be eaten by just 1 person because of the HUGE portions. People find it hard to stop eating when there's good on the plate. So having 1/2 packed away immediately helps.

moontyrant

Don't fill up on bread. Ask for water (it's cheaper than a soft drink anyway). Try to eat slower than your friends.

erinpd

Eat from the appetizer menu. It's usually plenty of food for a meal and you can try a couple different things. I sometimes did that before MFP whenever I went to a new restaurant so I can try the food without committing to a meal.

Yesterday I ate a carne asada quesadilla and chicken taquitos off the apps menu and came in under 600 cals. Not bad for a restaurant meal and I was full.

RebelRenny

Great topic and already great responses.

-order water and drink it
-I don't order from the combi menu, you know the one where you get appetizer, main meal and dessert for one price. Just because it's a good deal, does not mean it's good nutrients to put in my body.
-If an order comes with a side dish, order the salad with dressing on the side.
-choose a lovely balsamic vinegar dressing or vinaigrette dressing if any
-I never order ceasar salad
-If the main meal consists of meat, potatoes and veggies, request to have the potatoes substitutes for more vegetables
-tell the server to hold the bread

Renny

leighdiane91

Only order water. Picking a fish dish and swapping rice/potatoes for veggies is always a good way to keep the calorie count down. Avoid shrimp though, restaurants like to add butter and hidden calories to them lol.

carollu101

Really helpful responses. DoctorPurple, I especially like #3 - I have birds & will often take the bread home to them but have never asked to have half the entree prebagged. I will use this. Thank you!

carollu101

This was my first posted topic-thanks everyone for the replies. They are so helpful. I especially like how easy they are to incorporate. Some I already do but I plan to add; prebagging half the meal, eating slower than my friends(I automatically try to match so we are ready to leave at about same time), choosing an appetizer instead of a meal(save money & calories!), not eating combos(guilty) & swapping out a starch for a veggie(this will also help in my efforts to choose foods will lower GI & lower inflammatory reaction).

A trick I sometimes use is to eat a little fresh fruit before I leave home-it digests at a faster rate so will be absorbed & help curb hunger & sweet cravings. This is also the reason why fruit should be eaten before & not on top of a meal(like from a salad bar as dessert after a meal unless you give the meal a little time to digest). It can begin to ferment while sitting on top of the other food as your gut is working through the heavier stuff & make you feel a little queasy.

lambchoplewis

I always research the restaurant prior to going and pick what I am going to order. I make sure to have NO SAUCE, NO MAYO etc. If the meal shows up with these, send it back. There are TONS of calories in these type of things. Ask for balsamic vinegar for salad -nothing creamy. Broth soup - not cream based.

My problem is that I like to have a few glasses of wine which is fine if I could NOT overeat when I get home. I am getting better at doing that but it takes practice. If I do end up eating too much, I get right on track the next day and get back to my maintenance weight. Then I look forward to next time out.

wnbrice

Say screw it, take the set back, work harder the next day as well as maybe eat a little less. Calories can kind of average from what I understand.

If I am going to go out, then I am not going to stress about it. If it takes an extra month over the course of my entire journey then I can live with that. I have been fat for nearly 20 years. I am showing success, if it takes another month I can live with it if it means I am going to be more successful and sustainable in the long run.

carollu101

Thanks Lambchops for the tips! WN - I like your attitude - attitude with committment(I read your about me) = you're gonna reach that goal! Thanks:) Carol.

mhorn2142

I like to know where I am going first and then look up the menu and decide on what I am eating before I get there.

alychil820

Look up the menu online before you go, and already decide what you're going to get
Drink water, not soda
Order first, so you're not influenced by what your friends get

lambchoplewis

On line you can look up most restaurant food and get nutritional values. If you cannot, just ordered broiled, bakes, no sauce, sauce on side, etc. You can do it if you want.

illyire106

This is really hard for me, since I LOVE going out to eat.

1) skip the bread or the nachos at restaurants. Or take one slice and let it sit on your bread plate. Make yourself drink a full glass of water, before you eat it and stick to ONE slice (by this time, everyone else has devoured the bread - so I'm good!)

2) I usually have wine with my meals, and that can definitely be a killer. I've started alternating 1:1 soda water/sparkling water with wine. I start off with water, and then I wait to order my glass of wine until my meal comes. Plus, after about 2 glasses - I order and eat whatever.

3) Eat a little bit (but not too much) before you go out to eat, so you won't be starving and tempted to order an appetizer. If you aren't wise about appetizer - these are diet KILLERS and really high sodium. I usually try to have a mixed high fiber/protein snack - like an apple and a cheese stick before dinner.

4) I love sharing small plates, but found that I ate way more (and higher fat/calorie food) this way than when I order a main course.

5) If you order pasta/risotto at a chain restaurant or a place with huge portions - try to see if you can get a 1/2 order or a lunch size portion. Or I agree, have them put half in a doggie bag (and discretely bring it out at the end of the meal). I tend not to like to do that, because then I eat it the next day too

6) If you order a salad, avoid creamy dressing. Hold the bad extras: candied nuts, corn chips, croutons, crunchy anything! Try to pick the salad that has the MOST vegetables and put some protein on it. Otherwise you are depriving yourself. And if you don't want a salad, don't order it! Plenty of other good things on the menu. There's nothing worse than sitting there like a sad orphan wishing you had a real meal, instead of a salad!

7) If you don't go out to eat that often - have fun and order what you want (within reason)! This is a lifestyle change and one meal won't kill it... give yourself some rules though. If I have an appetizer, I won't have desert and vice versa. I do my best to avoid empty/sneaky calories: heavy cream sauces, creamy salad dressings, things that are deep fried. I'm usually particularly healthy about my other meals that day - I avoid sodium and fatty foods b/c restaurants have salt/fat/sugar in spades. But I don't starve myself that day, because then I will just go crazy!!

8) If you want desert, try to split one with a friend or two. Honestly, the best part is that first bite anyway. I'm a girl who'd rather go without than eat some gross low fat/low sugar fake desert. So when I indulge, I go for the real thing - in moderation.

9) usually try to workout on a day I eat out, but not a super hardcore workout - because that makes me really hungry....and I convince myself that I "deserve" to eat what I want. I'll do yoga or go for a light run.

--> If you go out to eat a lot, you have to give yourself more rules..because that once off occasion is now going to be an often occasion and can totally wreck your attempts.