How Often Did You Eat Out As A Kid?

Zumaria1

Not that often. My mom cooked dinner, and for lunch I would pack my Holly Hobby lunch box and she would usually give me a sandwich and some fruit and the treat would be a Little Debbie snack, usually my favorite, Oatmeal Creme Pie My mom grew up in the country so she liked making fresh food, I remember helping her snap fresh string beans, clean fresh collard or kale, shuck corn on the cob, etc. She never bought jar spaghetti sauce, always made her own.

I remember we would sometimes get McDonald's but that was usually just for lunch. My Dad would treat us out sometimes on Sundays, maybe twice a month, I remember going to Bob Big Boy's. We were a family of 5 and limited budget, so it was limited. I also remember the great summer barbeques and all the good homemade food: the ribs, hamburgers, mac and cheese. I remember even the sweets were homemade, like the cakes and the peach cobbler. I remember one lady's peach cobbler was so good my Dad would pay her to make it for him. I like this question, brought back really good memories of childhood and family

lioness803

I very rarely ate out as a kid-we would go out for my grandmothers birthdays and maybe a few other times a year. When I was in college...a lot. We had KFC/Magic Wok/ etc on campus, everything else imaginable nearby, and the 1st apartment I lived in was practically next door to a Wendy's. That was when I put on weight-when I moved out on my own. (I commuted my first 2 years of college, so I still got Mom's home cooking the majority of that time)

misskerouac

Pretty much only on roadtrips.

My dad worked 2 day jobs and my mom worked nights, since my dad had us at dinner time it was a lot of spaghetti, tacos, goulash, and Kraft Dinner. He always made a salad though to go with it lol

They did what they could.

The_Outlaw_Torn

Once a week...usually pizza or mexican food. Once I became an adult and was working nights...every single day.

iAMsmiling

A few times a year at most.

iceandfires

i would eat out once a month, if that. it was guaranteed right around the report card times, though. i'd go to mcdonalds to wendys or out for sushi with my mom as a reward for getting straight As every semester (grade 4-11). i was still a chubby kid.

jennyrebekka

My parents had me in a lot of extracurricular activities as a kid - - we sometimes wouldn't get back home to eat dinner at night until 10pm....and that was quite often fast food. At the very least 4 times a week all throughout my elementary school - jr high years. As an adult I try to cook my own meals..........but that fast food still lures me back in sometimes.

lilred806

We ate out a few times a week over most of my life. When my parents moved me in first grade they felt guilty and EVERY DAY after school I got a Happy Meal. I didn't ask for it they just did it out of guilt. Luckily I didn't eat much then so I didn't gain weight but who knows the other damage done. After that year we moved back and began eating better. There was still a bunch of frozen pizza after school for my brother and I. I ate a lot of pb&j at school and never had school lunch. We lived on Coke instead of water. I am not sure how I wasn't way more overweight. Now I have two kids of my own and plan to do things a bit differently. My parents are great but I don't want as much soda in my kids life and really don't want that much fast food either.

LavenderBouquet

Up until I was around 9 years old most of my suppers were cooked by my parents with lunches and breakfasts supplemented by cereals or soups. I remember it being pretty healthy and fruits and other healthy snacks were available. That was when my mom was full/part-time at home. We moved when I was 9 and my parents began both working full-time, many of our suppers were still home-cooked but there was a lot more convenience meals such as frozen fishsticks, fries, chicken fingers, etc and we ate fast food much more often. When I was 12-15 I ate very poorly, I remember sometimes having McDonald's three times per week alongside other fast food, and as I began to get allowance I'd spent most of it on donuts, flavoured popcorn, cinnamon buns, and french fries and at home often had unhealthy snacks like pizza pops and instant noodles.

I gained considerable weight at the end of elementary school and throughout junior high, but I noticed and was concerned and that's when I first started reading books about healthy eating and losing weight. I think that having known what healthier home-cooked meals tasted like and made me feel like played a contributing role in me wanting to change my habits but for a few years it was a bit rough. I really think that nutrition should be covered by schools and parents, but in your later teenage years and early adulthood you definitely have a mind of your own and the ability to make your own choices, so a lot of it is up to you to take responsibility and inform yourself.

SweetestLibby

My mom grew up in the country so she liked making fresh food, I remember helping her snap fresh string beans, clean fresh collard or kale, shuck corn on the cob, etc. She never bought jar spaghetti sauce, always made her own.

I remember this growing up. My mom made no excuses. She worked full time and had as many as 4 out of 5 kids at home at the same time. She taught us how to cook young so that we could pitch in and help!

MySlimGoals

Once a year we had either fish and chips or a chinese takeaway. We only had soda and chocolate at christmas and easter. When I left highschool and set out on my own I made up for all that!!!

JenSD6

We went to Boston Pizza once a month after church on Sunday, and on rare occassion to some place like McDonalds. I grew up out in the country and money was tight, so anything but eating at home generally just wasn't an option. Pop was only a once a week treat, too.

I never had a problem with my weight until after I moved out and moved into the city with my own money to burn on fast food and junk food. It was amazing how quickly those new bad habits took over.

AmyJeanMarie84

Sundays after church. It didn't always mean going out to eat though. But it was family treat day, trip to the best ice cream parlor within 50 miles, home made popcorn and a movie, or nachos for dinner. It was also the only day I didn't have have milk, and a vegetable for with my dinner. Monday through Saturday we had healthy family meal times. The kind where you don't leave the table till you eat everything.

adaluc

We went out on Sunday's after Church to get breakfast, unless they were serving it at Church. But other than that we ate at home for every meal and packed our lunches for school. We went out to eat at a restaurant maybe once of month or less. But sometimes my mom would surprise us and take us for a flavored soda and a soft pretzel. It made those times special. With my husband and kids now we eat nearly every meal at home and go out to eat maybe twice a month. Although we don't always all get to sit down together. The children's schools offer breakfast and lunch but it is not what I want them to eat. So breakfast is at home and next year when my son stays for lunch it will be packed.

JeneticTraining

Once a week.
Mcdonalds #1 - Big Mac.

Those were the days.

GiddyupTim

Almost never. On vacations only. I remember the first time I ate out when it was not on a vacation. A friend and his mom took me out for a hamburger, at the Rexall grill. We sat at the counter. I looked forward to it for days before we actually went.

aaronlawrenc

Almost never. On vacations only. I remember the first time I ate out when it was not on a vacation. A friend and his mom took me out for a hamburger, at the Rexall grill. We sat at the counter. I looked forward to it for days before we actually went.

that is the saddest thing ive ever heard in my life

aaronlawrenc

we NEVER did cuz we were poor

aaronlawrenc

we never did cuz we were and still are poor.

crystalflame

3-4 times a week, I'd say. Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons after church, at least one meal on Saturday, and usually something else in there too. Even if it wasn't a meal out, it would be a snack out - a Blizzard after school or something. When I was little, a huge amount of what I ate was processed - sugary cereal, frozen popcorn shrimp, high-sodium soup and veggies from cans, etc. And lots of soda. So much soda. Like, 3-4 cans a day. My parents were so clueless.

Luckily, we moved to Singapore when I was 12, and my mom took an interest in learning to cook the local fare. She made meat-and-veggie heavy stir frys all the time. We started eating out more because it was convenient and cheap, but food there was made from whole ingredients and served in reasonable portion sizes. I never packed a lunch for school there - our cafeteria had a huge selection and was generally filled with nutritious options.