What are they putting in my food?!

If you're that concerned about it that a variation on how they prepare your food is a big issue the solution I see is to not eat out, period. You have full control over the food you're eating that way. If you're willing to eat out you should be willing to take a bit of variation from time to time when you go out and have fun.

I think sometimes there is a line you have to draw and maybe here is where it needs to be drawn.
If you start worrying about that.. then what about factories adding extra ingredients to foods we have from the supermarket?
where do you stop worrying?

it's not like you eat out all the time so if you give yourself a little leeway with eating out, your more likely to stick to the programme for the long term instead of getting cut up on the little details.

tl;dr: don't sweat the small stuff.

I have this same fear, so perhaps I'm a nutso as well. :laugh:
I used to be consumed by this idea, so rarely went out to eat.
Since most of my social life is based around food (none of my friends care about 'dieting'), I felt like the odd one out.
Though, I try not to think about it too much anymore.. since I enjoy the company.
I tend to pre-log on these occasions and make healthier options throughout the day to keep myself in check.

No, I think it's a valid concern. I manage a bakery, and we - as should every restaurant, deli, grocery store, etc. - have portion controls in place. Not only does it keep costs in line, but it makes for a more consistent product. It's really hard to always guarantee that, though, since it's not always the same person making the food. For example, we have this cake that's supposed to have 4 oz of filling in it, by weight. That portion is in place so that I know how much profit we're making on the cake, and also so that customers can go to our website and find accurate nutritional info on that cake, based on its having exactly 4 oz of filling. However, I have this new decorator who thinks she's doing the customers a favor by eyeballing the amount of filling, and "plumping" up the cake, therefore giving them a better deal and a "better" cake. But - as I've explained to her - she's ruining my bottom line (no pun intended) and making the nutrition facts I've calculated now invalid.

I absolutely believe you can't trust that your food is exactly the same from one visit to the next at any restaurant, even a national chain with set menus and set standards. And, after being in the foodwervice industry for so long I have seen first hand that just because a menu says that a dish has X, Y, and Z in it doesn't necessarily mean they didn't also throw something else in there, or that they didn't just double the amount of Z. Honestly, eating out scares the crap out of me from a weight loss perspective, unless it's way basic food., like a salad where I can see all the ingredients and control the dressing, etc.

omg whenever I go out to eat I am always worried about how they cook it/preserve the food. It freaks me out to think what goes on in the kitchen to make everything taste so goood. I never tell my friends though because I feel judged..I just try to choose the healthiest options (I usually go with a salad because I love salads anyways and how much can you add to veggies? I mean come on if they are adding preservatives and flavoring I am disappointed

Sauces and dressings on the side will help keep control of the worst offenders. Grilled meats should be pretty safe, you can judge the approx weight by size, a deck of cards = 4 oz meat roughly. Log in an additional tablespoon of oil if the food seems particularly greasy. If you tell the waiter you are an athlete in training (if it is reasonable) and have to limit your fat and carbs, they are usually really helpful. Also try tipping before the food comes, and tell him you will tip again after if you liked how it was prepared.

I know the heavy tipping is expensive, but so is heart disease.