What Do You Eat When You're Out To Eat?

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TylerLtd
TylerLtd Posts: 32
in Chit-Chat
I really need some help, because when I am out I can't just give up a nice delicious burger for a salad, what do you guys do?
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  • OnionMomma
    OnionMomma Posts: 938 Member
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    If I want it, I fit it into my calorie goal for the day and don't feel a single bit guilty about it.

    Losing weight is not about dieting.
  • TylerLtd
    TylerLtd Posts: 32
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    It's all about dieting lol, it's pretty much 85% diet, and 15% workout.
  • juliecat1
    juliecat1 Posts: 3,455 Member
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    If you don't eat out often - have the burger. Leaving off the cheese, mayo, etc helps. Then sub a salad or fruit on the side instead of fries. Almost every place offers a side salad. If you always eat out - you're going to have to find alternatives. Usually always grilled chicken on menus. Or a grilled fish or shrimp. Don't be afraid to special order things. Most places are happy to accommodate.
  • KristenF101
    KristenF101 Posts: 100
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    I believe what she means is, it's not about dieting, it's about changing your habits and your lifestyle for the rest of your life.

    If you don't plan on giving up burgers forever, don't give them up now. Try fitting them into your calorie goal, or eating it without the bun. Another option is to sub salad for the fries.
  • JenS826
    JenS826 Posts: 6 Member
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    Went out for lunch today. Had a three-egg (white) Greek omelet and veggies instead of bread and potatoes. If I go out to dinner, I'll get salmon and extra veggies, or chicken slathered with melted cheeses, or steaks, or even burgers but without the buns. Or even ribs (without the sauce) once in a while, too. There are many options :)
  • JenS826
    JenS826 Posts: 6 Member
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    And that's with following the low-carb lifestyle :)
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
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    It's all about dieting lol, it's pretty much 85% diet, and 15% workout.

    not true. Depends on your goals, i guess. you could eat twigs and berries, lose weight and still be soft. I used to have a super physical job and ate 3000+ calories a day. of whatever i wanted. I lost weight eating pizza, cookies, nuts, candy bars, etc. ANYTHING i wanted. I probably didn't have the best body fat percentage at the time but, you can lose weight with a less than optimal diet.

    That said, when I eat out, I'll sometimes have a steak or chicken salad, but mainly I opt for fish, shrimp, chicken or steak and veggies. I eat a lot of protein so a 12 oz steak is not a problem when I go out at all. :)
  • mizzdivat
    mizzdivat Posts: 67 Member
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    For me, If I go to a Mexican restaurant it's a Tostada and black beans, If it's ThaI food I do chicken fried rice with brown rice, If it happens to be fast food then I try to go for a chicken burger/sandwhich instead of beef. If I'm doing happy hour, I go for Vodka and cranberry juice or pineapple juice as seems to be low in calories. Eating out is tough, I just do my best and workout later or make up for it the next day. Don't beat yourself up. Good luck :smile:
  • Louisianababy93
    Louisianababy93 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    depends on where im eating.

    but,subway?
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
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    If you can, fit them into your calorie goal.

    But even if you had the burger and asked for salad instead of chips/fries that would save you a few hundred calories.

    If I'm feeling really good I get steak and salad. If I'm indulging I'll get something like chicken and ribs/smothered chicken, but ask for it without the sauce and have salad instead of chips/fries. Basically, avoid the 'empty' calorie options and sauces and always add a salad or extra veg.
  • Chicprin1
    Chicprin1 Posts: 3
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    Normally I will have a drink (alcohol of some sort), dessert first, steak, mashed potatoes, veggie, and bread. After that I feel stuffed and ready to explode. Yesterday though, was the first time I went out to eat since trying to change my mindset as far as living healthy. ;-) Soooooo, I drank 1/4th of a skinny margarita, ate about a cup of lemon shrimp, pushed the rice away and ate a salad skipping the cheese, bacon and crutons. I did have to have ranch with my salad but instead of dumping the entire serving I used my spoon and drizzled only a little. After I felt full of good, plus I was very very proud of myself. :-)

    I think it helped for me to go online and check out their menu to plan ahead of time.
  • trainguy917
    trainguy917 Posts: 366 Member
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    It's all about dieting lol, it's pretty much 85% diet, and 15% workout.

    It's 0% about dieting. It's 100% about being healthful in how you eat and in being active. If you look at it as a diet (and even if it is, I would argue your percentages are way off) and say no to foods because "they're not on your diet," you're setting yourself up for failure. If you eat well and can fit something into your calories for the day, even if it's not "diet" food, you'll do well and you'll stick with it.
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    I'm anxious about people figuring out that I am dieting, or picking on food, or calorie counting or whatever... it's not really socially acceptable here. So I just order whatever anyone else has, try to calculate how much that is, and eat just as much from it as my calorie limit. I found that (for me personally) it is much easier to just put the spoon/fork down than worrying about getting a salad or breaking my head about the menu. This way I may have eaten a little more grease and sugar, but I am far more relaxed.
  • NotYourAverageMom
    NotYourAverageMom Posts: 1 Member
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    Weight loss is a balance between diet and exercise. So If you are eating health otherwise then enjoy that burger when you're out. If you deny yourself the occasional treat then your "diet" will fail. You might want to swap out the fries that usually come with a burger with a side salad (beware of Caesar salad the dressing is very high calorie).

    I also will add an extra workout if I know I'll be going out for dinner and drinks.
  • CarlaMichelle
    CarlaMichelle Posts: 67 Member
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    It's all about dieting lol, it's pretty much 85% diet, and 15% workout.

    exactly!!!!! Thank you for saying that! However, you can't deprive yourself all the time or you'll rebel and go crazy and eat everything in sight. if you give yourself one cheat meal a week then you should be okay. BUT remember it's not a diet it's a way of living and you can't live without joy so have the burger.

    with having said that let me play devil's advocate... lets say you're going out but you already had your cheat meal. this is what i do... i peruse the menu for something healthy that i have never had so i can see if i might find a new favorite that is also healthy. that is how i found my all time fave at Logan's steakhouse. it is the grilled tilapia. it is supposed to come with this creamy sauce and tortillas strips but i ordered it sans sauce / strips with two veggie skewers (minus oil) and the flavor is so "POW"... it's my new fave and i get it everytime i eat there.

    one more tip... if you can choose the restaurant... even better!!! that way you can pick a place that you know has something you want to order and stay on track.
  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
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    I normally fit whatever I want into my calorie goal for the day. If what I want will make me go over, I still have it and make sure I go a little under the next day or two. As long as I meet my calorie goal deficient at the end of the week, and I don't feel deprived of what I want, I'm happy.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I just fit it into my calories for the day...usually means I'm eating pretty light at my other meals and probably little to no snacking. Just went out to Five Guys last weekend and had a great burger w/fries...cost me about 800 calories; I ate pretty light the rest of the day with lots of veg.

    Sometimes I just eat to maintenance if it's a day that I'm going to be eating out though since I don't eat out often...like once or twice a month.
  • emilykg12
    emilykg12 Posts: 119
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    I don't eat out a whole lot, but when I do, I sometimes have some sort of protein bar beforehand and order a salad with grilled chicken or something. It's what I'd order anyway.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
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    Are you eating out all the time? Otherwise, it's one meal, once in a while... Figure out how to fit what you want into your intake. That's really the only way most of us can realistically stick with this long term.

    Actually, this is even more applicable if you eat out all the time. What fun is not eating what you want forever?
  • Chibisune
    Chibisune Posts: 4 Member
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    I still eat whatever I want, but I plan a day ahead when I am going to spoil myself so I can make sure to fit it in within my calorie count. If it's spur of the moment (which means I'm with someone else) I will share, lol. My fiance came home for 2 weeks and when he is home, he loves to eat Chinese, pizza, and In N Out. Sharing his meal instead of getting a whole meal for myself resulted in my dropping 2lbs while he was here rather than gaining 10lbs like I did in the past.

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