Eating out

I would say these things are to watch:
1.avoid sauces
2.grilled
3.small portion

Sometimes it seems the small filet with plain pot and steamed veggie is perfect!

I personally don't take as a treat day but I am sure some may. There are some restaurants like Cracker Barrel, Bob Evans, Olive Gardens that have "lite" dishes on their menu. My most favorite at Olive Gardens is the APricot Chicken that comes with asparagus and broccoli.

Eating out can be tough. I calorie cycle, which means I eat more on certain days and less on others. I try to time the days my husband and I dine out with the days that I'm eating more. I usually schedule these and/or Fridays and Saturdays, and it works like a charm.

If a restaurant has salmon with steamed veggies, you can't go wrong.

Look at nutritional info, only eat until satisfied, don't try to finish your whole plate. if you know a place has big portions, share with a friend or get 1/2 bagged to go beforehand. Rarely eat out, I usually only eat out if it is a special occassion or something (at least that is what i tell myself and what i try to do lol).

Be careful of the salads. Red Robin, Applebees, and a bunch of other places have some salads with over 1000 calories. Check nutrition info ahead of time and make a plan.

if they have the info on their website, I'll pre-plan my choices before I go - that helps a lot.

Other than that - look for how things are cooked (baked is better than fried, etc, etc...) Ask for sauces on the side. If the plate arrives and you know right away that it's more food than you should eat - divide it right on your plate and only eat the portion that fits your goals.

Try restaurants like Yardhouse that publish calories.Dont waste your calories. Dont order something dull, make the calories count..

Coming from someone who works in a restaurant:
Everything is bad. Stick with salads, but ask for dressing on the side. A lot of restaurants have a healthy section in their menu where they let you know the calories etc..
But: if nothing is sparking your interest, order something, ask for less sauce, or cheese or whatever is fattening in the food, and when you get your food, ask for a take out container, and IMMEDIATELY put half in the container. Out of sight, out of mind. You'll save yourself from eating the whole dish!
Just drink water at a restaurant too. You'd be surprise how many calories you'll add by consuming something other than water. Also, If your dish comes with a side, always go for the garden greens and a light dressing or no dressing at all. Most restaurants don't take in account of side dishes in their calorie counting, so you then have to add the sides on, which is very high. Typically you can get away with 20-50 calories for a side by going for the salad vs the 250-300 calories.

Hope this helps!

Also: If you do go for dinner because its for a birthday or something: don't go hungry. eat some nuts or fruit before hand and drink lots of water. You'll fill up before you eat your meal.

I go on line to their websites before arriving there and look at their nutrition guides, choose my foods before hand by what looks good and fits into my plan for the day and stick to it. I still get to eat out, eat foods I enjoy and lose weight.

I do the same thing. If the restaraunt has something like an under 550 menu then I'll stick with that. From doing this, I've discovered that many of the dishes at these places have a day's worth of calories in one meal...even the salads are extremely high in calories and most think they're super healthy. Sometimes when I go out with another person, I'll split an entree. Also get the dressing on the side and limit the croutons and cheese if you do order a salad. If I know I'm going to go a little crazy and splurge, I'll put in some extra time in my workout.

I never use eating out as a treat! Eating out shouldn't be something you have to "earn". It has to be part of your normal LIFESTYLE.... this isn't a diet!!

Never order salad with dressing- either get it on the side then dip your fork into it, or better yet- ask for salsa as your dressing!

Chicken breast: grilled!!
Fish: grilled!!

Ask for the veggie of the day instead of rice or potatoes.

Ask the server to NOT leave bread, chips, etc on your table.

A lot of restaurants list the calories (Noodles and Company for example) or most have Nutritional Guides if you ask, to make a better decision.

I've even been known to take in my OWN dressing in an inconspicuous container for salad, and my own bottle of "I can't believe it's not butter" spray for my baked potato at Texas Roadhouse

But lately, I've been enjoying the baked potato plain, just add some salt and pepper and I'm good to go. I dip my fork in salad dressing (I used to have a little salad with my dressing; now I use next to none).

I like the shrimp with the Med Salad at Noodles and Company... the Fruit n Chicken salad at Chick Fil A... the 6 oz steak, baked potato, salad at Texas Roadhouse... Egg White English Muffin with lots of veggies at Subway... at Mexican restaurants I'll order a salad with either shrimp or grilled fish and I'll ask for black beans on it, with salsa as the dressing.

Name a restaurant, I can tell you what to order. LOL...

okay thank you everyone great advice...i hate when im craving pizza but going to go for the salad lol

Passing up pizza isn't living! We eat pizza once a week! I know what day we're having it (usually Thursdays, but for whatever reason we didn't have it tonight) and plan your day accordingly. And two slices will actually suffice

and I too will try to look up nutrition info ahead of time on the restaurant and stick to the healthier calorie options and plan ahead of time, what I will be ordering. Most restaurants these days have a "healthier" option section on their menu's so I always look for that as well!

The web is your friend, as a lot of people have already responded by suggesting checking the online menu and know pretty much what you'll eat before you get there. Before the web, it was word of mouth, or reading a restaurant review or something. Now one has the facts with the web, and if you have a smart phone you have all this at your fingertips anywhere. One can also pretty much figure on standard restaurants serving 3x what is a normal portion of something, so that immediate doggie bag is a good idea. Some restaurants are going to be more challenging than others to find healthy options and some will be easier. It also depends on where one lives too. Usually in a bigger city there's more of a choice of eateries including ethnic ones that often have wonderful food that can fit into one's caloric budget if one chooses wisely. Water only for a beverage, have the bread basket taken away, if one has a choice of sides get the leanest simplest ones. If there's some special item you can't pass up, split it with someone, and make the rest of your meal lighter if possible. Another thing to consider, especially when with other people, is not to make a huge deal out of your diet, however strict it might be - just quietly order what you can eat. If someone asks, just say that everything looks wonderful and yummy but you really do have to stick to your plan for health reasons from your last doctor's appointment. Medical reasons usually shut people up.
Restaurants aren't going away anytime soon, so one has to learn how to navigate, which kinds to go with and which are obvious no-no's, as in, no matter how one slices it, there's not one healthy thing on the menu.

Usually, I order certain things without sauces or dressings(in the case of salads). Things can be a bit high in sodium content, but depending on the place you can order to specifics. I always look for low calorie options and "lunch" servings -- they're often plenty and they're cheaper too. If you can, specify that you want steamed veggies without butter, and get butter or dipping sauces on the side so you control how much you want to take in.

If you ever go to Outback, I highly suggest the Steakhouse Salad. It's a delicious combo of some of their sirloin, and you get a wonderful salad too. It satisfies the steak-craving for me.