Psychology of "eating out"

It's a treat to eat out. For me, anyway. The other night we went to Chili's for dinner with friends. I had saved up like 800 & something calories for dinner. Seeing that all the "healthy choices" on the menu looked boring and lame, I ordered one big 'ol slab of cheesecake (810 calories) and couldn't even eat the whole thing. Boy did I feel crappy the next day but it was worth it for the psychological lesson I learned Did someone say two for one well drinks??? Next time I will DRINK my calories!!!!

Q:"Would you like a combo?"
A:"No, thank you."
Problem solved. I do it all year long.

I think eating out at a restaurant is kind of rude to the other patrons who are trying to enjoy their meals.

TL;DR. Too annoyed by the fact that "eating out" was in quotes for whatever reason. Do you refer to dinners at home as "eating in"?

I'm probably unusual in that I eat out almost every meal. There are several reasons for this, but one is that I don't want to make a large batch of something and feel like I have to eat it (or it gets wasted). I'll order a salad for lunch and a lot of the time, I eat half of it and eat the rest for dinner, or the next day and it winds up being cost effective. I'm a single, 28 year old woman with a lap band though, so I am probably unusual (no family, spouse, others to feed, and I eat small quantities).

I love ordering salads at restaurants because if I buy the same ingredients at the store and put them all together, it takes me 3 or 4 meals to eat all of it and by the 3rd or 4th meal of the same salad, it isn't too fresh. Since I am all about eating quality over quantity (now), I love crispy lettuce, perfectly ripe avocados, etc., which I'm willing to pay a little extra for at a restaurant because it is so satisfying.

Don't get me wrong - I'll splurge here and there too just like anyone else and have found great options at lots of restaurants that aren't salad and are still calorie effective. But I do love fresh leafy greens!

Maybe a bit of a strange response, but take it with a grain of salt

I just posted this on my blog, but decided that it might be fun to get some perspectives here.

After being away for a week on business and a week of vacation, we finally got some groceries into the house - which means that I am back on track with my eating. It is amazing to me what a difference it makes having the right foods around rather than trying to order out and get the right foods.

But then that made me wonder, isn't that a big part of the problem. Why is it that one can be perfectly content eating a big old spinach salad at home, but ordering one from a restaurant feels like punishment? Why does it feel like a victory to have ordered a sandwich at a place like Subway and NOT get the bag of chips they push on you with the "combo," when if you'd made that same sandwich at home you'd never even have thought about chips.

What is the allure of "eating out" that makes it not only OK, but expected, that one will indulge? Is it rooted in our old way of thinking - when eating out was a treat and 99% of your meals were made and eating at home? If that is the case, what does it take to erase that old mindset? I've been eating more meals out than at home for years, so eating out no longer should seem like a treat to me. In fact, eating a home cooked meal really had become a treat for a while I was eating out so much - but that wasn't enough to erase that mindset that eating out meant indulging.

Thoughts??

It's true that people eat out more often than they "should", especially with the rise of fast food, or just out of simple laziness or a lack of energy to cook and clean up afterwards. When my mother was in chemotherapy we scarcely had a meal that was actually prepared in our own kitchen, whether it was eating out, or getting something carry out or even delivered occasionally. It's also true that restaurants and any type of food retail always wants you to increase your order and often has massive portions, and sometimes it feels like the food is "pushed" on you, or that the bad choices are more prevalent and affordable than the healthier ones.

However, most restaurants have begun to notice that people ARE eating there for a casual weeknight dinner 2-3 times a week instead of cooking at home, and have tried to appeal to all audiences and expanded their menu to include more healthy or "every day" plainer options that aren't so decadent or "treat"-worthy. Often those meals are cheaper, too (but not always). The reason why people try to sweet-talk you into ordering the combo meal, a dessert, or an extra glass of wine is because it's more money you're spending, and that's really it. Also, just because it is on your plate doesn't mean you have to eat it. It took me a long time to learn this lesson, but now when I go out to eat I almost always walk out with half my meal in a box for later, or the next day. Just because you splurge or are too tired to cook doesn't necessarily mean that eating out is going to ruin you for the day.

TL;DR, I don't think it's shameful to order "boring" food when you eat out. To me, eating out is still a luxury even if I'm making a "healthier" choice in what I pick from the menu. It's about the experience and the company just as much as the food itself. When I went out to dinner for my birthday, we had a choice between Steak Risotto, Asiago Gnocchi with Chicken and Fried Eggplant, and Salmon with Whipped Potatoes. I chose the salmon and ate a bit less than half of the potatoes, and was content.

She likes it. Both the innuendo way, and what this topic is actually about. Good stuff.

To add to it, psychology wise, she LOVES to be serviced. Again both the innuendo way, and what this topic is actually about.

Do you log both though?

I just posted this on my blog, but decided that it might be fun to get some perspectives here.

After being away for a week on business and a week of vacation, we finally got some groceries into the house - which means that I am back on track with my eating. It is amazing to me what a difference it makes having the right foods around rather than trying to order out and get the right foods.

But then that made me wonder, isn't that a big part of the problem. Why is it that one can be perfectly content eating a big old spinach salad at home, but ordering one from a restaurant feels like punishment? Why does it feel like a victory to have ordered a sandwich at a place like Subway and NOT get the bag of chips they push on you with the "combo," when if you'd made that same sandwich at home you'd never even have thought about chips.

What is the allure of "eating out" that makes it not only OK, but expected, that one will indulge? Is it rooted in our old way of thinking - when eating out was a treat and 99% of your meals were made and eating at home? If that is the case, what does it take to erase that old mindset? I've been eating more meals out than at home for years, so eating out no longer should seem like a treat to me. In fact, eating a home cooked meal really had become a treat for a while I was eating out so much - but that wasn't enough to erase that mindset that eating out meant indulging.

Thoughts??

It's true that people eat out more often than they "should", especially with the rise of fast food, or just out of simple laziness or a lack of energy to cook and clean up afterwards. When my mother was in chemotherapy we scarcely had a meal that was actually prepared in our own kitchen, whether it was eating out, or getting something carry out or even delivered occasionally. It's also true that restaurants and any type of food retail always wants you to increase your order and often has massive portions, and sometimes it feels like the food is "pushed" on you, or that the bad choices are more prevalent and affordable than the healthier ones.

However, most restaurants have begun to notice that people ARE eating there for a casual weeknight dinner 2-3 times a week instead of cooking at home, and have tried to appeal to all audiences and expanded their menu to include more healthy or "every day" plainer options that aren't so decadent or "treat"-worthy. Often those meals are cheaper, too (but not always). The reason why people try to sweet-talk you into ordering the combo meal, a dessert, or an extra glass of wine is because it's more money you're spending, and that's really it. Also, just because it is on your plate doesn't mean you have to eat it. It took me a long time to learn this lesson, but now when I go out to eat I almost always walk out with half my meal in a box for later, or the next day. Just because you splurge or are too tired to cook doesn't necessarily mean that eating out is going to ruin you for the day.

TL;DR, I don't think it's shameful to order "boring" food when you eat out. To me, eating out is still a luxury even if I'm making a "healthier" choice in what I pick from the menu. It's about the experience and the company just as much as the food itself. When I went out to dinner for my birthday, we had a choice between Steak Risotto, Asiago Gnocchi with Chicken and Fried Eggplant, and Salmon with Whipped Potatoes. I chose the salmon and ate a bit less than half of the potatoes, and was content.

True and i completely agree. Yet this is something you consciously do now (as do i). You choose to make a different choice. yet the OP was talking about the psychology of eating out. the reason why we feel it's a victory saying no to the chips. the reason why ordering a salad feels like punishment.

Mea culpa - I walked right into all the dirty minds with my title. I didn't think that kind of eating had a caloric factor.

It's the putting it in quotes that got ya in trouble - not that all of us dirty minded folks wouldn't have gone there anyways.

bump