Motivation to Avoid Eating Out: I'm Changing My Perspective

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sunshinestater
sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
in Motivation and Support
One of my big downfalls in weight loss is eating out. My husband and I don't have kids, so it's always tempting to eat out. Thankfully he loves to cook, so we have good, healthy meals when we eat in, but we live near way too many good restaurants.

I know that's going to be one of my biggest traps as I work my way through Jillian Michaels Body Revolution and focus on changing my eating habits. Right now I'm working on changing my perspective. I currently see restaurants as something good and pleasurable. They provide instant gratification with decadent food. I plan to cognitively change that perception to see them as a threat. Sure, the instant gratification is nice, but at what cost? The setback to my eating plan is totally not worth it. Also, it costs less to eat healthy at home than to keep paying for restaurant meals.

If I keep forcing myself to think of the impact eating out has on my fitness plan, I think I can be strong and resist. I won't totally cut out restaurant meals, but they're going to be cut back dramatically.
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  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    I make waaayyyy better choices when I make my own food. Not just turkey burgers instead of hamburgers, but especially a large salad, with no dressing, versus McDs supersized anything.

    I save tons of money! I have basically cut my discretionary spending in half by not eating out. As a matter of fact, this month I paid for meals on our road trip, including a brazilian steakhouse, and my credit card totals are still less than an average month of eating fast food regularly. This effect is even greater if you were eating at great restaurants.

    It may help to have a goal for this money - figure out how much you are saving and open a high interest savings account to fund your new wardrobe when you reach goal or plan a fabulous vacation. We sock away everything possible for a future sailboat, but I have some fitness rewards planned, like an acroyoga class.
  • missjones93
    missjones93 Posts: 74 Member
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    I feel you girl. So much easier. I've read horrible things about fast food restaurants to kinda sway my opinion - that doesn't even work! Yuck! I have actually found a (kinda) solution. My boyfriend really is supporting me through this - so if we want to eat out now, he will let me know, "you really don't need to". Have someone there to remind you why you shouldn't!
  • Blueyedtine
    Blueyedtine Posts: 52 Member
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    One of my big downfalls in weight loss is eating out. My husband and I don't have kids, so it's always tempting to eat out. Thankfully he loves to cook, so we have good, healthy meals when we eat in, but we live near way too many good restaurants.

    I know that's going to be one of my biggest traps as I work my way through Jillian Michaels Body Revolution and focus on changing my eating habits. Right now I'm working on changing my perspective. I currently see restaurants as something good and pleasurable. They provide instant gratification with decadent food. I plan to cognitively change that perception to see them as a threat. Sure, the instant gratification is nice, but at what cost? The setback to my eating plan is totally not worth it. Also, it costs less to eat healthy at home than to keep paying for restaurant meals.

    If I keep forcing myself to think of the impact eating out has on my fitness plan, I think I can be strong and resist. I won't totally cut out restaurant meals, but they're going to be cut back dramatically.

    This is so true! It really is all about association. I think I'm going to "borrow" that! Resturants = Threat

    Thanks!
  • shosho420
    shosho420 Posts: 220 Member
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    IDK there is a difference to me in restaurants and fast food. Like I would eat fast food 3-5 times a week. But I could easily go to Applbees or another restaurant and order a salad or a lower calorie meal. I often eat half my meal at a restaurant and take the rest home. But I don't really compare like McDonald to a restaurant where I could always just order something healthy. Plus always order a water.
  • KeysGirl23
    KeysGirl23 Posts: 117 Member
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    Hello There, I know you will do great! I have the same situation that you do. I don't have children and we used to eat out a lot. In changing my eating habits, I found that I could still go out and enjoy meals. I learned to focus on the healthy food, kept the MFP app with me when making those choices and enjoyed the company I was keeping. I noticed that even with making the healthy choices, it was still entirely too much food so I cut my meal in half and only ate that. I would graciously share my food, push my dish away towards the center of the table, and get a to-go food container ASAP. I say 'and" because I always did all three of those things at every meal and it helped me tremendously. Happy Healthy Eating!
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
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    Personally I think you're looking at it totally wrong. Eating out should be a reward not seen as a bad thing.

    The whole point of trying to lose weight is to be healthy and so that those occasional blip days eating out etc don't matter.
  • pghlulu
    pghlulu Posts: 42
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    That is a great idea, to percieve eating out as a threat to your lifestyle change.

    Yes, it's true that there are plenty of healthy eating out options out there. But it's hard to really ever know what the heck they're putting in your food when you don't prepare it yourself! Especially what kind of oils it's cooked in, how much sodium they're adding, or even if it was prepared in unsanitary conditions.
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
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    Personally I think you're looking at it totally wrong. Eating out should be a reward not seen as a bad thing.
    I don't intend to cut it out completely, but it will only be a very occasional reward. Otherwise, it's too easy for me to fall into the, "Oh, let's just go out to lunch!" or "Let's just go out to dinner!" trap. My job involves eating out a couple of times a month, so I have to work around that, too.

    I'm sort of visualizing it as being like the gator wrestlers over at Gatorland. They put their heads very cautiously into the gators' mouths, but they'll get chomped if they do it for too long. Restaurants are my "gators," to be handled with extreme caution.
  • jzebracki
    jzebracki Posts: 112 Member
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    I love to eat out, basically because I hate to cook! My husband and I also don't have children, so it is easy to eat out. I used to look at eating out as a reward, but now I look at it as just "eating." I try to focus on the social aspect of eating out instead of the food itself. (My husband will actually talk to me at a restaurant, but not during a meal at home when there are other distractions around.) The food is "incidental." I always choose my food that I am going to eat at the restaurant BEFORE I LEAVE MY HOUSE. If I can't get a good nutrition read on a menu item, I just won't order it. I take advantage of coupons and deals, and I personally think that it is cheaper to eat out when you consider the cost of the food, the time to prepare the food, the time to clean up the kitchen, dishes, etc. I am not stressed, I am not cleaning up at 8:00 or 9:00 after a long day of work. Since being on MFP I am making better choices at restaurants. I tell them not to put a bread basket on the table. I substitute a baked potato for fries, I get veggies instead of rice or pasta, and I have a chicken or fish dish. The restaurant gives me a certain portion, so I can't go back into the kitchen and get more. No seconds or leftovers to nibble on. Restaurants do not have to be a threat - they can be your friend if you want them to be.
  • shosho420
    shosho420 Posts: 220 Member
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    I love to eat out, basically because I hate to cook! My husband and I also don't have children, so it is easy to eat out. I used to look at eating out as a reward, but now I look at it as just "eating." I try to focus on the social aspect of eating out instead of the food itself. (My husband will actually talk to me at a restaurant, but not during a meal at home when there are other distractions around.) The food is "incidental." I always choose my food that I am going to eat at the restaurant BEFORE I LEAVE MY HOUSE. If I can't get a good nutrition read on a menu item, I just won't order it. I take advantage of coupons and deals, and I personally think that it is cheaper to eat out when you consider the cost of the food, the time to prepare the food, the time to clean up the kitchen, dishes, etc. I am not stressed, I am not cleaning up at 8:00 or 9:00 after a long day of work. Since being on MFP I am making better choices at restaurants. I tell them not to put a bread basket on the table. I substitute a baked potato for fries, I get veggies instead of rice or pasta, and I have a chicken or fish dish. The restaurant gives me a certain portion, so I can't go back into the kitchen and get more. No seconds or leftovers to nibble on. Restaurants do not have to be a threat - they can be your friend if you want them to be.
    I am like the complete opposite. I always ate out for social reasons and that was my downfall. My husband and I eat out once every two weeks or less and yes it is a reward, it shouldn't be an everyday normal things to eat out.
    Substitute a baked potato for fries? .........
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
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    I always choose my food that I am going to eat at the restaurant BEFORE I LEAVE MY HOUSE.
    I think you hit on a really important point here. I do best at home when I structure my eating and have a food plan for the week. It's so easy to get tempted by high calorie dishes at a restaurant, but deciding ahead of time prevents that problem.

    There are definitely some places around here when you can eat more cheaply than cooking at home. At Cici's (pizza buffet), it's $2.99 for all you can eat. I have no idea how they made any money! Problem is, I want to try multiple pizzas and then, of course, a cinnamon roll for dessert. But if I plan a certain amount of pizza in advance and allow for the dessert in my food plan ahead of time, I don't have to let it wreak havoc with my program.

    Since I work at home, eating out is often more about just getting out of the house than it is about the food. I need to turn that around and go out for a short walk or do something healthy instead of going out to lunch.
  • marieann82
    marieann82 Posts: 150 Member
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    Focusing on the money aspect has been a huge motivation for me.

    I also recommend finding certain restaurants that are committed to preparing healthy food for their customers in their area. They avoid too much salt, prepare things mostly in house, are willing to do substitutes, ect. It could be a place you didn't really expect-where I live, my local coffee shop is amazing-fresh, local, healthy.

    Applebee's and other chain diners have low-calorie meal options. And I have a pal that goes to McDonalds several times a week and still loses weight because she makes good choices (yogurt, salads without dressing). It is possible if you are prepared! I know when I go somewhere with an extensive menu, I will not let myself look at anything other than the "healthy" section. Once I start looking at all my options I start thinking, why do I need a salad, this hamburger will taste so much better instead! LOL.

    For at home, load up on great recipes on Pinterest and make cooking fun together! But on music, talk about your day, and make it together time with the hubby. Or if he's not into, look at cooking as learning a new skill. It's fun and rewarding trying new things! Cooking Light has a ton of 20 minute meals that are healthy, not hard to prepare and are delicious! I think once you are in the habit of cooking at home, you really notice how much you'll save, how much healthier you feel and how much more time you will have will motivate you to stay on track. Good luck!
  • AliciaStinger
    AliciaStinger Posts: 402 Member
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    Either extreme is no good. If you see eating out as instant gratification, you're more likely to do it. On the other hand, if you see them as a "threat," you're not going to be able to enjoy it. Just do it in moderation, and make healthier choices when you're out - you know, the usual stuff: salad instead of fries, single burger instead of two, etc.

    Good luck!
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
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    I do like how restaurants are starting to add healthier options. I even saw a healthy menu last time we were at Cracker Barrel. Some of the options looked really good, although when I'm at Cracker Barrel, it's all about comfort food like a nice country fried steak. I did have a light option fish entree at Bob Evans recently that was really, really good, and I like some of the Perkins breakfast options.

    My husband is a great cook, but there are certain things that just aren't as good when made at home, like eggs Benedict. Things like that will be an occasional planned treat, while the spontaneous "I want to eat out" desires will be curbed.
  • DirtyHammer
    DirtyHammer Posts: 91 Member
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    I used to eat out too much too... I was Full of regret. Then I got married and now my wife takes care of me... She's great in the kithchen :love:
  • mellymo29
    mellymo29 Posts: 70 Member
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    There is a book called "Eat This, Not That" which points out the healthier choice to make in restaurant foods. I think it would be helpful to see the calorie counts for different dishes so you can plan ahead.
  • FattieBabs
    FattieBabs Posts: 542 Member
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    I can really identify with the Op here. We both cook and have tried to log our cals. At first my husband was quite resistant but he now sees the point and thinks it fun! He has given up wine for lent and has lost a stone. By not drinking during the week we saved money and splashed out on some really good wine for the weekends! We now have a wine of the week and look forward to it. This tempts us to stay in more as we cook a nice meal to go with the wine, Sea Bass with Chablis for example. When eating out in a curry restaurant I regularly ask to take half my portion back with me. In a French restaurant I will go for fish or meat and try to resist bread. Cheese when eating out is my downfall. If the cheeseboard is on our tabke i will demolish it! I can usually resist the sweet stuff. Swapping dry martini replacing gin and tonic also helps or resisting aperitifs completely and ordering water from the start. I find if I get over that tempting moment and have a glass of sparkling water right at the start I am less tempted to go for the gin!

    Like you we don't have kids and used to eat out 2-3 times a week. Now it is a curry once a week and the occasional treat meal out. Pizza Express does a handy pizza with a hole in the middle they fill with salad at 500 cals. That with half a bottle of wine comes to 850 which is just over half my daily allowance so not bad!

    Thank you for posting this topic!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    food is food... it shouldnt be seen as a reward or a threat... its just food....
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    I never lose my motivation to eat out.
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
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    food is food... it shouldnt be seen as a reward or a threat... its just food....

    Yes but going out for something different, ie the whole atmospherics etc can be seen as a reward. the rest of the time i agree its just food.

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