What do you eat at restaurants?

It honestly depends on what choice you have made as in the type of food, calories, low carb/high protein you have decided to do to lose weight. I personally do low carb-high protein so the more meat I do is good--steak, shrimp, fish, chicken, salad, steamed or sauted veggies, if I eat potatoes it's not much.

You can eat almost anywhere, but some places are definitely better than others! If possible, looking at the menu and nutrition information before going to the restaurant is best... but you can always improvise.

Mexican - Fajitas - eat half, go easy on the chips
Italian - Stay away from cream sauces, butter sauces, and breaded items. Go easy on the bread.
Japanese - Sushi - avoid tempura, mayo, and cream cheese
Chinese - Rice, steamed seafood and veggies, sauce on side.
Pizza - Vegan pizza options if they have it... otherwise, subs and salads... or 1 or 2 pieces of pizza with a salad.

Just some examples... hope that helps.

Chinese food is my weakness! But the best I can do when I go out to eat is drink lots of water before my food arrives, so I feel fuller faster. I always plan on taking half my food home as soon as it arrives on my table! I know thats really hard for some people though and if you are someone who always needs to finish whats on their plate I would stick to strictly healthy options, that way you can eat it all guilt free!

For me, since it's usually only once a week I usually just enjoy it. It's a treat (not cheat). If I eat out more than that, I just stick within my calories, or swap the fries for a salad. I'd rather eat at home.

Usually if I am eating out, I plan for it. I eat very light meals for the rest of the day so I can enjoy myself in the restaurant. However, if I'm trying to play safe, I'll usually get some type of salad. And I don't mean the ones with crispy chicken and bacon, I mean the healthier ones.

I usually eat at the same restaurants so I usually order the same thing I either go to a Mexican restaurant or chilis or outback.
Mexican restaurant- fajitas minus the tortillas and rice. If available I sub refried for black beans and try not to eat the chips which is very difficult especially when everyone else are eating them.
Outback- salmon or tilapia with steamed veggies.

I deal with restaurant dining one of two ways; I either eat sensibly at home before meeting everyone at the restaurant and order an appetizer for dinner, or I review the menu online in advance, decide what I want, and plan my controllable food choices that day around it.

I usually limit restaurant "splurges" to one item (a side order, a dessert, a sugary cocktail) and stick with lean protein for a main course. Leave the bread in the basket. Always.

I don't deprive myself, but at the same time, I don't throw this new lifestyle change out the window just because its inconvenient once or twice a week.

greek salad, a veggie burger or ravioli

Considering I eat out maybe twice per month tops, I don't worry about it. It's a treat for me and I just enjoy myself. I practice portion control and intuitive eating...I don't have to eat it just because it's right there in front of me. Keep in mind that most restaurant's portion size is roughly 2-3 actual servings and they cook with tons of oil/butter, etc which adds tons of calories...and also makes everything delicious. But this is why I really don't eat out that much...I cook awesome food at home that is about half the calories of going out for the same thing...but sometimes I just need a break.

The worst restaurants are the ones that serve meals that you absolutely love and like to pig out on. Watch out for fat and sodium. That said, here are some strategies:

1. Look for restaurants that post their menu online with nutrition info. Plan ahead what will fit best for you. Olive Garden is an example of a restaurant that does this. So does Subway.

2. Order a "to go box" with your meal. Divide each portion in half when it arrives, and put half into the box. Enjoy the rest with your family and friends as usual. You can have the other half as a treat lunch or dinner the next day.

3. Plan ahead for the calories and enjoy your meal.

4. Drink water with your meal instead of beer or wine.

Good luck and enjoy your eating out experience.

I will usually order either the dinner salad (dressing on the side) or I'll go with a grilled or broiled fish and veggies. Skip the bread. Skip dessert or do something light like a single scoop of vanilla ice cream. When I go to the Chinese restaurant I ask for the take home box up front and just pack up half my meal before I even start. I always enjoy a drink with dinner when I go out so I don't usually skip that. I just journal it.

Smaller portions of whatever I want now that I'm at goal weight. For the most part. I still avoid certain attrociously high calorie foods even now.

But when focusing on weight loss, I would view the menu online before I went to the restaurant and arrive at the restaurant with two or three choices in mind that fit within my eating goal for the day. That way, I could decide amongst a few options once I got to the restaurant. The worst part is trying to guess what something has for calories. And even the menus that have calorie count aren't so helpful because I can order something without dressing, but have no idea how that impacts the over all calories. You can usually get this info online ahead of time.

If the restaurant is a local-type restaurant for which no online menu is available, then I'd plug in a few options I know they offer into MFP ahead of time and get a rough idea of what I was looking at, nutrition-wise. Then go prepared with information. For me that has been key. I make informed choices now. Sometimes the choice is to eat the burger and the fries. But I'll eat half of each and order a salad with it. Or I'll throw caution to the wind and eat the whole darn burger if I want. But I know ahead of time roughly how that will impact my totals for the day. Informed choices. Because real life has cupcakes and birthday cake and foods that aren't within my general eating style. But if I know ahead of time what their impact will be, I can make choices throughout the day/week that will accomodate for it.

The worst restaurants are the ones that serve meals that you absolutely love and like to pig out on. Watch out for fat and sodium. That said, here are some strategies:

1. Look for restaurants that post their menu online with nutrition info. Plan ahead what will fit best for you. Olive Garden is an example of a restaurant that does this. So does Subway.

2. Order a "to go box" with your meal. Divide each portion in half when it arrives, and put half into the box. Enjoy the rest with your family and friends as usual. You can have the other half as a treat lunch or dinner the next day.

3. Plan ahead for the calories and enjoy your meal.

4. Drink water with your meal instead of beer or wine.

Good luck and enjoy your eating out experience.

^^ This nearly to a T. ^^

I do indulge once in a great while (or most recently when I traveled on vacation - very limited choices to/from our destination).

That being said, I try to deviate towards grilled or steamed items as often as I can. Be very wary of salads - they can be more fat and calories than many meals! When choosing a salad option, I look for ones that I can eliminate items off of, such as meats and cheeses. Also ALWAYS order dressings on the side.

I seem to wreck my diet any time we go out to eat - though I try to make smart choices and watch portion sizes. What do you all order when you go out to eat? What kinds of restaurants are the worst to eat at? Chinese food? Pizza? Mexican restaurants?

Apologies, in advance, if this has been asked before. I'm still learning how to work the message boards.

Many restaurants are now putting the calories values on the meal on the menu, which is very handy.

I haven't had a Chinese meal for a very long time, pizza we had a few months back. I usually have a steak meal when we eat out, or pasta.

I eat whatever the hell I want! We go out to dinner so incredibly rarely that it's usually a special occasion (my birthday, his birthday, our anniversary, etc). Of course I don't go hog wild and eat everything I want, but I really don't worry too much about it as it's a once in a while thing.