Chinese Takeout Tonight

eblakes93
eblakes93 Posts: 372 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi friends,

Tonight is the first night my family and I are ordering Chinese takeout while I'm tracking calories. What kind of foods do you guys typically get? How do you log them? I was thinking of getting vegtable mu shu (stir fried vegetables and eggs) and not eating the tortillas that come with them, but I'm worried about the sauce that it is in. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • Valarama
    Valarama Posts: 22
    i generally just eat like a little piggy! i love eggplant and chicken and basically all chinese food. i'd search the food on here and just go with "generic." or you could investigate the place you're ordering from and ask for a nutritional guide. i'd drink a lot of water during dinner b/c chinese food is very high in salt and you'll most likely bloat a little, but other than that-- i'd just do my best, eat what i want, and not worry about it. you've lost 11 lbs, you're doing great! tonight's not going to kill you, and you won't gain any weight from one night overeating.
    enjoy! x
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    Most chinese restaurants have "healthy" options on their menu. Take that with a grain of salt because there is still plenty of salt and most likely fat as well. I love chinese take out, but eat it very infrequently now. Basically, I still will eat what I like, but I am extremely careful about the portions.
  • mandy031383
    mandy031383 Posts: 94 Member
    I always ask for the food steamed and no sauce, like kikkoman sauce that you find in your grocery store the stir fry sauce is excellent and then I just add it to my Chinese. If I don't have it them I ask for the sauce on the side so I can at least control the amount I use of there sauce. I will usually get a veggie dish, the one you are talking about sounds good with the eggs for protein or I go with beef/chicken and broccoli. Something like that and then still use my scale to portion out how much I am going to eat of it.
  • IZackV13
    IZackV13 Posts: 157 Member
    Chinese food is full of so many pitfalls here in the USA! The sauce! The rice! The oil! The sodium!

    Best bet is to go with a veggie/meat combo, avoid any fried rice (albeit deliciously good), and see if they have a brown rice option.

    I usually have no self control when it comes to Chinese, so watch your portion sizes like a hawk!
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
    Hi friends,

    Tonight is the first night my family and I are ordering Chinese takeout while I'm tracking calories. What kind of foods do you guys typically get? How do you log them? I was thinking of getting vegtable mu shu (stir fried vegetables and eggs) and not eating the tortillas that come with them, but I'm worried about the sauce that it is in. Any suggestions?

    Impossible to really know so I would put a generic figure or best guess in

    Smaller portions and dishes which aren't deep fried are good to keep calories down, chicken and black beam or stir fry veg maybe
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
    Stay away from the sugary sauces and breaded stuff and pretty much all of it is good. If you're doing lower carbs, then don't eat the rice. Other than that, game on. Mu gu gai pan, Mu shu, chicken with snow peas, chicken and broccoli, those giant mutant fried chicken wings they all seem to have, etc.
  • Vune
    Vune Posts: 674 Member
    I suggest you invite me over and share. I will eat enough to ensure your portion sizes are in check.
  • JRadd14
    JRadd14 Posts: 206 Member
    I either log my Chinese Takeout excursions as a generic and indulge. I often take the one meal and eat it over 2-3 meals as there is always so much food. Try to get brown rice if you can or no rice (more veggies). The sauces and oils are what get you so choose wisely. Egg Drop soup is fairly low calorie wise and a good starter. Look at the other appetizers too... sometimes grilled teriyaki chicken or a veggie salad of some sort are options and lower in calories. Be sure to drink lots of water, perhaps have tea (green or black) to counteract some of the oils/fat and get in some extra activity for balance. Chinese food is one of my faves but def not the best for the waistline!
  • depresseddancer
    depresseddancer Posts: 29 Member
    I'd have lots of veg, but make sure you have a little taste of things you like, so you don't feel bereft or left out. Since I've been having a little spoonful of the naughty sugary/salty/fatty dishes I love, I find I'm less likely to think 'sod it!' and stuff myself. Oh, and maybe up your exercise a little to burn it all off afterwards?

    Mmmm, now I'm thinking about Chinese food. Argh!

    PPS The best way to make it healthy is to make it at home, but it's not quite the same.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    Just consider it your cheat meal for the week. Unless you are eating at a chain restaurant with nutritional values, there is really no way of knowing how many calories you are consuming (even the chain restaurants will not be 100%). If you've been weighing your food, you may be able to eyeball the rice to get a rough estimate of the calories in your meal, but IMO, just use portion control. Life and diet is about balance. One meal won't make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Enjoy the night and get back to logging tomorrow.
  • kjoy_
    kjoy_ Posts: 316 Member
    anything steamed such as chicken with mixed vegetables, tofu delight, buddha's delight. you can alway ask for sauce on the side and use sparingly. some places offer brown rice instead of white if you ask.
  • arconnely
    arconnely Posts: 1 Member
    My suggestion: Order no Rice, Extra Vegetables. then when you get it, immediately portion only half of the entree for yourself. My family and Iorder 2 entrees to share between 2 adults and 2 kids and there is still sometimes leftovers. Stay away from the eggrolls and crab rangoon.:)
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    I always get curry chicken and only eat half the rice that comes with it. The yellow curry sauce most takeout places use is pretty low in calorie and it's more steamed vegetables than meat. Add a half cup of steamed rice and I'm good for the night.
  • dodihere
    dodihere Posts: 490
    Just go ahead and fall off the wagon, do extra excercise and eat less during the day and get back on track tomorrow.
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    My parents own a Chinese restaurant and that stuff is so bad for you!!

    I would recommend a veggie delight light on the salt and MSG. You should ask for the meal to be in a white sauce. Ask for chow mein noodles instead of white rice. Crab rangoons are not that bad for you. My estimates are about 80-120 per rangoon.

    enjoy!
  • ncahill77
    ncahill77 Posts: 501 Member
    I just log everything as pf changs since it is a chain and chain food tends to be the worst, just like mexican, no one is worse than on the border for nutrition so i log all my mexican as on the border to ensure i am at least no worse than that.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    I always ask for the food steamed and no sauce, like kikkoman sauce that you find in your grocery store the stir fry sauce is excellent and then I just add it to my Chinese. If I don't have it them I ask for the sauce on the side so I can at least control the amount I use of there sauce. I will usually get a veggie dish, the one you are talking about sounds good with the eggs for protein or I go with beef/chicken and broccoli. Something like that and then still use my scale to portion out how much I am going to eat of it.

    I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, but what is the point of getting chinese takeout if you are just going to get steamed veggies, and a protein with no sauce, and then just add your own store bought sauce? Wouldn't it just be easier to just make it yourself, where you can still track everything? You are kind of taking all of the good stuff out of chinese takeout, and paying somebody to just cook you plain generic food that you have to modify yourself anyways.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    Hi friends,

    Tonight is the first night my family and I are ordering Chinese takeout while I'm tracking calories. What kind of foods do you guys typically get? How do you log them? I was thinking of getting vegtable mu shu (stir fried vegetables and eggs) and not eating the tortillas that come with them, but I'm worried about the sauce that it is in. Any suggestions?

    I would say order what you like, and just eat less, and enjoy it. Maybe have a little bit less for lunch and snacks.
  • b7bbs
    b7bbs Posts: 158 Member
    I always ask for the food steamed and no sauce, like kikkoman sauce that you find in your grocery store the stir fry sauce is excellent and then I just add it to my Chinese. If I don't have it them I ask for the sauce on the side so I can at least control the amount I use of there sauce. I will usually get a veggie dish, the one you are talking about sounds good with the eggs for protein or I go with beef/chicken and broccoli. Something like that and then still use my scale to portion out how much I am going to eat of it.

    This. steamed veggies and sauce on the side. Maybe add some shrimp if you like that. If anything, get whatever you like, portion it out and save the rest for the next day.
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    I just log everything as pf changs since it is a chain and chain food tends to be the worst, just like mexican, no one is worse than on the border for nutrition so i log all my mexican as on the border to ensure i am at least no worse than that.
    Great idea!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I order what I want and eat it and don't worry about it.

    OR- if I'm at the mall when I get Saruku teriyaki- I just get meat and veggies and the rest of it be damned. I'm not sweating family night out if we are ONLY ordering Chinese.

    I mostly avoid such things- as it's just my BF and I... and we usually can come up with a happy medium- if we want Chinese- we make it ourselves or I Just eat it and enjoy it guilt free and hammer it at the gym next time. While I'm all for calorie tracking- we must not forget- this is life- and we only live once. can't be regulated 110% of the time. Gotta find the balance.
  • eblakes93
    eblakes93 Posts: 372 Member
    Thanks for the advice everyone! I still have like 900 calories left for today so I think I'll be set. I'm probably going to go with beef/chicken and vegetables with sauce and brown rice, and just eat a small portion. Maybe I'll ask for a to go box and put some in it right away so I don't overdo it. Thanks everyone and I wish I could share the Chinese food with everyone!
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
    Food Tech - Chinese take out

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRtqJub2OH0

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