Do you dread eating out now?

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  • GBRhusker
    GBRhusker Posts: 32 Member
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    I hate eating out. They seem to do their best to give you the grossest food, in the hugest portions, filled with as many calories and salt as possible, at moderate prices.

    It's not worth it.

    This! Makes me feel like someone has a citywide contract out on me! Like, wth did I do to desrve this treatment? At least Socrates knew about the hemlock before he was forced to drink it!
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
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    This makes me super crazy too. I love the dining out experience, fancy cocktails and nice wine, beautifully presented dishes, no clean-up, one-on-one time with my boyfriend...but I hate not knowing for certain how many calories I've had. I hate that only crappy chain places tend to have nutritional info available, and I prefer independent places with actual chefs and a changing menu if I want the whole dining experience. It's brutal.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I don't dread it at all. I go out to eat so infrequently that I realize that no matter how much I eat, it's not going to make any major impact on my weight. It wasn't going to restaurants once a week or less that made me gain weight in the first place. It was what I did at home. As long as I keep a grip on what I eat at home, I can have a 1500 calorie dinner out once in a while.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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  • JustJennie13
    JustJennie13 Posts: 218
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    I declined a lunch invite today because I googled the menu and could not find anything that would fit my needs or goals.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    No. I use to be that obsessive about food in my college days and it ended up as an eating disorder.

    Now, (in my 40s), I do the best I can and enjoy fellowship with friends. Make good choices and let the chips fall where they may. Life is too short and goes by too fast to let food choices stress me to the point that it's more important than people.
  • Briargrey
    Briargrey Posts: 498 Member
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    I eat out frequently because I have to, and sometimes because we want to go out. I do a few things to minimize the impact on my (literal) bottom line.

    1. Look at the menu beforehand when possible
    2. If it's a chain with nutritional info, I study that too
    3. If I can do #1 and #2, I then pick something I can pretty easily estimate into my day *and* that I will enjoy
    4. If I cannot do #1 and 2, then I still try to do the same thing once I get there. It's just easier to plan ahead for it.
    5. If I've planned ahead, I'll do extra exercise if I think it's needed to make it fit my day.
    6. If I haven't planned ahead and think I go over, I'll do extra exercise on another day or two to help out from the overage!

    I don't deny myself anything. I am not dieting. I am changing my entire lifestyle.

    When I first got started on this change back in late February, I blogged to myself every single day (not on mfp) and discussed how I was going to handle that day or that week or upcoming work travel. The repetition of doing that planning really got me thinking about it more and making good choices. I don't have to do the blogging on it now, but I did it fairly regularly for the first 3 or 4 months, and it made a huge difference. Just writing out a plan and going over contingencies helped me be prepared when things got thrown in my path.

    So go out, enjoy it, just work out more if needed, log it all, and have a blast.

    Oh, and when I log things without hard and fast weights/measurements, I always try to overestimate. Also, requesting a restaurant cut in half a portion and immediately box it, so you only have half the plate and not all of it, is a great idea and it shouldn't be off-putting to them at all (and if it is? screw 'em, do it anyway).
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
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    Not if I plan ahead.
  • Wildflower0106
    Wildflower0106 Posts: 247 Member
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    My husband I both love going to restaurants. We go out on Saturday and splurge on a good meal. Last Saturday we went to an Italian Restaurant, they make all their pasta and breads in house and use produce from local farms. I am sure it was packed with calories but it was SOOOO DELICIOUS!!!!!! I love to cook, but I also love enjoying a meal I don't have to cook!
  • DymonNdaRgh40
    DymonNdaRgh40 Posts: 661 Member
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    I look forward to it!
  • ChristineinMA
    ChristineinMA Posts: 312 Member
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    I go out to eat every Friday night with my wife. I always choose somewhere that has a low calorie section of the menu and I look the options up in MFP beforehand so I already know what to order.

    I realize everything may not be measured exactly right, but most of the time, it is close enough and I don't let it bother me. I just enjoy it.

    It hasn't hampered my weight loss so far.

    This sums up my experience too.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    No. I enjoy it more since it happens so infrequently.
  • crevices
    crevices Posts: 226 Member
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    like stated previously i try to plan ahead/look up all their options online if possible. if i unexpectedly end up eating out i end up looking it up on my phone either way. i used to not care and think hey, salads are healthy, most places have salads, let me order a salad. then i looked up the info afterwards and realized it has as much, if not more, calories/fat/carbs than a big mac or a normal meal. understanding your frustration believe me.
  • tumbledownhouse
    tumbledownhouse Posts: 178 Member
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    This is a lifestyle change. Life involves treating yourself. Eat it, don't log it, don't even think about it. It will NOT hamper your weight loss. Then move on with your life.
  • latysh
    latysh Posts: 29
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    Being an event planner and working for large restaurant company I eat out every single day (for free of course).
    I tend to eat salad with dressing on a side every lunch break.
    When I go to client events or fancy foodie events, I do not care. Life is too short to count calories all the time. I would rather be a few pounds overweight, or work out longer but enjoy all the amazing food in the world :)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    OP - no disrespect intended but you sound a little obsessive. My advice would be go out to dinner, make some reasonable choices, guestimate it on MFP, and enjoy yourself. I go out to dinner every Friday night and sometimes Saturday night too and have maintained about 13% body fat and keep losing when I am in cut...

    Its great that you are serious about the changes you have made, but you got to live a little too ....I mean where is the fun in weighing/measuring/portioning out every single meal?????
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
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    No, I love eating out as much as ever. It is really pretty easy. It simply requires my making good choices.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    I feel the same in some ways. I went out to eat for dinner at a nice restaurant on Saturday and worked out that morning in order to stay within my calorie range for the day. The menu said this steak dinner would have 490 calories. It was supposed to be a 5 ounce sirloin with some jasmine rice and vegetable medley. Well when i get the steak it ends up being a 10 ounce piece that obviously had a butter onion type of sauce on it and I was just so mad. I had a "diva" moment and i know they thought I was crazy but in the end they took the steak back and cut it in half for me just so i wouldn't have to deal with it. Apparently no one in the place knows their own menu because they all didn't realize this was a menu item. It was just not a pleasant experience and those are the things I dread.

    oh they took it in the back all right..I hope you did not eat what they brought back ....

    Rule #1 - never piss off the people that serve you food..

    and that really is a little extreme...wow..! You could not just ask for a to go box??/
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    No. I'm trying to maintain a healthy relationship with all food, not just the food I cook at home.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Dread it? NEVER! I love it! :love:

    If it's a chain with nutritional info - great, I often check the menu online before we go and pick a couple of options, and then log it.

    It's a local place with no nutritional info - no problem. The food is generally way better than the chains anyway, and I use the SWAG method (Scientific Wild *kitten* Guessing :wink: :laugh: ) to log it - find the closest match in the database and just go with it. One night ain't gonna mess me up. Sometimes I'll even just quick add the calories I have left for the day and call it good, although that's rare, because I like to get a better idea of the macros.

    :drinker:

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