Eating Out

Started in early Dec 2013 - 10 pounds in water weight lost before tracking with myfitnesspal;4 pounds of fat lost since tracking with myfitnesspal trying to be a physical and emotional example for my friends and family

Well one of the things I concentrate on is doing a little bit of online research of menu items for restaurants when possible. I know if I am going with friends to chain restaurants (Ruby Tuesday's, Chili's, Outback, Olive Garden, etc.), those menus and nutrition facts are posted online for those restaurants, so I don't feel anxious and I know what options are appropriate besides salad.

When preplanning isn't possible, the rule of thumb for me is the Inside the knuckle rule. If an entre is larger in area than the backside of my hand, then I should probably stop when it gets to that point and be sure to compliment my entre with steamed veggies or something similar. With lean meats (ie grilled fish, skinless grilled chicken, grilled shrimp) this rule can be stretched a bit, but it is surprising when you step back and examine what/how you eat what small changes can help over time. As tasty as it is, I try also to stay away from fried food because the effects beyond calorie intake that goes into food when it is fried.

Also, its usually a good idea to ask for any sauces they may be prepared with ON THE SIDE and dip what you eat in those sauces such that you can get the taste but not the flavorful excess of calories. A study showed that the average person will you 2/3 less of a sauce/dressing/aioli (please pardon my spelling) when they dip and eat a meal vs. the amount of a sauce/dressing/aioli that they would deem appropriately drenched in the sauce...dramatically reducing calorie intake but not necessarily the enjoyment of the flavors a chef and/or restaurant intends to include with a meal.

Hope this helps. I know this is toward the end of the "New Year's resolution" rush to get healthy, and if you are making it this far you are doing better than most.

I love getting a small sirloin steak and ordering double veggies instead of the usual veggies and potato. Most people don't even bat an eye. Hey I'm having steak how could I be on a diet.

Agree - I love eating out and getting the steak!

I also eat from the low-cal menus. Watch out for those salads! Many of them can be over 700 calories if you are not careful.

As you move forward consdier being open about your new eating style. I'm very open about it and as a result people have been very supportive and helpful. More times than I can count people not dieting will eat what I order after I talk about it. Once the calorie counts come up they realize what they have been eating and what else is available. Even if not on a diet people still want to make better choices.

I love getting a small sirloin steak...

MMM.. I like my steak a bit, larger though.

I love getting a small sirloin steak...

MMM.. I like my steak a bit, larger though.

I do like my meat big as well as eating out. :smokin:

There are a lot of good ideas on here already! I totally agree with trying to pre-plan your meal. If I know where I'm going, I always scope out the menu before and decide. Otherwise:

1. Skip the bread basket! You don't need it. If you have to have it, chew slowly and eat less of it.
2. Sharing an appetizer? Try to stay away from the fried or heavily cheesy items. Maybe there's a hummus plate or broiled shrimp.
3. Do you like fish? Lean towards eating fish when out. Fish typically has lower cals than most poultry, steak and pork.
4. Definitely get dressings and sauces on the side.
5. I like the idea of asking for double veggies instead of a potato. Or, a sweet potato instead of a white potato.
6. Take home leftovers! Obviously to do that, you have to not eat the whole plate. The trick to this is eating more slowly. Our brains can't read how full we are (or aren't) if we eat too quickly.
7. Drink plenty of water during your outing. It will help you gauge how full you really are.
8. Sometimes I have a nice apple or similar fruit before leaving the house. It helps me full up just enough that I don't jump at the bread basket or feel like I need an appetizer.

Happy eating!

Sometimes you actually burn calories eating out.

I love getting a small sirloin steak...

MMM.. I like my steak a bit, larger though.

I do like my meat big as well as eating out. :smokin:

You really have to worry about the calories though when eating out, especially if you enjoy large meat, I mean an 8oz steak can be 30% of your days calories!

8 oz is perrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfect.

I love getting a small sirloin steak...

MMM.. I like my steak a bit, larger though.

I do like my meat big as well as eating out. :smokin:

You really have to worry about the calories though when eating out, especially if you enjoy large meat, I mean an 8oz steak can be 30% of your days calories!

It's fine since it is mostly protein and I need to make my macros.

Some of my tips have probably already been mentioned, but it won't hurt to mention them again. Here is my advice.

If you're going to a chain restaurant you can usually get the nutritional information of all their dishes and plan your meal before you even get to the restaurant. If you go in with a plan, you are less likely to change and get something that is not as healthy for you.

It's easier to plan ahead if it's a chain restaurant though since most of them post their nutrition information on their website. But, if you're not going to a chain restaurant, you can always check their website and see if they at least have a menu on there and you can always ask if they have a nutritional menu (some do, some don't you just have to ask) when you get there, but here are some suggestions if they don't:

1. Pick something that is grilled or blackened (those are two ways to cook that have FAR less calories, but still have a lot of flavor!). Poached and broiled are good too, but I don't think they're as flavorful as the other two.

2. Avoid anything that is fried, smothered or stuffed.

3. If you get a salad, make sure the dressing comes on the side and if you're like me, and have to have a calorie rich dressing like ranch or something, dip the salad pieces into it as opposed to drenching the entire bowl. This will easily save you 50 -100 calories depending on the type of dressing used.

4. Always choose vegetables as your sides (most places will let you substitute sides). So, even if the meal comes with fries you can swap those out for something healthier.

5. If bread comes before the meal, avoid it or better yet, ask them not to bring it. But, if if whoever you're with wants bread so badly then have them bring only enough for them, so you won't be tempted! . This will not work at Red Lobster because the biscuits are just too addicting!

6. Make sure you ask for the lunch portion of a meal; some places give you the dinner portion unless you ask otherwise.

I hope my tips helped! smile

As you move forward consdier being open about your new eating style. I'm very open about it and as a result people have been very supportive and helpful. More times than I can count people not dieting will eat what I order after I talk about it. Once the calorie counts come up they realize what they have been eating and what else is available. Even if not on a diet people still want to make better choices.

I agree with this, I told people what I was trying to do and it helped me a lot. I think some were skeptical, but supportive in the beginning, but once I lasted throught the first month, they were on bored.

Also with eating out, like the people said above, lean protein and veggies is always good. When I get salads out, I tend to order salsa for the dressing, which I also use at home quite often. People say to order what you want and box up half right away...I am not good at that. The best for me is splitting meals with my friends. Even if it isn't as healthy as you want, you don't eat the whole thing and there is plenty of food.

I love getting a small sirloin steak...

MMM.. I like my steak a bit, larger though.

I do like my meat big as well as eating out. :smokin:

You really have to worry about the calories though when eating out, especially if you enjoy large meat, I mean an 8oz steak can be 30% of your days calories!

Worth it.

8 oz is an appetizer.

I truly love eating out... I won't give it up.

I do prefer a larger piece of meat, though... bloody and rare preferred.

This is coming in handy today...giggity

He hasn't even gotten to the salad yet.

As an additional item, if you eat out a lot, you may be under reporting your calories, even for the healthy choice items. If you really want to track calories, Id suggest adding 100 cals or so unless you explicitly state a preference and are sure the restaurant is complying..

The cuprits - butter and salt.

A well known trick in restuarants, particulary for grilled meats (esp steak) is to brush a healthy amount of melted butter, even if you don't ask. It makes the steak look fresher (just off the grill, shiny, and juicy looking), adds to the taste and mouth feel.

Same with your healthy steamed or grilled veggies

Precooked Chicken breasts are often stored/soaked in buttermilk to keep them from drying out, and then also can be brushed with butter.

And salt added to everything, beyond whats already contained in the nutritional menu, to enhance flavor.

(Former restaurant owner)

That's why I try not to eat out very often. When we do, it's because we were too lazy to make dinner. And I always prefer to go to Chipotle because it seems pretty healthy and I can just eat half of my burrito bowl and it's less than 400 calories.

Last Friday I went out for dinner and drinks with friends and I decided to just make it a "cheat" night. I didn't log. I didn't eat a crazy amount... I had one drink, and I ate half of my sandwich. And I had a few bites of dessert. (although my drink was 200 calories. Strongbows hehe yum) I didn't expect this restaurant to have their nutrition info available.. they are a local restaurant and all their food they get from local vendors and make most things from scratch, like ketchup, etc. It was pretty sweet.

But usually when I go out to eat, I plan ahead. I look up the nutritional value online and pick something that fits into my goals ahead of time. It sucks though because a lot of restaraunts don't have their nutritional information available. I ate at "Big Biscuit" last weekend and I logged it in my diary according to "IHOP" calorie counts. I'm sure it's pretty close. All I ate was scrambled eggs, one piece of bacon, and a few bites of hash browns. I think my stomach is smaller because I get full so fast now.

Entree's I like that won't break the calorie bank:

Grilled Ahi Tuna in a balsamic reduction
Grilled Filet Mignon (petite Cut)
Blackened chicken or fish
Grilled Planked Salmon with lemon and dill
Fish or chicken with a salsa based sauce (no cheese please)

Add double veggies, salad with dressing on the side (no appetizers unless it's shrimp cocktail)

Make sure you have a tall glass of ice water with lemon for sipping throughout the meal.