Newbie - What to do going out to eat

P_O_O_P · February 2014

So, I'm pretty new here. I'm trying to change up my eating habits. I think I'll be ok at home, but what happens when I go out to eat? Or on special occasions(holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc)? Or go over to other houses for food? I'm just afraid I'll eat all this food and get off track when I'm not at home. Thanks for your responses in advance.

SelfLoveMamma · February 2014

I think its safe to allow yourself some room to have the things you like especially on those special occasions. The key is portion control, log everything you eat on MFP no matter what, every bite I Tell ya! In time you will learn how much is too much and which foods you totally need to avoid because they cause more harm than good.

This is a learning process, don't be too hard on your self but don't EVER take your eyes off the prize!

WBB55 · February 2014

There's good options at most restaurants. I typically get a burger when I eat out at a bar. Salad (being careful with the dressing) at a restaurant like Applebees. Eggs and toast at diners (even for dinner). Fast food and chains are easy to figure out, since they have their menus online. You just log what you eat.

But if you want simple tips, only eat half of what they give you. Don't drink any calories.

With practice and time, you'll be able to estimate without measuring foods that someone else serves you. You just do your best to accurately log it. For things like the superbowl, I knew I'd eat 1000 or so calories more than I usually do. So I just ate a little less during the week, so I could eat more on that special day without feeling too guilty. I had 3 hotdogs. It was awesome.

morethanthis0 · February 2014

If I am going to a restaurant I try to plan ahead of what I will order (if they have the nutrition facts listed online that's a total plus!) If you order an entree with sides get one that is at least some veggies but still order foods you like and want to eat. I went to Outback the other day and got a 6 oz steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans and a 22 oz beer and fit it into my day. Try to workout a little extra if you know you'll eat more that day. If you go over calories, forgive yourself and move forward. Enjoy the foods you love and portion things out to fit your goals. Oh, and always log...even the bad thing, that way you visually see how much you're eating.

sunnyeuphoria · February 2014

Well... when going out to eat you just have to make the decision that you are going to make good food choices... this is a life long change in your eating, so even making healthier choices than what you normally would will pay off in the long run. If you strbe yourself or deprive yourself all of the time, you may get fed up and give up. If you normally get a burger and fries... have a burger and a side salad... or a grilled chicken sandwich and fries...etc. If you make smarter choices regularly there will be no problem with splurging on special occasions. If you go to someone elses house to eat.... eat what they make.... just eat less. No foods are off limits... just make sure you keep foods that are higher in calories to smaller portions. Hope this helps.

DamianaKitten · February 2014

So, I'm pretty new here. I'm trying to change up my eating habits. I think I'll be ok at home, but what happens when I go out to eat? Or on special occasions(holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc)? Or go over to other houses for food? I'm just afraid I'll eat all this food and get off track when I'm not at home. Thanks for your responses in advance.

Plan for it. Figure out approximately how many calories it would be, and adjust over the next week by eating under your goal a little every day. However, when we go to Chili's I can easily eat 2k-3k worth of calories (so worth it, by the way) and just accept that I won't lose any weight overall for the week. :laugh:

Espressoooo · February 2014

Hi

I'm new to this too, but my rule of thumb is to try and track everything as best you can. When going out to eat I try not to take bread, go for meat and veg options rather than pasta, ask for any sauces to be on the side so you can add them yourself. Going to a friends for dinner is a bit more tricky as I hate to be a pernickety guest, just try a bit of everything and enjoy it! I think that I'm in this for the long haul, and try not to think of it as a diet as such, just healthy eating. For me this means not troughing through a big plate of chips and having second helpings of dessert (amongst other things!) So don't beat yourself up and chuck it all in if you have one occasion when you go over, just take it for what it is, a few calories over, not the end of the world!

Good luck!

bcattoes · February 2014

If you want to limit calories at a restaurant, grilled chicken, fish or small lean steak (like sirloin or filet mignon) and vegetable sides is a good bet. If you get salad, get dressing on the side so you can control the amount. Vinaigrette usually is lower calorie than creamy dressings. Same for butter or sour cream if ordering baked potato, get it on the side and control the content.

Special occasions and eating at someone else's house are a bit harder and something I just plan for. Either I just accept that this will be a higher calorie day and I'll get back on plan after, or I eat light for the rest of the day (or the day before and after) so that it will more or less even out.

Life is full of occasions that don't fit my day to day diet (hopefully!), so I just make them part of the long term plan, even though they may not fit the daily plan.

grward612 · February 2014

Two things that have worked for me. 1) When going to a friends house, taking chewing gum. Nibble somewhat, allowing yourself a small treat. Then pop in the gum, which will help you call it quits. 2) When going out to a restaurant, my husband (or friends) and I split meals. Not only does this cut down on the calorie consumption, it also cuts down on the cost. Some will say to only eat half of what you get. That's a good idea, but I sometimes won't stop at half. When its on someone's plate, it's kinda hard to keep eating!

stephgetsfit2 · February 2014

When i know i'm going out to eat, i will look up their menu and then look up what the nutrition and calorie count is. Most places have grilled chicken and veggies. That's usually your best bet, but if not, you just use your best judgement. Always have your meal with water. There's no excuse for the beverage portion of the meal!

-Stephy
IG: @stephygetsfit

wannastayfit · February 2014

I'll often have a healthy snack before I go out so I'm not hungry and don't eat my entire plate of food or snack on appetizers/bread. I try to enjoy a special entree, but don't touch the bread, the appetizer or any desserts. This is a habit I've had to change. Good luck with all of your life changes.

YorriaRaine · February 2014

I only go out maybe once every two weeks, during that week I will leave myself some calories left over each day and I basically leave those calories for that dinner. During the day of the dinner, I allot around 75% of that days calories to the dinner as well, then eat light the rest of the day.

So between the 75% of one days calories + the left over calories from the week usually give me a really nice calorie thing. So I don't really have to worry about it.

That said, many resteraunts give out nutritional information now. Many times what I will do is ask for a box as soon as I get my meal and split it in half before I even start eating.

If you go out to eat often, then yes, like others have said you could just try ordering something healthier off the menu.

I treat special occassions the same way.

bwogilvie · February 2014

If you go out to eat rarely, then don't worry about it. The occasional day at, or over, your maintenance calories won't make much difference. You're running a marathon, not a sprint. And occasionally, you should just enjoy a good meal without worrying about calories.

There are a few things that I do if I'm going out often, for work or with friends, and want to be careful:

- Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before the meal, and continue to drink water during it.

- If it's a restaurant, do research on its menu. Even if it doesn't list calorie counts online, you can look for chain restaurants with similar offerings and at least get a ballpark figure.

- Consider ordering an appetizer in place of a main course. Most restaurants are OK with that. Just beware of hidden fat in fried appetizers.

- If you're having beer, wine, or spirits, limit yourself. They have a lot of calories, and after a couple of drinks, it becomes easy to mindlessly nosh.

- Chew deliberately, and take your time to savor the taste.

- At a buffet, take one plate, serve reasonable portions (at least half vegetables), and then stop. Don't go back for more, except maybe salad (and then, be careful with the dressing).

- If you're at a friend's house and you know they will want you to express your appreciation of the food by taking a second helping, take a small initial serving.

- Afterwards, estimate and log calories, without being too optimistic (or unrealistic). In my case, if I have gone over my goal by 500-700 calories (not impossible for a good restaurant meal), I'll make up the excess over the next several days. And if I know I'm going out, I'll sometimes bank extra calories earlier in the week.

frangrann · February 2014

Somethings I have tried are:

1. eat only 1/2 and take the rest home
2. share a meal.
3. Opt for good choices (even though you want the cheeses and sauces)
4. Get an extra vegetable in place of the rice or pasta
5. Skip the bread and appetizers
6. If you have an alcoholic beverage get a water too
7. Salad dressing on the side
8. At a friends house, don't stand around the snack table.

Good luck!

Unknown · February 2014

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kbmnurse · February 2014

I always check out the menus on line before I go. This gives me an idea of what I might order.

soltris · February 2014

I eat out a lot (like, a lot; check my diary) so I struggled with this as well. Here's what I do:

If it's a fast food/chain restaurant, I'll look up the menu and nutrition info beforehand so that when we go, I'll know exactly what I can have that will fit my calories for the day. Saves time in ordering once we're there, too.

At a sit-down restaurant that may not have nutritional info, I try to stick to easily quantifiable amounts of food. For burgers and steaks this is pretty simple since they'll tell you how many ounces of beef you're getting. For other things, I'll use generic items in the database and estimate volumes. Everybody's hands are different but my fist is pretty close to 1 cup so that helps in visualization.

Getting sauces/dressings on the side helps both with portion control and visualizing how much of it you really ate for logging purposes.

Sometimes there's just no getting around the super-deluxe calorie bomb meal. If I just can't live without ordering something that I know would blow up my calories for the entire day, as soon as I receive my meal I divide it in half and take the other half home.

Last but not least, sometimes I break these rules for special occasions like birthdays, trips, etc. When I do, I eat under my calorie goal for about a week beforehand so that I can cut loose and have fun and not guilt myself about eating. But it still all gets logged!

maddiejaymes · February 2014

When I really want something from a restaurant, I pull up the MFP app and look up the calories. A lot of times that scares me into not eating it, but if I really want it I eat it and go for a walk or jog in place for a few minutes or just own that I ate it and move on.
I've learned that most serving spoons (like large shallow spoons and ice cream scoops) are 1/4 cup so I do a scoop of what I want at family things and go from there.
Eat what you want, just be mindful of serving sizes. A ladle usually holds 1/2 to 3/4 a cup so I guess on the large end when getting soup at family gatherings. If you are okay with it byo measuring spoons/ cups. Ask if they have a food scale if comfortable.
You're making life long changes, so just take your time and eat what you want, but track it.

Midnightmooncosplay · February 2014

I tend to eat out not a lot...but semi frequently. When I know where I'm going, if it's a well-known place, I look up what I think I'm going to get on MFP. Then I try to plan my day around it. Maybe work out a little more or maybe eat lower calorie things for my other meals. My boyfriend and I don't have a car, so sometimes if we eat something high in calories, we walk home instead of taking the bus (as long as it's a reasonable distance). On special occasions, I don't count calories. That isn't what I want to be thinking about on my birthday, Christmas, etc.

TapouTFTW · February 2014

Even if you are eating out, there are some places that should just be taboo. If you go into a place that makes the majority of its income off fried foods or has a cartoon mascot, run. There is nothing to see there. Move along.

Mexican restaurants can be hell. They just drop a trough of fried corn in front of you. Then they add to misery by offering cheese dip or guacamole (which does have some good fat) on the side. Most of the menu items are covered in rich sauces, topped with sour cream or are themselves deep fried. A chimchanga is all that in one! . You better be S T R O N G when you go in. Any amount of weakness, and they will have dancing to the beat of their fatty tune.

Cafeterias look like they have some healthy options, but best be very wary. Some of the salads can run neck and neck with an order of fries. A lot of the veggies are boiled with bacon (because bacon makes everything taste better). Most of the menu items are loaded with salt. Be on your guard.

Asian restaurants can seem healthy on the surface. I mean, they use a wok right? Woks are for less meat and more veggies. But Americanized Asian food is not traditional Asian food by a long shot. Just like Tex-Mex is not traditional Mexican food. They have changed their food to be more appealing to the audience (which is just good business). This can be a lot like a cafe, be on your guard.

I would recommend you do some research before you even think about going out the door. Look at the places in your area and research what their options area. Soup, Salad and Breadsticks (even without the bread) can easily equal a Combo meal at a fast food place. Most larger chains have a few menu options under 550 or 600 cal, but do you like them? Or are they removed because of dietary restrictions? Also, only order water. It saves your wallet and you waist line. When you order your meal (if you are not sharing), tell the server to package 1/2 to go. When they bring the food to your table, the other 1/2 is out of sight in that take out box. If it is on your plate, you will be more tempted to eat it.

I hate to quote GI Joe here but "knowing is half the battle!"

PrairieSlims · February 2014

I agree that is is all about making better choices....for example, instead of fries, try a salad or baked potato. It may be difficult but when you know how many calories are in some of our bad choices, it makes me think twice. I also so ask myself what can I do without? I also split a meal with someone. Sometimes they are really too much to eat anyways.

Newbie - What to do going out to eat

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