Calculating calories when eating out?

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clynnharris12
clynnharris12 Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not talking fast food... I mean sit down dinner, etc. Any advice?

Thanks!!

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  • Miamiuu
    Miamiuu Posts: 262 Member
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    you should familiarize yourself with the database so you have an idea of what calories are in certain things. Cus they arent going to be that much different.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    If the restaurant doesn't have nutritional info listed on their website, I look at similar places/menu items and browse around MFP for an estimate.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I'm not talking fast food... I mean sit down dinner, etc. Any advice?

    Thanks!!

    If it's a chain.....there are resources to help you figure it out. I'll check the restaurants website ahead of time so I can plan better.

    Otherwise, just make healthier choices (or smaller portions) & guesstimate the best you can.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
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    If the restaurant doesn't have nutritional info listed on their website, I look at similar places/menu items and browse around MFP for an estimate.

    ^ This is what I do.
  • ryguyy81
    ryguyy81 Posts: 3 Member
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    Try to plan ahead. If I know that I'm going to a certain restaurant, I'll look at their menu online. Some places have a light menu. If I don't plan then I will most likely get suckered into the good stuff that will blow my week.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    I have personally found that people have done a good job of getting a lot of restaurants in the MFP database. There is also a great app out there called Restaurants. It has the NI for most of the major restaurants in the country.

    If it is a nice sit down restaurant, well, order what you know. Things you can find on their own in MFP. Like a Pork Chop, Baked Potato and Steamed Brocolli.

    DO NOT think just because you are ordering a salad that it is low calorie. I have accidentally fallen for that and realized afterward I could have had something a lot tastier for less calories and less green.
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
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    If the restaurant doesn't have nutritional info listed on their website, I look at similar places/menu items and browse around MFP for an estimate.

    ^ This is what I do.

    Same here.
    Example: local place has amazing Chicken Parm. I've seen chicken parm from Olive Garden and the portions are about the same so I have used the Olive Garden option to count the calories.
  • inktink
    inktink Posts: 135 Member
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    I've seen news reports finding that restaurants don't always plate their "light" meals as lightly as they do when calculating the calories to put on their menu. Familiarize yourself with portion sizes and keep a mental note in your head so you can do comparisons. If you're trying to stay under calorie, order "easy" foods to track, and request sauces/dressings/gravies on the side so you can control how much you eat of them.

    If you're really trying to enjoy your meal and "splurge" a bit, go ahead and count the calories, but get what you want. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and truly enjoy your meal. Chances are, you'll eat less than you thought you would if you slow down and enjoy.

    Finally, you can always ask for half of the meal in a to go box before it is served so you don't eat as much if you feel the need to clean your plate.
  • Caitu13
    Caitu13 Posts: 55 Member
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    What I do is, I search it on here, and I also attempt to look online to see if the value for the meal is on a website for the place I'm eating. But if none of the above works, I find something as close as possible on here and estimate a bit high so that way I'm covered.
  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
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    I use an app called Healthy Out. It has menus for most chain restaurants. If I know in advance where we're going, I go online first and look up their menu. After a while, I've gotten pretty good at figuring out what the healthier menu options are in general.
  • lisacarrana
    lisacarrana Posts: 38 Member
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    I always look online and see what they have on the menu. I then always seem to go for grilled fish and veggies. I avoid salads with dressings. I also over estimate, which some people may say is wrong, but I like to be safe.

    The other day I went out to a pizzeria with a large group of girlfriends, I had pizza and asked for no cheese, it was lovely lots of veggies and a tomato base. Most restaurants will adapt to you. I certainly did not want to miss out!
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
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    As others have said- if you're going to a chain restaurant, they likely have a pdf of their nutritional data available. If you're going to an independent/locally owned restaurant that cooks to order and makes things from scratch, it gets a bit trickier. You can do as some have suggested and look for a comparable dish; you'll likely be overestimating if you use a chain, as they tend to be higher in fat and sodium than "house made" dishes. If you do a lot of cooking at home and are familiar with the nutritional value of foods ingredients or entrees, you can guesstimate what went into your dish and then look for foods with similar numbers.
  • DiamondDustInAnHourglass
    DiamondDustInAnHourglass Posts: 5
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    I have two suggestions, especially if the eatery that you dine at; doesn't have nutritional information available.

    One: I've never known anyone to be able to successfully diet 24/7/365, so consider it a cheat day and I say day instead of meal because of my next suggestion.

    Two: I usually assume that an unhealthy meal is about 800 Calories/400 Calories for a healthy meal. Divide it into 4 servings for unhealthy/healthy is for 2 servings and eat the remainder throughout a 24 hour time frame for the unhealthy/healthy is for 12 hours and eat healthy in between.

    I would also suggest that your cheat days be at least two weeks apart, so that your body will get so use to having healthy food; that when you introduce unhealthy food to your system, it'll try to expel it through defecation quickly; meaning that you possibly won't absorb as much of it. It'll literally go right through you, at least that's how it works for me.

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