Chinese Food

MJ5898
MJ5898 Posts: 1,549 Member
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
So my family has insisted on going to dinner at the local chinese restaurant for dinner tonight. I have a copy of the menu and they do not list any "diet" foods as some I have seen do. They serve steamed white rice but no brown. Any suggestions on what to order? I know to avoid the fried dishes, sweet and sours and the like and to go for something with veggies. I am also concerned not just about what to eat but also how to record it in my diary. When I search for a chinese entree like mongolian beef, there are so many different listings it is hard to guess which one is most like my local place in terms of calories, etc. Thanks in advance for any opinions. :smile:

Replies

  • udallmom101
    udallmom101 Posts: 564 Member
    You should call and ask if you could get a special dish of steamed veggies and a little bit of steamed chicken or steamed shrimp. Skip the rice all together, that is what I have learned. My favorite Chinese restaurant has steamed dumplings, but made with just veggies in them. You should see if they have something similar.
  • cem789
    cem789 Posts: 231 Member
    TREAT YOURSELF!

    eat whatever you fancy :), one night will not ruin your diet

    this new diet is a long term plan, you need to have the odd day where you eat something nice or you will go crazy!
  • 6Janelle13
    6Janelle13 Posts: 353 Member
    I'm with calling ahead. if not try the beef and broc or shrimp and snow peas. go for ones light on sauce and heavy on veggies. skip the rice. If you love something try asking for the sauce on the side and just dipping your fork in the sauce before you have meet and veggies on it. by skipping the rice you can enjoy more of your main dish portion and going little to no sauce will help with the sodium.
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
    Great ideas suggested above. Having a broth-based soup there may help too.
  • neelia
    neelia Posts: 750 Member
    If you order a dish that does not include rice or noodles and is not BREADED, you will be fine. General Tso's chicken with veggies is only about 70 calories per cup!
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    Check out some of the fish options. Our little local place has a great shrimp and veggie dish. Beef w/broccoli, stir fry veggies. Check out the Panda Express menu, they're offering some 250 per serving dishes and maybe if you check that out then you'll find something similar on your menu. :)

    Enjoy yourself and if you go slightly over you'll live. :) Say hey to the family for me.
  • JMun
    JMun Posts: 409
    EAT BEFORE YOU GO.

    and then when you're there avoid rice & noodles and stick with steamed shrimp & veggies - if you can order sauce on the side do!

    The tricky part about treating yourself at a restaurant is being able to count it accurately. Eventually you'll become such a pro at eyeballing calories that it won't be an issue. But in the beginning I avoided restaurants like the plague!

    Regardless, enjoy the time with your family and keep your goals at the front of your mind :love:
  • JulieBoBoo
    JulieBoBoo Posts: 642
    The last time I ate Chinese Food I ate a bit of everything and focused on the veggies. I did gain two pounds right after but those disappeared two days after that when I made sure to drink a ton of water. Chinese Food (the fast food stuff, not sure about the real stuff) is very salty.

    Enjoy your plate, be sensible and don't be thrown by a gain if you get one... it'll just be salt.
  • shawna09152002
    shawna09152002 Posts: 19
    If you eat rice have them only give you 1/2 of the normal serving (no fried rice). Ask for a to go box before you dig in and put half of your meal in the box and when you leave don't take the box with you. Ask for stir-fry vegs and meat or if you don't like that kind of stuff ask for beef and broccoli, won-ton soup, and some steamed vegs and ask them to put a little sauce instead of the regular about. Good luck!
  • sweetie89207
    sweetie89207 Posts: 361
    TREAT YOURSELF!

    eat whatever you fancy :), one night will not ruin your diet

    this new diet is a long term plan, you need to have the odd day where you eat something nice or you will go crazy!

    i gotta admit i like this comment....i mean everything within reason...but if your week has been good and you havent splurged not once...and if u really like chinese...get what u want...do a little exercise...and move on to tomorrow...it really wont make a difference 3 months from now lol...

    BUT if your not really a fan...go for the steamed stuff like others said- lots of veggies maybe chicken and no rice...or maybe just a little...i think you'll be fine girl!
  • EricInArlington
    EricInArlington Posts: 531 Member
    I would do like cem789 said or eat a big salad at home then just have and egg-roll and some hot tea :) or the salad at home then eat a dessert at the restaurant :)
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,385 Member
    Any of the dishes with Chicken, fish and white sauce are better choices. The fried entrees with the sauce are high in calories. I like brocolli and chicken and I still have my 2 crab ragoon or an egg roll but not both.

    I know steam veggies is ideal but I tried it and did not do it again.

    I just had chinese Sunday and I split the governors chicken (which is fried) with a friend and I did very well and I always order white rice when they don't have brown. Many of the places here serve brown rice now with an extra charge.

    We did not eat it all and I threw out the leftovers because she did not want to take home. I had already had my splurge so I did not need more. I was fine with what I had.

    You can splurge or choose better. As ealier post stated this is a life style change. So one day will not kill you. Another thing that makes my decision for me is if my weigh in day is the next day. If my weigh in day is the next day, NO chinese for me because it is high in sodium and it takes me a day or 2 to wash out the sodium. If I can't get out of it, I definitely go for the lighter choices i mentioned earlier.

    BTW - You will never get your calories exact for any sit down resturants or junk food places so you have guessestimate the best you can!:laugh: I like to over estimate myself. Even when they have calories on line for the resturant they can't say what that particular cook did that day but those are better points of reference.

    Enjoy and let us know what you decided to have!:drinker:
  • california_peach
    california_peach Posts: 1,809 Member
    I get Hot and Sour Soup when we get Chinese. It is relatively low in calories. Some other options might be chicken and vegetables or chicken and mushrooms. You have a good idea of what to avoid. You'll be fine.
  • Claudia007
    Claudia007 Posts: 878 Member
    Ask for everything with the sauce on the SIDE. That way you can control the amounts.
  • aligirl32766
    aligirl32766 Posts: 21
    It's funny. i just got done eating chinese take-out, went to MFP to figure out my calories, and saw your post. I try not to stress too much about easing up on myself once in a while. I ate what i wanted tonight, I just split everything with my hubby. I feel completely satisfied, saved calories, and saved money, too. Good luck to you. i wish you nothing but the best. You can add me as a friend if you like.
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    I don't think you need to skip the rice all together just because it's white.. White rice is good for you as well. Brown is the better choice obviously but rice is very filling and healthy. Many japanese people eat rice every day and it's white rice. Yet they stay slim. It's all in the portion. I'd go for some steamed rice, veggies, and either chicken or shrimp.
  • MJ5898
    MJ5898 Posts: 1,549 Member
    Thank you everyone for your comments. I wish I liked shrimp as that would make eating healthy in general much easier, but I HATE the chewy texture. I cannot get past it to know if i like the taste. Some of our local places have brown rice but this place has only steamed white or fried. I have been under my calories all week, so I guess it will be okay to have a few extra at dinner. I will report back after to let you know how I did. Thanks again!!!! :bigsmile:
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,385 Member
    Ask for everything with the sauce on the SIDE. That way you can control the amounts.

    Good idea!! Thanks. I will try this the next time, which will be in the spring!
  • markymarrkk
    markymarrkk Posts: 495 Member
    In regards to choosing the closest equivalent in the food diary, If there's too many options I always chose the one with the highest calories, id rather overestimate the calories and stay under
  • Stinger97
    Stinger97 Posts: 31
    Whenever we order Chinese food, I always go for broccoli in garlic sauce (about a cup) and some steamed white rice (about a half a cup). I'm usually perfectly satisfied by that and the calorie count on it isn't out of control.
  • MJ5898
    MJ5898 Posts: 1,549 Member
    I ended up having a great time with the family. My dinner consisted of 1 cup of steamed rice and 1 1/2 cups of mongolian beef. Unlike some places, this store does not sweeten their beef and instead of just onions, they had carrot, cabbage, bamboo shoots and snow pea pods. It is one of their spicy rather than sweet dishes. I also ate my fortune cookie for dessert. In tracking the meal, I found a mongolian beef entry in the tracker and added 3 servings of it - it did not indicate what a serving size is and as others have said, I prefer to overestimate. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. It will be a while before I have Chinese again but I definietely feel like I have a game plan for when I do have it. :smile:
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,385 Member
    I ended up having a great time with the family. My dinner consisted of 1 cup of steamed rice and 1 1/2 cups of mongolian beef. Unlike some places, this store does not sweeten their beef and instead of just onions, they had carrot, cabbage, bamboo shoots and snow pea pods. It is one of their spicy rather than sweet dishes. I also ate my fortune cookie for dessert. In tracking the meal, I found a mongolian beef entry in the tracker and added 3 servings of it - it did not indicate what a serving size is and as others have said, I prefer to overestimate. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. It will be a while before I have Chinese again but I definietely feel like I have a game plan for when I do have it. :smile:

    Good job MJ!! This did not break the bank or your success. I see you lost weight today so you are definitely on your way.....:-) Keep up the good work!!

    BTW - I love Mongolian Beef and Chicken! Some places do not make the chicken well but I have a few places here that are awesome on mongolian chicken.
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    I'm glad you had a good time. I love chinese. I get it a lot, but I've learned what I can and cannot do. Luckily, I love the steamed veggies - I love crunchy stuff - so the steamed stuff is awesome to me. A lil soy sauce and I'm happy. But I also am an addict of beef/chicken with broccoli. Like someone else said, this is a lifestyle change and learning to live in the real world. Maybe I'll have to check out this mongolian beef stuff sometime.

    Yea for success! :)
  • cem789
    cem789 Posts: 231 Member
    I ended up having a great time with the family. My dinner consisted of 1 cup of steamed rice and 1 1/2 cups of mongolian beef. Unlike some places, this store does not sweeten their beef and instead of just onions, they had carrot, cabbage, bamboo shoots and snow pea pods. It is one of their spicy rather than sweet dishes. I also ate my fortune cookie for dessert. In tracking the meal, I found a mongolian beef entry in the tracker and added 3 servings of it - it did not indicate what a serving size is and as others have said, I prefer to overestimate. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. It will be a while before I have Chinese again but I definietely feel like I have a game plan for when I do have it. :smile:

    glad you had a good meal, I always remember when I eat out not to stuff myself, the size of the meal is the real calorie enemy!
  • SweetyGirl
    SweetyGirl Posts: 40
    Congrats for making wise choices - It's so hard when going to one of these restaurants where everything is so tempting.

    I just ran across this video: http://www.howcast.com/videos/180496-How-To-Order-Chinese-Food-Without-Blowing-Your-Diet

    Looks like they also have videos for Italian, French and Indian restaurants as well.
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,385 Member
    Congrats for making wise choices - It's so hard when going to one of these restaurants where everything is so tempting.

    I just ran across this video: http://www.howcast.com/videos/180496-How-To-Order-Chinese-Food-Without-Blowing-Your-Diet

    Looks like they also have videos for Italian, French and Indian restaurants as well.

    Thanks!! That was very good. I use to use chop sticks and stopped using them. Going to start back and I love steam rolls. I don't know if I can do the italian recommendations. but both were loaded with good suggestions.
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