How are YOU calculating your eat-out meals?

MelonJMusic
MelonJMusic Posts: 121 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys and gals! This subject in particular tends to be a stinger for me. I'd love to know what you all do (I want different perspectives) when you eat out at a little-known place or friend-of-a-friend's home (whom it'd be rude to ask "what's in this?" lolol) and how are you calculating and entering those calories? Any and all suggestions welcomed!

Thanx!
-Mel
xoxox

Replies

  • WeepingAngel81
    WeepingAngel81 Posts: 2,232 Member
    I go online and check out the nutrition menu for where I am eating. Then I choose what I will eat before I get there. If there is no nutrition guide, I look at the MFP database for something similar and go from there.
  • aft85
    aft85 Posts: 54 Member
    i pick something that is probably close to what i ate. These things realistically aren't ever completely accurate
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    If it's a restaurant without a nutrition guide online, I check to find a similar item under one of the chains restaurants to get a rough estimate.

    For eating at a friend's house, I always ask because of some severe food allergies I have. Then I can find a recipe for something similar and enter that information.

    Other than that I don't worry about it because one meal isn't going to ruin anything. If I was having this issue for the majority of my meals it would be a bigger concern.
  • sshintaku
    sshintaku Posts: 228 Member
    I try to find something comparable from a restaurant that's in the data base, and if there is nothing, I'll add the ingredients as best I can, plus a couple tablespoons of oil or butter or something (if it's from a restaurant).
  • Chezzie84
    Chezzie84 Posts: 873 Member
    I look for things that are similar and go from there. We don't eat out a lot so I don't worry about being 100% accurate.
    1 meal is not going to undo a whole weeks/month effort.
  • mediamogulsteve
    mediamogulsteve Posts: 115 Member
    I try to find the nutritional info on the restaurant website. If that doesn't work, I then look for "restaurant" versions of food. Last option is "generic".
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    I log it as cardio. :smokin:
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    What everyone else said - just look up something similar in the database. Example: I order a shrimp burrito from one of my favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants. I log it as a shrimp burrito from Rubio's.
  • rachelg145
    rachelg145 Posts: 185 Member
    If it's not something easy to look up, i.e. going to someone's house or an obscure restaurant, I just leave 1000 calories in my budget for dinner/drinks because I'd have to get completely out of control to eat and drink more than that. Then I just quick add calories when I get home IF after the fact it IS too difficult to tally up. Usually, I find that most of what I consumed can be looked up.
  • MelonJMusic
    MelonJMusic Posts: 121 Member
    I log it as cardio. :smokin:

    DANG IT! How have I never thought of that?!



    Anywho, thanks all! I figured as much about guestimating. I don't eat out often at all, but the past week has been random with days of ppl either treating me to dinner or making it for me and I was freaking out over whether or not I was doing it correctly. :tongue:
  • cricket_77
    cricket_77 Posts: 165 Member
    Use the nutrition data if they have a website. If they don't, use the nutrition data from another restaurant if I think it might be close. Or just try to break down everything that I'm eating and use my best guest when logging.

    If someone is having issues with losing and they eat out a lot, I would suggest limiting the eating out as much as they can. Even if the place has nutrition data, it could and is still off...the restaurant doesn't weigh and measure like I do :wink:

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