What to do when eating out?

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petithamu
petithamu Posts: 582 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have an interview today and it's a lunch interview...I've been really good on my daily intake because I've been cooking everything at home. I'm freaking out about what to eat at lunch! I don't know where we are going yet so I can't check out the menu first...I need to know how can I just use my eye to measure the food so I can log it when I'm home...and also not to seem too fussy to the interviewer?

Any tips?

Tiffany

Replies

  • BrockDoe
    BrockDoe Posts: 25
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    One meal won't kill your diet. If anything one high calorie meal mixed in with all tyour hard work will be more good than bad,
    If you continually eat your quota day in day out your body will start storing thinking its always going to be eating this lean. So one "cheat" meal will trick/shock your body into thinking its going to get all these calories again so it wont store them for a rainy day.
  • jojomore
    jojomore Posts: 2
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    @ BrockDoe...thanks so much for that love...I felt so tremendously guily when I went out this weekend but knowing that a cheat day may be a benefit has definitely made me feel better...
  • BrockDoe
    BrockDoe Posts: 25
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    :-) No worries at all! Just try not make them too often :-P Remembering if your good 95% of the time, 5% wont hurt.

    and if you're good 100% of the time... You go crazy!!! haha
  • petithamu
    petithamu Posts: 582 Member
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    That is actually really comforting!! Cuz I was really thinking...I don't want this to throw off my good days!

    Good to know it's okay to have a cheat day once in a while. Thanks guys!

    Tiffany
  • TaraMaria
    TaraMaria Posts: 1,975
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    He is absolutely right!!! Enjoy it!!! Infact over Christmas I lost weight eating good food! It was NY's that did me in...lol! :o)
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,100 Member
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    Remember that most restaurant portions are going to be about double of what a regular portion should be... skip the bread basket if there is one... choose something appetizing... don't feel "bad" about asking the waiter to not put butter on your vegetables, bring your dressing on the side, etc... YOU are the customer- YOU (or in this case your interviewer) are paying for the meal so they are there to serve you food to your liking and requests... I usually bring half of my meal home in a doggie bag. This may be beneficial to you until you can find out the nutritional content if you don't want to have a cheat day. Remember- just because it is a salad doesn't meant it is healthy! lol You're going for lunch so an appetizer and dessert really isn't necessary and it wouldn't be crazy to say no to those... anything cream based is probably going to be high fat/high cal (think tons of butter).

    Low cal options would be a blackened or grilled fish (ask that it be cooked with a light oil vs butter if possible), a side of seasonal veges (think broccoli w/ no butter) and a sweet potato (again, no butter- they are delish as is in my opinion). Sorry for so many suggestions! I think you'll do fine. :)
  • petithamu
    petithamu Posts: 582 Member
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    Remember that most restaurant portions are going to be about double of what a regular portion should be... skip the bread basket if there is one... choose something appetizing... don't feel "bad" about asking the waiter to not put butter on your vegetables, bring your dressing on the side, etc... YOU are the customer- YOU (or in this case your interviewer) are paying for the meal so they are there to serve you food to your liking and requests... I usually bring half of my meal home in a doggie bag. This may be beneficial to you until you can find out the nutritional content if you don't want to have a cheat day. Remember- just because it is a salad doesn't meant it is healthy! lol You're going for lunch so an appetizer and dessert really isn't necessary and it wouldn't be crazy to say no to those... anything cream based is probably going to be high fat/high cal (think tons of butter).

    Low cal options would be a blackened or grilled fish (ask that it be cooked with a light oil vs butter if possible), a side of seasonal veges (think broccoli w/ no butter) and a sweet potato (again, no butter- they are delish as is in my opinion). Sorry for so many suggestions! I think you'll do fine. :)

    Oh...if only I could do that here in London...that's one of the biggest things I miss from the States, the freedom to modify food when eating out. It's basically unheard of here in the UK and if i try to modify anything, I get a dead stare back with a 'no substitutions' line...
  • rawdefault
    rawdefault Posts: 66
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    with the no substitutions thing - i would just lie and say i had a slight allergy to something.
    for eg, just tell the waiter you're sensitive to dairy, and it would really help you out if they could take out the cheese and butter and lessen the amount of creamy dressing. saying your sensitive to it is better than saying you have an allergy because they won't freak out about every tiny amount of diary in the meal.
  • petithamu
    petithamu Posts: 582 Member
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    That's actually a really good idea..I never thought to say that. Thanks!
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    A few key words to look out for when dining out are "grilled" , "blackened", "broiled" and "steamed" :-)

    Ordering something like blackened or grilled chicken or fish with some steamed veggies you should be good to go :-)
  • chocolatnoir
    chocolatnoir Posts: 182 Member
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    I would try not to be too fussy/picky on a job interview. All the above suggestions are wonderful when you are eating out, but when you are with a potential employer if you come across as too picky it might give off a bad impression. So, while I wouldn't ask a ton of questions or ask for substitutions, I would probably order a salad with dressing on the side or something grilled with a side of veggies. The less fuss, the better in this type of situation. Fussy=not easy to work with in a job environment.

    Anyway, good luck with the interview!
  • leandread
    leandread Posts: 166 Member
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    When you go out to eat, if you avoid things with cream sauces, fried and pump up the veggies, you will come across to your employer as healthy, but not picky. I've gone on job interviews with groups where the interviewee was called "picky" and the rest of the interviewers spent more time talking about the candidate being a "health NUT" rather than their competence. So soup/salad combos are usually safe in terms of calories, but high in sodium. Alternatively, go with a seared/blackened/grilled chicken/fish something with extra veggies on the side (make a comment like, Oh i don't get to eat XX veggie very often, can I have those instead of the mashed potatoes) and you will be seen as charming, delightful and health conscious rather than picky, weirdo "health nut". People's perceptions of your eating habits have more to do with their values than your own intentions, so its best to walk the middle ground in these sensitive situations.
  • petithamu
    petithamu Posts: 582 Member
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    I just returned home from my interview. First thing first, they offered me the job! Woohoo!

    Secondly, I ordered very sensibly! Grilled mackerel on a bed of cous cous and roasted autumn vegetables like red onions and squash. I only hate half so only one side of the mackerel and half of the cous cous. In all fairness, there was quite a lot of food. I didn't touch the focaccia bread they brought to the table and I ordered a cup of green tea!

    I'd say that was excellent ordering...=)
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    You did good!! If we all could choose like this we'd be in way better shape!
  • leandread
    leandread Posts: 166 Member
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    congrats! are you taking the job?
  • petithamu
    petithamu Posts: 582 Member
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    I have accepted the job, yes! I will be working for a very cool company as an executive assistant to two directors in a game company. They make games for Android, iPhones and iPads! I'm very excited!

    Honestly, I didn't pay too much attention to the menu...I normally look at EVERYTHING on the menu and ponder on what to choose and this and that. This time, I went in with a mission: I'm looking for key words. Grill, fish, chicken, steam, vegetables. When the waiter said, 'today's special is grilled mackerel with cous cous and vegetable, Moroccan style', I closed the menu and said, yep, that's it.

    My future employer did look at me and said, 'wow, that's quick ordering!' Haha.

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