Eating out is ruined for me now..

You've lost 80 pounds and are playing the "Yeah, but..." game like a newbie? What's with all the excuses?

It's just one meal, every now and then - why stress over it? Life's too short.

Because it's not. It's one day after a day I already went over, and it's going to be a whole week in 2 weeks.

I eat out every other week or something, so it's not really new to me, but it's always a frustrating experience when we stick to local places. And I know, I don't have to eat the fries, but I don't want to be starving one hour later either, and just one steak is not going to cut it... Same for the people who say that they only eat half... I don't want to be starving two hours later, as I never know how big the meal is going to be when I order it. It's fairly easy to pack 1000 calories in a small plate, lol.

Who cares!? Just go enjoy your night! over eating for 2 days in a row won't make you gain weight, if you do it for a week straight, yeah you might gain a whole pound!! You've lost 80, you should know how to lose it the week after...

Of course it will. Two days at eating 1400 calories over my TDEE and guess what... it's almost one pound.

Lol in the past month, i've had 2 10+ course tasting menus, a pop up restaurant lunch ordering 3/4 of the menu and 3 all you can eat and drink events. Somehow I did not become a fat slob despite making no effort to curtail cals at any of them

Good for you, but I can't just have one big meal a day or I get light headed during the day.

If I know I'm eating out, I usually double my workout to earn more calories.

Me too, but that gives me a whopping 200 more calories :sad:

One steak is not going to cut it? Really? You need more than one steak for a meal to be satisfied? When you cook steak at home, do you make two for yourself? Eat veggies with the steak.

And you think that by eating half of an entree is going to cause you to be starving 2 hours later, but yet you acknowledge restaurant portions are huge. Do you not see the contradiction here?

EXACTLY. I'm talking about places that don't even offer fresh veggies on the side there. Just fries (like that beach restaurant we went to last week). So you end up eating just a steak. Not filling, lol.

And no, some restaurant portions are not huge at all. Or it wouldn't be a problem. The problem is all the extra calories that come in sauces, oil and butter.

Honestly, it seems to me you are happier complaining about your plight than actually considering ways around your problem.

BINGO! :laugh:

Of course I'm complaining. That's why I posted a rant, after all. After 1.5 year of this, I know how to order food (when it's possible) at restaurants. My point is that it's ruined for me because now I don't enjoy eating out anymore because of it. Because having to order everything 'on the side' and eating plain food is nowhere as fun or tasty and I'd be better off eating at home. For *me* eating out was always fun because I loved the FOOD. I like the whole experience too, but I often find myself disappointed when we go out to have fun and I find myself with a menu where all I can eat is a salad... again.

It's called balance. If you can't enjoy the fun things in life, is "this" what you really want? You can lose/maintain weight and not be a social outcast. Trust me, it can be done. You didn't lose your weight overnight, and you won't get fat overnight. Most good restaurant food is swimming in grease so you'll violently expel it before it can actually stick anyway.

. So a restaurant is easier (although she always finds something to complain about).

But as I said... I love food. I've always loved going to restaurants for the food, especially dessert. It's a huge change for me. I'm guessing most of you have never seen things this way though so you don't 'get' it. Heck I think I'd be fine if menus had grilled chicken or steak with veggies most of the time... but often they don't, and I just hate being 'that woman' who asks everything to be made a special way, with sauce on the side and whatnot. And a lot of restaurants are not that accommodating really. I mean I can't really order grilled chicken if they only have sauteed chicken on the menu, for example... but either way, believe it or not, I'm not a confrontational person and I just hate being annoying.

And it is people like you that is why I usually avoid forums. People have given you lots of helpful advice and suggestions and ideas. Yet there is an excuse how or why you can't do any of the suggestions.

YOU are the one saying 'eating out is ruined for me now'. People have tried to help so you don't feel like that. YOU are the person making excuses.

As for everyone else, I'd give up. You've all been very helpful and if it was me, I'd be eternally grateful for people taking the time and effort to try and help and advise me overcome such a fear. But I think you're all wasting your breath here.

I think everyone in this forum can prove eating out is still possible and eating some of the 'bad foods' (hate that term) in moderation. It's about choices and control and unfortunately my friend, that is where you come in. Noone else.