Eating out.. What's a safe guess

Sarah,

A lot of big chain restaurants (O'Charleys, Red Lobster, Applebee's, etc.) have entree calorie information on MFP. If you have a smartphone (Android or iPhone), the MyFitnessPal app is awesome and I lean on it heavily.

If you are at a local restaurant, you will more than likely not find the EXACT match on MFP. I try to find the best match and guestimate high and allow a little calorie surplus.

When in doubt, take what you get on your plate and immediately ask for a box and put 1/2 of it in the box. Out of sight, out of mind.

I travel a lot for my job and so far, being away from a controlled environment hasn't derailed my weight loss progress.

Good luck to you!!

Sandwiches, avoid cream sauces, avoid fried foods, always request dressing on the side of a salad, always ask for a box when they bring the meal and put away some for left overs or just don't eat it, always order water to drink instead of soda or alcohol. Those are a few safety tips.

If possible, check nutrition values before ordering. Baked, broiled, poached...those kinds of things are good. Things covered in sauces tend to be high in cals, sodium and God knows what. Steamed veggies are great.

Ask your server, if possible, to tell the cook to not add salt.

Lots of water. Doesn't matter how healthy the menu/nutrition claims, sodium is almost always the deal breaker.

I would make up a worksheet with places you are most likely to go with calorie count and all that in case your phone is dead or what not. I have a list made up for the occasional eating out because I can't eat dairy AND I want to it be healthy so it's a lot of work finding both. I'm not sure where you live but everywhere where I am in CA has calories next to the menu item on the order board or in the actual menu itself. Or there is a booklet of nutritional information on the table. If you can definitely research before eating on the internet or like I said...make a list if internet won't be available!

NOTHING. Ok not really but seriously. You say you're not good at this but you know the difference between a baked potato and a fried one a piece of fried chicken and bbq chicken breast.

You know to order everything on the side, you know to look it up. You know to limit the size. You can do what you set your mind too.

You can do this! You can make the best decision that you can make for you. Do what you want and what you know is best for you and you'll rock it.

Hang in there. If you slip up then you get back on the horse. It's life and none of us are going to make it out alive.

Enjoy your travels and relax and have a good time and do what's best for you.

Sandwiches, avoid cream sauces, avoid fried foods, always request dressing on the side of a salad, always ask for a box when they bring the meal and put away some for left overs or just don't eat it, always order water to drink instead of soda or alcohol. Those are a few safety tips.

These are great tips- also avoid cheese, If "steamed" veggies come with a meal ask them not to add butter. In most places potatoes are a butter death trap so avoid those, pasta too (same deal they toss it in oil or butter to keep the noodles from sticking together. Salads can be ok just portion it out if it comes with gobs of toppings. When getting dressing ask for the fat free or low fat versions (although all dressing tends to be high in sodium). Remember a "serving" of meat is about the size of a deck of playing cards (or your cell phone). And try and do your research before you go. Oh and... if you go out and you blow it- take it as a lesson learned, there's always tomorrow.

I always look up the nutrition information before I eat something. It's really hard to judge what will be low calorie. Another problem is that if you choose a low calorie option at a restaurant, it will most likely be loaded with sodium. Best advice I can give, is just plan it all out before you eat it.

I usually order a side salad, and an appetizer as my meal. The appetizer is a good choice because it is a smaller portion. And the side salad with fat free dressing is better for you than the larger salads with breaded chicken. Good Luck! If you have a smart phone there are all kinds of apps to help you!

Someons had posted this website on here a while ago, its great: http://www.fastfood.com/nutrition/
Or try the Calorie king web site or book. Eating out you can usually find grilled chicken, and veggies, sodium levels are vvery high though. Good luck