Eating out and need to make better choices!

DisneyAddictRW
DisneyAddictRW Posts: 800 Member
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
I live in South Dakota and live in a town of 13,000 people. We have a few places to eat at other than fast food. I usually don't eat out much here since it gets boring not much for choices....fryn pan, yesterday's cafe, minvera's, mexico viejo, and a couple others but thats it. We're heading to the Sioux Falls for a dr apt ( I know not big but for us it's an exciting trip out of town apx 150,000 people our biggest city for the state) Anyways....we have lots of choices for places to eat however I'm terrible and always want to eat at Olive Garden or HuHot. I can stick with salad at Olive Garden but....hoping for something different. Any ideas where to eat and what? I'm not 100% sure what they all have since we seem to always eat at the same place. I've drove past: Ruby Tuesdays, Texas Roadhouse, Olive Garden, HuHot, Chevys, Granite City, Outback Steakhouse, Champps, Perkins Restaurant, IHOP, Applebees,...

I'm trying hard this week to change my eating habits. I'm great with working out but not seeing the scale move. I thought I was good about eating till I starting tracking it closer. I have a terrible time snacking after dinner and when I'm bored. I also can't seem to leave the candy on the end caps when I pass them at walmart! (I did last night after 2 trips to walmart!!! I was proud something I'm not good at)

I'm not a big meat eater maybe a cheeseburger but otherwise not. I'm a picky eater...not a big veggie eater but love fruit.

Any thoughts or ideas would be helpful or what you eat when going out to eat....

I'm kind of fustrated and think maybe I should just pack my lunch and eat it on the way home.

Replies

  • smrfyross
    smrfyross Posts: 11 Member
    Pick a place and then we can all scour the menu and help you out!
  • lradloff
    lradloff Posts: 59 Member
    A lot of those places have nutritional info on the web - so you can look up their menu, see what you would like, and then check out the calories for them.

    I love to eat at Applebee's because they have an under 550 calories section. I had a shrimp and sirloin deal just the other night with veggies and potatoes, and it was awesome. It only had 500 calories total and was a lot of food!

    But if we're going out to eat, I usually try to find the menu and the nutrition before hand. If their info is not avaialble, I make sure to only eat 1/2, look up similar dishes on here on my phone to get an estimate, and be sure to plan to exercise that day.

    If you are going to places that have options, it's nice to be able to go out every now and then - just thinking about making healthy choices there is a great first step!!

    Good luck!
  • Juliebean_1027
    Juliebean_1027 Posts: 713 Member
    Applebees, Texas Roadhouse, and Olive Garden are all great choices. If you do go to Olive Garden stay away from the salad. It's far worse than you'd ever think! Go with the minestrone soup instead. The apricot chicken is delicious and you can have a bowl of minestrone soup, the apricot chicken, and a breadstick for all around 500ish calories. Applebees would be the easiest place if you're looking to stay on track, because they have the under 550 calorie menu, plus their weight watchers selections.
  • pgun67
    pgun67 Posts: 6 Member
    Go to Applebees and try the Under 550 calorie menu. I had the sirloin steak with shrimp and broccoli and small potatoes. I also tried the pasta with shrimp teriyaki. They were both awesome and I couldnt believe they were under 550 calories. You wont be disappointed.
  • MeganMac17
    MeganMac17 Posts: 90 Member
    Check the websites of the various restaurants and see if they have nutrition facts!
  • laurenms88
    laurenms88 Posts: 10 Member
    Well I know we have a HuHot where I live and I love this place because you decide what goes in your dish. You could go there and load your dish with a ton of veggies. Plus they have their menu online and you can find the calorie count for exactly what you put on. You could do this before you go out then print out your menu and stick to what you already added up. It is a buffet however and that makes it hard because it is so easy to go up for just one more plate. Just remember lots of veggies to help fill you up and if you decide to go there stick to what you already planned! Planning ahead always helps me when I head there :-) Good luck and enjoy!
  • obradovichm
    obradovichm Posts: 22
    I highly recommend picking up the book "Eat This, Not That" for the Fast-Food or Eating Out Edition. They have great advice on what to avoid and what to get (and why) for almost every chain restaurant.

    It's hard not to eat out sometimes, but if you choose wisely (getting a side salad with light dressing instead of fries) and watching what they put on the burger, for example, you can really watch the calories.

    One of my favorites is Wendys. You can get an Ultimate Grilled Chicken (hold the honey mustard) and a side chili for under 500 or 600 calories. Not bad. And lots of protein!
  • momtozmc
    momtozmc Posts: 418 Member
    Or order your food and ask for a box.

    I went out with the girls last night to The Counter - Make your own burgers - and ordered a beef burger but halfed it right away and put it in a box.

    Everything in moderation!!!!
  • DisneyAddictRW
    DisneyAddictRW Posts: 800 Member
    I highly recommend picking up the book "Eat This, Not That" for the Fast-Food or Eating Out Edition. They have great advice on what to avoid and what to get (and why) for almost every chain restaurant.

    It's hard not to eat out sometimes, but if you choose wisely (getting a side salad with light dressing instead of fries) and watching what they put on the burger, for example, you can really watch the calories.

    One of my favorites is Wendys. You can get an Ultimate Grilled Chicken (hold the honey mustard) and a side chili for under 500 or 600 calories. Not bad. And lots of protein!

    I may have to stop at the book store and pick this up for my husband. He travels 50-60% of the time and always needs help since there are times he eats out for 7-14 days straight. Plus he can master it and help me with my choices!

    I never thought about looking online for their menu. That would save a lot of stress before getting there. I've only ate at Applebees twice and I guess my eyes over looked the 550 or less menu. I'll have to ask my niece where she'd like to eat since she's skipping class for support since my husband is gone on a trip. Sounds like Applebees would be the easier place but would love to check out HuHot online to see what calories would be. I usually never got back for a second plate. It's the one thing I can control myself to.

    I have a trip to the gym in the morning planned so I'll have room for extra calories.

    Whats a easy/non messy snack I could take with to eat between meals? I'm going to eat breakfast at 8ish and won't eat lunch till 230ish. I'll have to eat it in the car. (What would you take with you would be a better question)
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