Logging restaurant meals: Any long-term workable advice?

segacs · October 2014

Okay, so in the past when I've tried to log meals, restaurant food has always been my downfall. I just find it so cumbersome and unworkable to try to figure out ingredients, portions or calories when I eat out.

From what I gather, many people do one of the following:

Give up eating in restaurants altogether, or cut down restaurant food to very rare occasions.
Only eat in chain restaurants with nutritional information posted.
Avoid ordering anything with complex ingredients, and stick to basics like salads.

I feel like I could do some of this in the short term but, realistically, I wouldn't be able to keep it up long term. For me, a weight loss program has to fit into my lifestyle. And my lifestyle involves a lot of restaurants, bars, pubs, social gatherings, sports events, birthdays, drink nights, you name it. As a single woman living in one of the great foodie cities in the world (Montreal) and with a diverse set of friends and interests, I simply can't see myself turning down invitations and avoiding social contact.

After all, I'm doing this to get healthier, fitter and happier, not to turn myself into a social recluse.

As for sticking to chain restaurants or easy-to-tabulate foods, again, how boring! I mean, in Quebec, chain restaurants don't typically post their ingredients. (There's no legal requirement here). And even if they did, why on earth would I choose to eat at a fast food chain over a local place with fresh ingredients and creative chefs, just because it's easier to log? We have such an amazing variety of cuisines on offer, often with rotating menus that change nightly on the chef's whim and that use local ingredients or innovative combinations. I feel like if I'm going to lose weight and keep it off long term, there's gotta be a way to do so and still enjoy foodie-ism -- albeit in reduced portions.

So basically, what I'm looking for are easy-estimation tips. You know, not to get too OCD about counting every last calorie, I'd be interested in some tips and tricks to estimate certain types of foods without falling into the trap of underestimating.

Would love some tips from fellow Montrealers (yes, poutine and bagels are serious challenges!) but also from anyone who's made this work in the long run.

Thanks!

LessthanKris · October 2014

I loved trying new places that are not chains when I travel and even where we live, so the nutritional info is not always available. For one, I usually only eat out once a week and save calories on other days so I can go without really worrying about how much the meal will be. I figure between what I save and my 500 calorie deficit, at worst I will be a little over maintenance for the day.

Sometimes I just try to find something that sounds similar that is already in the database, especially if I did not save as much as I wanted to. I do not weigh my food so I figure most of the time I am probably either under or over a bit. It has worked for me so far. My loss may be slower but like you said, this is a lifestyle change and I love food to much to not enjoy it.

dieter1200 · October 2014

I do what the person earlier suggested and try to find something similar in the database. Or I look at my plate and estimate the calories add 200 extra for added flavor things like oil, butter, and sugar over what I would add if I made it myself and just do the quick add of calories.

heybales · October 2014

You should probably try an alternative method besides calorie counting then - because that is full of so much inaccuracy, you really can't make it up anyway.

If you had an eating level that was basically maintaining, you find a real 250 calories in each day that you can leave out.
That's where you use the diary, looking up what and how much food would be 250 calories. Best to plan still on what will be skipped each day.
Maybe it's no fries with that burger, maybe 2 less beers, ect.

Then find 250 calories worth of real extra activity you can do. If walking is it, look up how fast and how long to burn 250, or maybe 500 every other day, 250 on one day.

Since to lose weight you merely need to eat less than you burn, you are going to eat less than you currently do that may be maintaining your weight, and you are going to be a tad more active than before.

That combo will lose you 1 lb weekly.

segacs · October 2014

LessthanKris wrote: »

I loved trying new places that are not chains when I travel and even where we live, so the nutritional info is not always available.

I love to travel too. I don't worry too much about logging when I'm on the road, though, because normally I'm so active when I travel that I can pretty much eat (almost) anything and still lose weight. It's keeping it off once I get back home and settle back into my desk job and bad habits that's the problem.

heybales wrote: »

If you had an eating level that was basically maintaining, you find a real 250 calories in each day that you can leave out.

Interesting theory. I haven't managed to find a maintenance level just yet, but I will definitely keep this in mind for the future. I still think calorie counting is the way to go for me, at least for now, because without it I tend to eat far too much junk unconsciously. It helps with my awareness. But I'm certainly open to other ideas!

DavPul · October 2014

"Hi, I would like to lose 40 pounds without making any changes in my lifestyle. Any tips?"

Yes. Decide if this is something that's important to you and then come up with a plan you can live with. But right now, based on your comments this isn't a priority for you, and that's perfectly acceptable. No one has to starve or live a draconian lifestyle to lose a few pounds, but you have to be willing to change something.

Bonus note: usually my above for people that eat out is to find a similar entry at a chain, but if eating at a lot of chef style restaurants that's not going to work. The individual ingredient list varies way top much and typically the use of oils will swing a dish 500-800 calories where you don't expect it.

h7463 · October 2014

Hi! I don't think there's a problem with occasional restaurant visits. Most smaller restaurants have started to post their menu online, and many will please their customers by modifying some of their dishes. This might just give them an edge over the chains, anyway.
Every restaurant will weigh meat, just because of the cost, and you can never go wrong with a pile of steamed veggies, with any sauce strictly on the side. That's not hard to track.
I have traveled. If I know upfront where I will be dining, depending on the nationality of the restaurant, I will just accept one big cheat/treat day. I'd be kidding myself, thinking that there is such a thing as 'low fat' in Lebanese cuisine, e.g.......lol

Enjoy!

strawberrypopsicles · October 2014

Hey, I work at a restaurant without calorie information and eat their food almost every day. I've tried guesstimating their calories based on similar foods, but eventually gave up and stopped counting calories altogether. Your deficit is only a few hundred calories per day, so even if your estimates are off by a little the counting doesn't work. I try to pick the healthier options, don't eat/eat very little at home, and use MFP to track my waist measurements. It's not perfect but I'm down a pants size. Of course I didn't have that much weight to lose.

If your perceptions of how much food you should be eating aren't accurate and you want to lose weight quickly and healthily than you need to be able to count calories and not just guess them every other day. Maybe you should try an actual diet plan, not just a deficit. A lot of diet plans don't require you to count calories, they'll just tell you like what types of food you could have and they work for a lot of people

Some tips: Most restaurant portions are way too much food for one person so try to split with your friends as much as possible or opt for an appetizer as a meal. Stay away from the bowls of bread sticks or tortilla chips they put on your table. Salads really aren't that great after all the toppings and dressings they add (unless you like salads I mean) but calorie-wise you're usually better off with a piece of meat and giving away your fries. If you want to drink there is plenty of information about the calories in alcohols and you know your portions so no excuses there!

Bottom line, if you have no control over what you're eating you have no control over your weight.

Rose6300 · October 2014

I find something similar in the database and multiply by 1.2 if I think it's correct. If I think it's a lot smaller than what I see in front of me volume-wise, I multiply by 2. My rule of thumb is the lowest calories you'll get on a plate in any restaurant is 1400, and that's if I'm ordering something that seems healthy.

50sFit · October 2014

I go hog wild eating out, so my solution was never eat out but on what I now call "Reset Day" ie cheat day...
If I try to hold the line on calories, it's just not worth it.

Raddichio · October 2014

I agree with the comments above. Especially the one about portions generally being too big. So I almost always bring half home. I also try to be sure, when trying to determine calories, to overestimate the calories, as well.

MamaRiss · October 2014

If I'm out and it's a cheat day, I let my stomach decide ( within reason). If I am out and it is not a cheat day I pick something like a steak and vegetables. Portion sizes for the steak is often listed on the menu so thats easy, and steamed veggies are pretty much a no brainer. I wont even look at the description or pictures of menu items that will destroy my deficit, it just makes me sad. Right now while I'm trying to lose weight, I've resigned myself to the fact that I will often have a serving of sadness on a plate. But the sacrifice is worth it to me

allyphoe · October 2014

Assuming you gained weight by eating slightly over maintenance for a long time (rather than "I used to be a marathoner and am now physically unable to engage in any exercise" or similar situation in which you're used to eating far more than your current maintenance level), picking any arbitrary restriction is likely to give you a deficit. The tricky part is that your brain will eventually figure out how to eat at maintenance or a little above with any given restriction, so changing things up now and then becomes necessary.

For instance, if you normally have two drinks when you're out with friends, have one then switch to plain seltzer with lime. If you normally eat a whole order of fries, get a half order. Have grilled fish instead of battered and deep fried.

terar21 · October 2014

I love eating out, especially at small local restaurants at home or when I travel. I also work in an office where we have access to free catered food. What I try to do is:

1) know that it's a day when I need to burn some extra calories to compensate.

2) log from other chain restaurants with similar meals to get a nice ballpark. It won't be exact but will give you a good idea. I look through the list of chain meals and get a good idea of what the average is and pick something in the middle. if there doesn't seem to be a middle-range meal, log the high one. Just make sure you don't log the lowest one because chances are that what you're eating could be much higher. This works well for me.

3) I build the meal by logging with the ingredients it's made from (this is also ballparking). This is easier when it's a simple meal and you are familiar with what it takes to actually cook the meal.

Just realize it's probably a maintenance day and that's ok to have every now and then.

MelodyandBarbells · October 2014

DavPul wrote: »

"Hi, I would like to lose 40 pounds without making any changes in my lifestyle. Any tips?"

Yes. Decide if this is something that's important to you and then come up with a plan you can live with. But right now, based on your comments this isn't a priority for you, and that's perfectly acceptable. No one has to starve or live a draconian lifestyle to lose a few pounds, but you have to be willing to change something.

Bonus note: usually my above for people that eat out is to find a similar entry at a chain, but if eating at a lot of chef style restaurants that's not going to work. The individual ingredient list varies way top much and typically the use of oils will swing a dish 500-800 calories where you don't expect it.

Imagine if your deficit was .5 lb per week or 250 calories per day. For me with the lifestyle described by the OP, calorie counting would just not be compatible. I had years of my life when I enjoyed all the food, went out with friends to eat all the time, it was great. There's no rule that says you can't go out to eat all the time but what you're describing is not really possible if you're trying to log accurately.

Everything would be a guess. For what it's worth I think I'm a better guesser when I do go out due to all the other tips you mentioned OP, including making my own meals and knowing what the calorie counts of various items I prepare are. Of course, as mentioned, all it takes is a bit more delicious oil and butter applied by the chef and your estimate just got blown out the water. For most people logging accurately, by minimizing these kinds of foods we know it's not as accurate as it could be, but it has much less of an impact on the overall diet

michaelachallis · October 2014

I save eating out for "cheat days" or special occasions. This is the best way to control it because you really cannot guess cals in most places. If i know i am going out i will usually exercise that morning to compensate. To me you may as well enjoy yourself when you go out to eat and get what you want! So make it something you do occasionally not a few times a week

avskk · October 2014

If I were a frequent restaurant-eater -- like more than once a week -- I would probably eat at a larger deficit on non-restaurant days, find database entries similar to what I ordered out, and err on the side of overestimation when logging. Basically, do your best on the logging and build more of a deficit into the rest of your life to help create a margin for error.

I will say that there's a middle ground between "social recluse" and "no idea what I'm eating 5 nights a week." You may find that you do need to scale back your food-based socializing. It sucks. I get it. But you may end up having to choose your priority and sacrifice for it. (And you know, it's fine if you choose the socializing, but you'll need to accept the extra weight as the price of that.)

Amylacc · October 2014

Usually at restaurants, I try to eat off the "light" menu, if there is one. Or stick with fish that's grilled, not fried and without a lot of creamy sauces.

My downfall is usually homecooked meals, because I underestimate how much I actually eat. Portion control is my main issue.

I just started tracking again in the last couple of weeks, because I gained some weight due to a new, sedentary job and changing life circumstances. I don't know if I've lost anything yet, since I haven't been weighing myself.

For various reasons (not the least financial), I avoid eating out. Except at lunch, where I try to go to Panera, which lists the calories on the menu and makes it super easy.

mathandcats · October 2014

I do two things. First, I eat a bit less on the days leading up to when we're going to a restaurant and save those calories, because I know a typical restaurant dinner is easily 800-1000 cal and I can't fit that in a normal day without being hungry in the afternoon.

When I'm logging it, I either find something similar in the database (if I'm feeling lazy or ate a great variety, e.g. at a buffet), or if it's just one dish, I may try to estimate the ingredients individually and be on the generous side. I also typically look at the menu in advance and get a pre-logged estimate of what dinner will be so that I can make it fit.

This only really works because I don't eat out at restaurants very often. Any inaccuracy is not a big deal, because I'm not doing it all the time. If you eat out several meals per week and you consistently under-estimate the calories of those meals, it will affect your weight loss.

edit: Also, because this is a long-term thing, I do not deprive myself. It's a rare thing that I go out to a restaurant, so if I want something, I'll eat it and make darn sure the meal was worth the calories.

michaelachallis · October 2014

barneygood wrote: »

edit: Also, because this is a long-term thing, I do not deprive myself. It's a rare thing that I go out to a restaurant, so if I want something, I'll eat it and make darn sure the meal was worth the calories.

this - because damn right i am having dessert

Liftng4Lis · October 2014

When I go out to eat,( I don't to often), and it's somewhere where nutritional information isn't provided, I pre-log prior to ordering, based on the closest item in the data base. I also don't eat the whole meal, even though I have logged a whole meal, just to be safe. I'm making a decision to stick to my goals, this requires effort on my part.

jemhh · October 2014

I eat out 3-5 times per week. I log it all, regardless of whether it's a chain restaurant or not. Get familiar with what serving sizes look like. Ask questions about ingredients. Use the web to look up recipes for what you see on the menu. If eating out is a regular part of your life, you'll figure it out.

alereck · October 2014

I think if you eat out no more than twice a week you shouldn't worry too much about it. If you are eating more than twice a week try to stick with healthier choices and smaller meals. I've always had two cheat days out of the week even when I was cutting and never had a problem losing weight, I was very diligent on the other days of the week though.

Just one thing to keep in mind, I find it very hard to keep restaurant meals under 800 -1,000 calories even when eating salads. They focus on flavor which means tons of butter and sauces. I can eat tons of broccoli at home which I boil worth very little calories, the plain ones at chain restaurants are usually 3xs the amount of calories. So even when you think you're making good choices the calories are always higher than if you cook at home.

Otherwise focus on one thing at a time, enjoy life now and worry about your weight later. If I could afford eating out more often I would, even if it meant gaining a bit more weight.

segacs · October 2014

Thanks for the helpful suggestions and replies, all!

h7463 wrote: »

Most smaller restaurants have started to post their menu online, and many will please their customers by modifying some of their dishes. This might just give them an edge over the chains, anyway.

That's not really the case here. Most restaurants don't have websites at all, or if they do, they're basic sites with address and phone number information. As for modifying ingredients, that's sort of a no-no. But I agree, I've seen both these trends when I've visited parts of the United States.

DavPul wrote: »

"Hi, I would like to lose 40 pounds without making any changes in my lifestyle. Any tips?"

I think that's a little unfair, TBH. I'm making major lifestyle changes. I'm just trying to find a way to make this work in the long run. I know that giving up my social life entirely isn't realistic and was my downfall the last few times I've tried this. So I'm trying to approach it differently this time around.

strawberrypopsicles wrote: »

Some tips: Most restaurant portions are way too much food for one person so try to split with your friends as much as possible or opt for an appetizer as a meal.

Yep and yep. Great tips! I do most of these already. And I don't have any qualms about sending half a meal back uneaten, either. Yes, I know it'll get wasted. But I figure, better in the trash than on my hips. (I do, as much as possible, try to share or order smaller portions to avoid waste. But I'm not going to clean my plate out of guilt either.)

terar21 wrote: »

I love eating out, especially at small local restaurants at home or when I travel. I also work in an office where we have access to free catered food. What I try to do is:

1) know that it's a day when I need to burn some extra calories to compensate.

2) log from other chain restaurants with similar meals to get a nice ballpark. It won't be exact but will give you a good idea. I look through the list of chain meals and get a good idea of what the average is and pick something in the middle. if there doesn't seem to be a middle-range meal, log the high one. Just make sure you don't log the lowest one because chances are that what you're eating could be much higher. This works well for me.

3) I build the meal by logging with the ingredients it's made from (this is also ballparking). This is easier when it's a simple meal and you are familiar with what it takes to actually cook the meal.

Just realize it's probably a maintenance day and that's ok to have every now and then.

Some combination of these is probably going to be my strategy, with an emphasis on #1 and #3. Using "similar" chain food meals isn't all that helpful since I tend to avoid eating at places that make food that's too much like fast food chains anyway. Luckily, it's usually healthier, so I figure that's a win. The last thing I'd want to do would be to start eating more junk just because it's easier to track.

Logging restaurant meals: Any long-term workable advice?

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