What do you do when you go out to eat?
BrittTomore87
Posts: 37 Member
Whenever I go out to eat with friends I never know what to get. Most places don't have the calorie count printed and that just freaks me out. What things are safe to order at restaurants?
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Replies
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Goggle there nutrition facts. My friend always does that during the cut phase.0
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Look it up online or ask for the nutrion info. Some menus have low cal options but if not then just ball park it. Baked chicken with veggies is usually a safe bet. One day usually won't hurt but if your eating out all the time it could be an issue.0
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I eat whatever and whenever I want... I just work it off.0
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I always check out the menu online before I go out. Most restaurants will have them. If not, you're pretty safe if you order protein (chicken, steak, pork) with veggies and/or salad with a vinegrette type dressing (not a creamy one). I live in a small town, and at every restaurant I have my "thing" to eat. For example shoeless Joe's I always order their steak and goat cheese salad. Kelsey's is their sanoma salad and their Thai soup. East Side Mario's is all you can eat soup and salad. In the less "chainy" restaurants I might get a BLT on whole wheat with some sweet potato fries. I always check out the restaurant online, then log what I plan on eating before I even go, so that I stay accountable. When I get to the restaurant, I don't even open the menu, so that I'm not tempted...Hope this helps...0
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I don't eat out often, so I just enjoy myself. As a general rule of thumb, a restaurant serving is on average about 2 or more servings...so if I ate out regularly, I would likely opt to eat about 1/2 of what was on my plate and box up the rest. My wife and I sometimes split entrees too...0
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ugh. restaurants are a nightmare. It's so hard to stay the course, running this gauntlet of grease and sugar and calories while everyone around you stuffs their faces on junk that they clearly don't need. If possible, a garden salad with low cal dressing on the side. Some grilled chicken if they have it. or a vegetable plate (nothing fried or with sauce). Cut food in tiny bites, eat super slow, drink lots of water.... get coffee instead of dessert. Avoid bread basket and/or appetizers. It helps to have an apple and a cup of low cal soup before going out so that you aren't starving and end up bingeing and being miserable later.
I avoid going to restaurants whenever I can because for one thing it costs money which I really can't afford, and.... fat and calories out the wazoo!0 -
Since I don't eat out that often, I get whatever I want guilt free and without worry.0
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I avoid stuff with sauces or fried foods, pretty much.0
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Unfortunately, the restaurants that I can eat out with a 2 year old and 4 year old all pretty much have nutrition content. When I get the rare night out with friends I eat whatever I like. The last time my best girlfriend and I were able to ditch kids I totally ate Irish Nachos...kettle chips with like 4 different kinds of melted cheese and bacon...so good. And I washed it down with some craft beer.0
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I go for grilled entrees like chicken, or salads with dressing on the side. At least with those I feel like I can estimate what I am consuming. Sometimes I will even ask the server to confirm the meat weight.
Warning on salads: most restaurants put a TON of calorie-adds on there like cheese and crutons. If you are focused on counting make sure to exclude these when you order.
Or, like other posters have mentioned, I will workout in the morning in anticipation of the calorie load and order whatever.0 -
i dont eat out often so when i do, i normally eat sensibly but i eat the foods i want.0
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if you don't eat out regularly, i say it's ok to splurge a little as far as the type of entree.. just cut it in half and box up the rest to-go. i'd hate to spend money on something like baked chicken & veggies when it's something i'd likely make at home. plus they add all types of extra things to entrees you'd think would be otherwise healthy, like butter and salt! on a side note, i remember looking up Red Robin's nutrition facts and i saw they add butter to the burger patty and to the bun. No wonder their burgers are extra tasty! So my rule of thumb is to just cut my entree in half and avoid the bread basket LOL0
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If I know in advance which restaurant we are going to, I see if the meals and calories are listed online and make up my mind what I will order in advance.
As a general rule, stay away from anything fried, anything in a creamy sauce and anything heavy in starch. Feel free to ask to substitute a sweet potato or a baked potato for mashed potatos. Any salad is fine but get the dressing on the side, especially if creamy or sweet. Salad items to be wary of: croutons, seeds/nuts, dried fruits. All of those are dense in calories. Avoid the rolls or breadsticks offered before dinner.
Then I just add each item and the approximate size since I've gotten good at eyeballing volumes/serving sizes. It's easier if you stick to dishes that don't have a lot of ingredients or simple ingredients. It's all just guesswork anyway - even just a banana calories vary from one to the other so we're just working with averages.0 -
BrittTomoreBenn wrote: »What things are safe to order at restaurants?
The safe thing to do is not go out to restaurants, because they generally do not serve healthy food. Case in point, a typical lunch at Chili's added up to 1,400 calories, which is worse than McDonalds considering I was choosing what appeared to be healthy foods (baked chicken).
My point is don't go out eating at restaurants if you're trying to be healthy.
When I think about eating out, it's sushi or pizza. But I rarely do that.
Seriosly? that's complete hoseremalarky.
I eat out at least 2x a week. I'm neither fat- nor have I ever been- I work out 3 times a week and attend at least 3-4 dance classes a week and I work 3 jobs.
Having some situational awareness of the foods you are consuming and preparing in advance of your consumption goes a long way.
If you regularly don't eat out- and this is a special occasion- don't worry about it. Seriously- one night won't derail you- enjoy the time out- chose wisely- but don't make yourself crazy.
If you eat out once or twice a month- It's easy to save 50-200 calories a day up in advance for a few days and give yourself some buffer room in terms of deficit.
If you eat out regularly (like me) schedule and work around it. My BF is only here 2x a week- 9/10 we go out to eat at LEAST once- and often times it's to high end- steak/allyou can eat Brazillian places- we are steak snobs- I'm not going to be picky when I'm there.
If I know that's where we are going- I typically log some extra cardio and I typically eat very light all day the day of said meal.
If I don't know that's where we are going- I will usually skip one meal or a snack- and leave about 1000 calories for dinner and wing it.
But just saying don't eat out b/c it is unhealthy is rubbish.
It CAN be unhealthy- and it can set you back if you don't exercise some situational awareness and some self discipline- but dining out regularly is perfectly reasonable and doable.0 -
BrittTomoreBenn wrote: »What things are safe to order at restaurants?
The safe thing to do is not go out to restaurants, because they generally do not serve healthy food. Case in point, a typical lunch at Chili's added up to 1,400 calories, which is worse than McDonalds considering I was choosing what appeared to be healthy foods (baked chicken).
My point is don't go out eating at restaurants if you're trying to be healthy.
When I think about eating out, it's sushi or pizza. But I rarely do that.
This is not helpful advice at all. Everyone here needs to live a normal life - and going out to eat in social settings is part of normal life.0 -
I eat anything. But I usually only finish half, box up the other half and eat it for another meal.
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..... I'm starting to actually be glad that I'm poor. If I had to deal with restaurants more than like once every 3 or 4 months I would go mad and probably be the size of a house. I remember the last time I was out, I think it was August, and I ordered a vegetable omelette, no cheese or anything. When I got home I looked on their web site to see how many calories it was. IT WAS 800 CALORIES for a plain vegetable omelette and no it did not look gigantic or seem greasy or anything. I have no idea how they manage to jam so much fat into things that look healthy and are advertised as healthy. It's like a mine field!0
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I hate going to restraunts, or eating anything where I can't weigh my food and know its nutritional facts. My collegues and I always go to chineese once a month (all you can eat), and tbh they just provide rubbish, carbohydrates everywhere on everything and its an absolute nightmare for me. So all I do is grab a small plate and have 6 mini (about the size of our small finger). But I take 3 at one time then 3 the next, so i don't finish way before them. When you go out I suggest just minimizing as much as you can, such as keeping to a salad (very low calories) with no sauce, however i wouldnt choose this option, or go for a protein/fat meal which you can eat without sauce, which i try do as there are more calories which means i can eat less later in the day.0
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I order everything that sounds good on the menu, eat it and then deal with the consequences at a later date0
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Sadly, since I started this I've avoided going out to eat. Which sucks and I miss it terribly.
That being said - the 2 times that I ate out where it was unavoidable I had grilled fish and veggies. Didn't eat the bread and had a lite beer.
Chain restaurants have the nutrician information listed on their websites, but your typical family/mom & pop restaurant doesn't. So if that's the case, just avoid anything fried or battered, watch your portions and don't stuff yourself too much.0 -
It depends how often you go out to eat... or how much you workout.
But in my case, since I don't eat out as often as I used to, I enjoy whatever I feel like eating on the menu. I log it, and move on to the next day. Most of the time I don't even eat it all so I get a box for my leftovers.0 -
I eat out at least 2x a week. I'm neither fat- nor have I ever been- I work out 3 times a week and attend at least 3-4 dance classes a week and I work 3 jobs.
Good for you, doesn't mean other people can just dance, eat out and not be fat. You are not the common denominator for everyone else.
Typical sit-down restaurants (Applebee's, Chili's, Outback) do not serve what constitutes nutritional food if you are trying to be healthy. It doesn't mean you can't find some way to make it work, it just means there are overwhelmingly more unhealthy choices on their menus than nutritionally balanced. If you are trying to be situationally aware of how you eat, eating at places like this are situationally ignorant.
If you eat out at some health-vegan joint where everything is gluten-absolved and organically grown and raised with a college education, then obviously its not all too bad, and you'll probably be fine.If you eat out once or twice a month- It's easy to save 50-200 calories a day up in advance for a few days and give yourself some buffer room in terms of deficit.
You can't bank calories from one day to save for another, that's not how the body works. It's not like money, you don't place unspent calories in the piggy-bank to be spent a few days later.My BF is only here 2x a week- 9/10 we go out to eat at LEAST once- and often times it's to high end- steak/allyou can eat Brazillian places- we are steak snobs- I'm not going to be picky when I'm there.
Sounds like you're just a snob in general, if anything has lost some weight its your boyfriend's wallet. Keep up the gold-digging, should work out well.just saying don't eat out b/c it is unhealthy is rubbish.
Actually its brilliant, even if it was misleading, it would be misleading in a beneficial way. Meals prepared by hand from scratch ingredients is a general way to avoid unhealthy eating. Obviously if you prepare and eat an entire apple pie by hand it doesn't make it healthy. Use your head people.
You must be new here.
I was merely pointing out that I'm healthy and fit- not that I expect people to do what I do.
Secondly- what I do is count calories- it's a common denominator for EVERYONE on this site. I am no more usual or unsual than ANYONE else in this site. Thirdly I TDEE_ so I don't even eat back my calories- so it's not like "I'm working off so much more than anyone else"
I eat at all many types of places- none of which are some voodoo healthy vegan wanna be organic grass fed paleo bull crap. I eat sushi- brazillian- chili's- mexican- chili's and applebees. I eat rotesseri chicken from the grocery store too!!! GASP. I just happen to like nice food.
And you ABSOLUTELY can bank calories- you're body works on averages- not daily fixed numbers. That's EXACTLY how that works. The reason why we suggest doing a small deficit daily is because is sustainable and manageable. You could absolutely lose weight if you chose to not eat 2 days out of the week- but that's just NOT sustainable- but it's perfectly reasonable to bank calories- it's why the app has a handy dandy average feature on it for the week.
Fourthly- please don't personally attack me. 100% unnecessary and also incorrect. We go out to eat when he is here because we don't live together- we have backwards schedules and live apart- that's our time together and it's something we enjoy- at no point did I say he paid. He typically does- because he likes to- but I buy and I treat.
I live on my own, I'm an engineer for the state. I pay my own bills- I own a nice car and a motorcycle that I pay for myself. I worked construction for 5 years and crawled my way up- I'm not entitled- but I know my own self worth and I am confident in what I like and what I do and who I am. if I have "privilege" or a sense of entitlement it's because I"ve earned ever second and cent of it.
This doesn't make me a snob- but it makes me confident- and if you can't deal with that- tought!tties.
on the other hand- I will freely admit I'm a steak snob- I don't eat crappy steaks. I like good food.
And when we go out- we like to eat at nice places- it's something we have in common and enjoy doing. Many people enjoy that- doesn't make us snobs.
So take a step back and check yourself because you are flat out wrong on all accounts.0 -
All that to say- it's perfectly fine- and normal to eat out with a balanced approach to life.0
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All that to say- it's perfectly fine- and normal to eat out with a balanced approach to life.
Actually when I made the 1000 pound club for lifting stats. I was thinking of what would be the club for strong women. Then I though of you and was like I am sure women can 100% get to 1000 pounds on lifting. You were one of the strong people I thought of on MFP.
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It depends how often you go out to eat. If it's only once a week, then make it a cheat meal and have at it. If it's several times per week, then you should probably assume the worst about the food and try to work it into your daily calories via exercise or eating light at other times.
For example, when I go to cheesecake factory for dinner I will just eat light (or fast) all day before hand and then order whatever I want. It's not hard to fend off hunger cravings when you know you have cheesecake coming in a few hours.0 -
BrittTomoreBenn wrote: »What things are safe to order at restaurants?
The safe thing to do is not go out to restaurants, because they generally do not serve healthy food. Case in point, a typical lunch at Chili's added up to 1,400 calories, which is worse than McDonalds considering I was choosing what appeared to be healthy foods (baked chicken).
My point is don't go out eating at restaurants if you're trying to be healthy.
When I think about eating out, it's sushi or pizza. But I rarely do that.
LOL, Chili's? Terrible example. Their calorie counts are definitely large and in charge, however, that does not make the food un-healthy. When I go to a sit down restaurant I try to stick with either fish or chicken, try to have veggie sides or a sweet potato. I also do not order appetizers, if someone else does I try to exercise self control and only have a few bites. I usually screw the whole thing if I get dessert so this is another important area personally where I must exercise self control.
Restaurant food is not evil or un-healthy, however, if losing weight is your goal, pay attention to your calorie balance.
Same rule applies to eating ice cream at home. I guess it's healthy since it's not at a restaurant.
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Eating out was one of the reasons I gained 100+ pounds. I stopped eating out and it helped a LOT. Now I'm too poor to afford to eat out often (That's what I keep telling myself!) and we don't eat out except when we are celebrating or as a treat. I always look up the resturants before we go there. I usually look for resturants that have the "low calorie" options and choose the best off those menu. If they don't have that I make sure to find out the nutritional value of the meal I am going to eat and plan my day around it. This not only helps me stick to my diet but it cuts down my order time (Because I will spend an hour deciding!).0
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BrittTomoreBenn wrote: »What things are safe to order at restaurants?
The safe thing to do is not go out to restaurants, because they generally do not serve healthy food. Case in point, a typical lunch at Chili's added up to 1,400 calories, which is worse than McDonalds considering I was choosing what appeared to be healthy foods (baked chicken).
My point is don't go out eating at restaurants if you're trying to be healthy.
When I think about eating out, it's sushi or pizza. But I rarely do that.
So don't get the 'typical' lunch. I'm not sure why that's not a perfectly reasonable option.
Get a burger and eat half and take the rest home. Or don't eat the bun. You can skip the cheese if you like, and/or the mayo. Ask the waiter to leave the fries off of the plate so you're not tempted to have a few. Have them put the salad dressing on the side. All kinds of ways for you to eat sensibly at a restaurant. Or, you can compensate by eating more lightly for other meals.
Frankly, it's ridiculous to plan on eating properly for the rest of your life and not have a plan for how to deal with eating out. It happens. You can do it and still enjoy good food and company without turning yourself into knots. Even at places like Chili's and Red Robin.0 -
Thank you everyone! This really helped a lot. I really like the whole pre planning idea. I run about 6 miles 2-3 days a week and 4 miles 3 days a week so I think that I'll just make sure when we eat out it is a 6 mile day. Thanks again everyone! x0
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When I go out for dinner, which is usually with my boyfriend for special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays, I just eat whatever I want. Same for wine. We easily have 2 bottles of red at a nice night out. But most of these nights are planned at least a week or so in advance so I just increase my workouts in the week before and the week after, assuming that I at least consumed an extra 1000-1500 calories that night.0
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