How do I handle going out to eat??

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  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    segacs wrote: »
    Also, you can do all these things to get blander, healthier meat n' veggies food at restaurants... Or, if you prefer, you can view your restaurant outings as treats and just order whatever you like. Just eat less of it. Get half to take home and eat it tomorrow for lunch.

    This isn't a diet; it's a lifestyle change for life. You don't have to spend the rest of your life avoiding restaurants or foods you enjoy. That's not sustainable. Just eat in moderation and have fun!

    This. Enjoy the time with your friends.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    - You know what is healthy...so let that help you decide...i.e. lean proteins preferably grilled, veggies, etc
    - For calories you can look at chain restaurants on-line...otherwise you have to just find something similar and do the best you can
    - I don't eat out often at all...I discovered long ago that I had better results when I didn't eat out very much...when I do go out though, I usually just enjoy myself...try to make goodish decisions, and not worry about it too much...it's such a rarity that in the grand scheme of things, it's pretty irrelevant these days.
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
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    I agree with planning ahead if that's what you want to do and I agree with ordering broiled or steamed rather than fried or sauteed. However, I rarely go out to a nice restaurant or even a casual dining restaurant. When I do, it's such a treat that I generally log it and move on. I've been at this tracking and weight loss long enough now that I'm less concerned that a single meal is going to derail my newly-acquired good habits and change my weight loss into a weight gain.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    As others have said, plan ahead, use what you've learned so far with cooking at home, but most importantly, this is supposed to be a lifestyle change. You are not going to go the rest of your life without eating out, so you need to figure out ways to make that work for you. Also, life throws you curve balls. You may do your research thinking you and your friends are going to Applebees, and then suddenly someone will say, "man I really want Mexican" and you need to adapt on the fly. It's part of life and it is meant to be enjoyable, so don't sweat it. Go out, enjoy dinner, log it, and move on. Even if it puts you over your calories for the day, consider your weekly deficit. If you stay within that, you won't hinder your progress.

    Enjoy!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    segacs wrote: »
    Also, you can do all these things to get blander, healthier meat n' veggies food at restaurants... Or, if you prefer, you can view your restaurant outings as treats and just order whatever you like. Just eat less of it. Get half to take home and eat it tomorrow for lunch.

    This isn't a diet; it's a lifestyle change for life. You don't have to spend the rest of your life avoiding restaurants or foods you enjoy. That's not sustainable. Just eat in moderation and have fun!

    Why the suggestion that healthier must mean blander? It's so untrue.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    segacs wrote: »
    Also, you can do all these things to get blander, healthier meat n' veggies food at restaurants... Or, if you prefer, you can view your restaurant outings as treats and just order whatever you like. Just eat less of it. Get half to take home and eat it tomorrow for lunch.

    This isn't a diet; it's a lifestyle change for life. You don't have to spend the rest of your life avoiding restaurants or foods you enjoy. That's not sustainable. Just eat in moderation and have fun!

    Why the suggestion that healthier must mean blander? It's so untrue.

    Seriously.

    When I go out to eat, what I WANT is a really good steak. Because I can't ever cook it as well as they do no matter how hard I try. Steak is heavy, so I naturally would balance it out with veggies. It's delicious and, bonus, easier to calculate than the chicken alfredo or whatever.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    I meant blander in terms of "dressing on the side, steam everything, hold the sauces, hold the butters and oils, no ingredients you don't recognize, plain meat n' potatoes".

    When I go out I like to visit different types of restaurants, from various cultural or ethnic cuisines to "foodie" places. I'm typically not visiting a chain or just ordering basic fare that I could cook at home.

    Nothing wrong with a good steak if that's what you're in the mood for, either. Chacun à son goût and all that. But if you want to order something WITH all the flavourings, sauces and extra calories, I'm just saying that you don't have to feel compelled to modify or avoid any foods in order to lose weight. You can fit it all into your calorie goals, give or take a reasonable margin of error, if you just practice portion control.
  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
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    I typically stay away from cheese/butter/cream sauces, and go for a lighter meat option like poultry or fish, and swap some carb items for steamed or grilled veggies.
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    I find it pretty simple to eat out within a reasonable calorie range. Recognize that salad isn't always the best way to go with all the stuff they put in it plus dressing. You can end up with a salad (tasty of course) that is just as many calories as a regular course. If you do go the salad route, stick with the grilled meat, no cheese (or light cheese because for some reason, I swear the restaurant cheeses pile on so much calories) and dressing on the side so you can manage it.

    I personally like to go with a meat because I know I can get close on estimating the portion size. Steak is a good option. Just a nice simple steak with a little seasoning and you can't go wrong. Bonus because they tell you how many ounces it is lol. It only gets high calories when there's various sauces on it. I just order the most simple steak and do some sauce on the side. I'm not partial to chicken but that's another easy one and usually a staple of a restaurant's "lighter side" menu. Grilled/baked fish is a good option as well. Provided the meat doesn't say it's based in some kind of cream/butter sauce, you're good.

    Beyond that, it's ok to let yourself live a little every once and a while. Provided your on track for the week, some extra calories won't hurt every now and then.
  • pplastics
    pplastics Posts: 135 Member
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    Plan ahead, choosing wisely;
    Dressings on the side only and use the "fork method" (dip fork in dressing first, then salad, then eat it);
    Only eat half at the restaurant, using the other half for a great lunch or dinner later;
    If you really want to go hard core, ask for no added butter on your meal....restaurants use a lot of butter, even on their steamed/grilled entrees and sides!;

    and, most importantly...don't stress so much about it and have fun!

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