Tips for eating out?

Just go out and enjoy yourself. You are not going to blow up from a meal even if you eat unclean things. As Neil Diamond sang,"Just go with the feelin' it usually works" Besides we all must eat a peck of dirt. (or gold, according to Robert Frost)

P.s. If you are going to a chain restaurant they might post their calories online, if you know where you are going check!

I usually order very similarly to how my sister does when we go out - she is a lactose in tolerant vegetarian so hers is for a reason. I usually just say I would like my meat 'dry' and order a steak and eat until I'm full and get a side of steamed veggies. You sadly can't control what they do to your meal in the kitchen but I've found that if you are nice to the waiter and don't pester them, they are happy to accommodate your food preferences.

Good luck, and just peruse the menu when you get there and have an option or two when the waiter comes out. You do have dietary concerns being a diabetic so that's something your date should know, but that doesn't mean you have to ask 1000 questions just to avoid an extra 100 calories since for a first date that can be overwhelming for a guy.

I think you should go on your date and just be yourself. If that includes weirding out over your food, do it.

Both parties should be honest about themselves up front, because they'll find out eventually. Better sooner than later.

Choose something like chicken/fish/steak and veggies, or if you get a salad ask for the dressing on the side and just have a little bit.

Or have a good workout in the day and just enjoy your meal out. It's not like you're eating out every day so just enjoy your date.

CorinnaShaw wrote: »

I have a date tomorrow and he is taking me out to eat. I don't know where we are going but restaurants tend to cook things in unhealthy vegetables oils or put sugar in everything. I plan on getting whatever dish has the most meat and veggies, but how do I keep them from sneaking sugar or unhealthy fats into stuff? Do I lie and say I have allergies? If I tell them I am type 1 diabetic, will they cater to my requests? Is it something I should not even think about on a first date as it may come across as weird and obsessive? Can I make requests for them to use butter or olive oil instead of vegetable oil or canola oil? How do I avoid ingredients I don't want?

Good luck with this. I am a type 1 diabetic, and restaurants rarely give a second thought to making sure that they are giving me what I took insulin for. There are a few restaurant chains that I avoid because of the stuff some managers tell me about nutrition (one manager at Don Pablos told me that a Calorie is equal to one gram of carbohydrate, so if a serving of cheese enchiladas is 200 Calories, then I need to take insulin for 200g of carbs. Hahaha, that big of an insulin overdose would kill me) or the simple fact that that chain refuses to post nutrition information.

This might be because I'm tending to a super high blood sugar and trying to frantically figure out whether it is a pump issue or not (when, if it is a pump issue, I could experience potential ketoacidosis if I do not catch it within the next few hours), but the bolded statement is really rubbing me in the wrong way (Edit: I apologize, I did not see you are also a T1 diabetic). Yes, I am irritable, but it will not kill you if your meal somehow has canola oil or sugar in it. Something like that is not life or death. If anything, you just need to make sure to prelog as much as you can, exercise a bit more the day of, or cut back a bit on the other meals you consume to make sure that you still are in a deficit despite any surprises that might be in the meal

CorinnaShaw wrote: »

If there is steak, I am definitely ordering that. I am not worried about butter. I just don't want them using canola or vegetable oils since those turn into trans fats when cooked at temperatures over 300F. Oh well. I will just get the plate with no starches on it and try not to eat anything else for the day. I almost never eat out so this is a tricky situation for me.

This should be a really, really fun date.

What if you chose the restaraunt? Or have a few choices in mind and you could ask him what he prefers? That's what I would do, and/or eat something at home and then have a salad or a small portion of whatever at dinner.

This is a big concern I have about dating again. That's how I gained a bunch of weight in the first place, so I'm hoping my dates will be centered around activities like hiking/biking/bowling... Not food, food, food. Good luck on your date!