Needing Any suggestions for Dinning out?

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justtjoy
justtjoy Posts: 64 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm looking for any help, tricks or menu ideas when dining out and staying low carb. This last week has been hard for me, we had a celebration so everyone wanted to bring us to dinner which meant we were out 4 evenings in a row. I tried to just have the protien and maybe soups but was wondering any tips, tricks or menu ideas what to stay clear of or what to order. Any help is appreciated

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Are you doing low carb for a medical reason?
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Just order a grilled protein and side salad or a side like asparagus. Bam.
  • justtjoy
    justtjoy Posts: 64 Member
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    Yes lifting4lis I'm diabetic and restricting the carbs is bringing down my sugars
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    PeachyCarol wrote: »
    Just order a grilled protein and side salad or a side like asparagus. Bam.

    This.

    I'm not a low carber but I tend to not eat most restaurant breads because I'd prefer to spend my calories on meat. The above method is effective at 90% of restaurants (excluding fast food places which normally don't have veggie side dishes.)
  • justtjoy
    justtjoy Posts: 64 Member
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    Ok good ty
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    If they have grilled meat and roasted vegetables, you're usually good to go. Sub out starches for most veggies and pass on the bread.
  • justtjoy
    justtjoy Posts: 64 Member
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    What if grilled isn't an option ? I stuck with chicken and salmon but not grilled and that doesn't work
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I prefer the salad/veggie over soup because I find them more filling plus they tend to be lower in sodium. Just keep an eye on the non-veg toppings :)
  • justtjoy
    justtjoy Posts: 64 Member
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    Ah that makes sense jemhh thanks will switch over from soups
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    edited June 2015
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    justtjoy wrote: »
    What if grilled isn't an option ? I stuck with chicken and salmon but not grilled and that doesn't work

    If grilled isn't an option: roasted, baked, poached, seared. If it looks like it is fried and breaded, it's probably not what you need.

    Sauces could be tricky, since I'm not sure what your low carb requirement is. Cream and butter sauces might be fine, but of course they add a lot of cals fast. Also a lot of sauces are tightened with some starch, so it really depends how strict you're needing to be.
  • justtjoy
    justtjoy Posts: 64 Member
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    Ok thanks .. I just will have to read the menu in more detail to see how it's cooked and what's thrown on it (sauces)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    And remember that you can often ask them to hold the sauces. I'm lactose intolerant and avoid most sauces in restaurants because they tend to make me sick. Obviously if the sauce is an important part of the dish I wouldn't do that but if it's something that seems easy to leave off you can always ask.
  • justtjoy
    justtjoy Posts: 64 Member
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    I'm also lactose intolerant so don't order any cream based saucy dishes but never looked at what kinds of sauce just non dairy
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    chicken
    veggies
    replace the starch that comes with it with more veggie.

    problem solved.
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
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    justtjoy wrote: »
    Ok thanks .. I just will have to read the menu in more detail to see how it's cooked and what's thrown on it (sauces)

    The thing is that it's not the purpose of a menu to tell you every last tiny detail of what's in the dish, in what proportions, and how it's all prepared. "Grilled chicken" can mean about a thousand different things. Restaurants choose the best words to describe what they serve, but they don't bring the menu back to the kitchen and use it as a guide to guess what you will expect. They just make their version of the dish and bring it out to you. So poring over the menu will not actually enlighten you as to the exact dish you will ultimately receive, no matter how thoroughly you analyze each word. I can almost guarantee you'll be putting more thought into it than the people who actually wrote the menu.

    So you have to use some common sense. If it's really important to you to avoid certain foods or food groups, talk to your server and ask for advice. They've seen and probably eaten the dishes a million times. They'll know if that grilled chicken is smothered in white sauce and served on a bed of rice, for example. A conversation is way more useful than a menu line.

    More importantly, if your grilled chicken happens to come out on a bed of rice, you don't have to eat the rice. If you see you've miscalculated in your ordering, respond by controlling your eating. Flag the waiter down and ask for a side salad if there's not enough of what you want on your plate to fill you up, but don't eat things that don't fit with your goals just because they're there.

    Scrape off the sauce. Eat half and leave the rest. Ignore the potatoes. Whatever: it's up to you. Not the menu.
  • justtjoy
    justtjoy Posts: 64 Member
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    Thanks FlyingMolly .. Good idea I never thought of it that way, it's true tho grilled could mean a huge variety of things. Thanks everyone for enlightening me with all your thoughts
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
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    justtjoy wrote: »
    I'm looking for any help, tricks or menu ideas when dining out and staying low carb. This last week has been hard for me, we had a celebration so everyone wanted to bring us to dinner which meant we were out 4 evenings in a row. I tried to just have the protien and maybe soups but was wondering any tips, tricks or menu ideas what to stay clear of or what to order. Any help is appreciated

    I check out the restaurant menu in advance on their website, and look at the nutritional information if it's available. If I don't have the time then I will usually get a garden salad with no dressing. You mentioned soups - Soups be tricky when out. I've seen cream based soups that have as many calories as a regular entree, and they are usually loaded with sodium. Also be careful with house sauces as those are usually calorie bombs. Good luck!
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    Look up the nutrition before you go.

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