Eating out

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purplepollypops
purplepollypops Posts: 323 Member
in Food and Nutrition
In the last week I have eaten out quite a bit and have tried really hard, without being too obsessive, to be sensible and not go over my cals by too much but it is really difficult when places don't show nutrional information and you can't find any further info on any website.

How do you work it out? I mean, I have no idea how much a portion of chips weighs! lol
I had a boring salad the other day because everything else on the menu looked so nice but was so obviously over my daily limit! :laugh:

I'm going out again tonight, same pub as last week which is part of the Greene King chain but there is no info on their website so I'm going to have to guess again!

Replies

  • ambie35
    ambie35 Posts: 853 Member
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    a grilled chicken burger without the top bun and a side salad is always a good call.
  • GLJezebel
    GLJezebel Posts: 312 Member
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    I try to find something comparable in the database and use that if I can't find nutritional info on a particular restaurant. Maybe you could ask them to grill a chicken breast for you and eat half? You could add that to your salad if you want. I know what you mean, though; one of my favorite restaurants is a little local place with no nutritional info anywhere and I hate guessing.
  • lynnmarie60
    lynnmarie60 Posts: 325
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    Grilled items, fresh salads (without meat or creamy dressings) or veggie items will be your best bet if you keep going out to eat. Why not, try eating something before you go then have something light when you get there? I have done that before and it helped ALOT.
  • Kdoran73
    Kdoran73 Posts: 12 Member
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    When I eat out and there is no healthy menu. I always go for grilled chicken and veggies. Stay away from the Carbs at night, remember they turn into fat. Or a salad with grilled chicken on it is good to.
  • cdclark81
    cdclark81 Posts: 11
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    I travel a lot for work, so I run into the same problem. For the larger chain restaurants, it's easy to find their nutrition information online, and many have their healthier dinners annotated on the menu. For example, I ate at TGI Friday's last night, and on their menu, they have certain menu items marked "RHRP" (Right Portion, Right Price). All of these items are 750 calories or less. For the smaller, independently owned establishments, it's best just to pay attention to the menu description of the individual items. Stay away from anything fried or "crispy", which implies that it's fried. Also, items with dressings or sauces can be dangerous because that's where a large portion of the calories come from. Especially cream sauces because they're loaded with not only calories, but fat as well. If you don't understand something on the menu, simply ask the waiter/waitress how it's made. It's best just to keep it simple; basically eat something similar to what you can easily make at home, like grilled chicken or fish with a baked potato and a side salad (easy on the dressing).
  • wendycheng
    wendycheng Posts: 26 Member
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    I always try to eat a little before I eat out so that I don't go hungry. Most restaurant foods are loaded with oils and fats. I might just order whatever I want but just eat a little bit of it.
  • purplepollypops
    purplepollypops Posts: 323 Member
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    Thanks for all your comments, although it seems that most of you are in the US and I'm in the UK so things are a little different over here! You can't just go into a pub or restaurant and ask for what you want, it has to be on the menu! I ended up having hunters chicken (chicken breast with bbq sauce, bacon and melted cheese) with 4 measly new potatoes and a small handful of mixed salad leaves :sad:
    But I did make sure I had enough cals left for some ice cream for dessert! The portions were really tiny so I'm pretty sure I didn't go over my limit today! :laugh:
  • purplepollypops
    purplepollypops Posts: 323 Member
    Options
    Thanks for all your comments, although it seems that most of you are in the US and I'm in the UK so things are a little different over here! You can't just go into a pub or restaurant and ask for what you want, it has to be on the menu! I ended up having hunters chicken (chicken breast with bbq sauce, bacon and melted cheese) with 4 measly new potatoes and a small handful of mixed salad leaves :sad:
    But I did make sure I had enough cals left for some ice cream for dessert! The portions were really tiny so I'm pretty sure I didn't go over my limit today! :laugh:
  • purplepollypops
    purplepollypops Posts: 323 Member
    Options
    Thanks for all your comments, although it seems that most of you are in the US and I'm in the UK so things are a little different over here! You can't just go into a pub or restaurant and ask for what you want, it has to be on the menu! I ended up having hunters chicken (chicken breast with bbq sauce, bacon and melted cheese) with 4 measly new potatoes and a small handful of mixed salad leaves :sad:
    But I did make sure I had enough cals left for some ice cream for dessert! The portions were really tiny so I'm pretty sure I didn't go over my limit today! :laugh:

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