worst case scenario

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esmeraldaRM
esmeraldaRM Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i hope to lose 100 lbs one week at a time

what do you pick when all the choices are bad? high protein? low sugar? low fat? whole grain? 1/4 of a portion? which of these should be my golden rule: when in doubt pick (_________).
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  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Whatever fits into your calorie allowance. What do you mean;
    "all the choices are bad"?
  • esmeraldaRM
    esmeraldaRM Posts: 14 Member
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    well i went to ihop today and ALL choices were bad even salads were 700+ calories i spent half my calorie budget in one sitting!!
  • Derf_Smeggle
    Derf_Smeggle Posts: 611 Member
    edited November 2015
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    So, you have a few choices.
    • Don't eat at IHop.
    • Don't eat the full meal, and take some home (or don't).
    • Do 3 or 4 hours of intense cardio.
    • Plan to be flexible over the week. A little over 1 day, a little under the next.

    Ultimately, it's difficult to eat a typical entree, or combination meal at a lot of common chain restaurants and maintain a calorie deficit.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    You make the best choice you can. High protein, sauce on the side, nothing fried.
    And most chains have nutrition information online - for future reference, IHOP has some 'simple and fit' options that are less than 500 calories.
  • Ibleedlipstick
    Ibleedlipstick Posts: 33 Member
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    Derf_Smeggle wrote: »
    So, you have a few choices.
    • Don't eat at IHop.
    • Don't eat the full meal, and take some home (or don't).
    • Do 3 or 4 hours of intense cardio.
    • Plan to be flexible over the week. A little over 1 day, a little under the next.

    Ultimately, it's difficult to eat a typical entree, or combination meal at a lot of common chain restaurants and maintain a calorie deficit.

    I always plan to be flexible, and it makes this lifestyle far more sustainable. Some days I'm ridiculously hungry, and other days I'm satisfied with a salad for lunch and soup for dinner. As long as my calories average out at roughly 1600/day at the end of the week, I'm a happy girl.
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Keep it simple is a good rule. Be aware of portion sizes. The links below may help.

    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/portion/documents/PD1.pdf

    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/eating-out.htm
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Well, if you're looking at all choices being high calories you can A) eat it, log it and move on or B ) take home leftovers.

    I would do A. I love IHOP.
  • esmeraldaRM
    esmeraldaRM Posts: 14 Member
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    Derf_Smeggle wrote: »
    So, you have a few choices.
    • Don't eat at IHop.
    • Don't eat the full meal, and take some home (or don't).
    • Do 3 or 4 hours of intense cardio.
    • Plan to be flexible over the week. A little over 1 day, a little under the next.

    Ultimately, it's difficult to eat a typical entree, or combination meal at a lot of common chain restaurants and maintain a calorie deficit.

    i REALLY REALLY didn't want ihop but i had my mom with me and i couldnt say no to her little face so :/ i tried to eat half the meal but the devil on my shoulder wouldn't shut up about it. i will have to burn some of it off and try to stay within budget the rest of the day
    i like that idea a little over 1 and a little under the next its all about averages (one of the few times stats came in handy) !!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Two eggs, two bacon, two buttermilk pancakes = 550 calories and 28 grams protein.
  • esmeraldaRM
    esmeraldaRM Posts: 14 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    You make the best choice you can. High protein, sauce on the side, nothing fried.
    And most chains have nutrition information online - for future reference, IHOP has some 'simple and fit' options that are less than 500 calories.

    i swear i did not see 500 calories or less options all those lights and smells must have gotten me loopy i did see like 600 cals for eggs but im not a big fan of eggs *-_-
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,617 Member
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    Or try to tweak the restaurant meal. For instance, that 700 calorie salad, get a lower calorie dressing and dip your fork in before spearing the lettuce/veggies/protein instead of pouring/drizzling it right on the salad.

    If there are higher calorie add ins like croutons, walnuts, cheeses, etc, either eat around them or have them leave them off the salad. It makes a less exciting salad but if you're strictly going for calories....

    The same with all the extras on a sandwich. Use mustard instead of mayo, gave them add more veggies to bulk it up. I stopped getting the cheese on Subway's sandwiches because you couldn't even taste it to begin with!

    God, I miss the chocolate chip pancakes covered in whipped cream from IHOP.
  • esmeraldaRM
    esmeraldaRM Posts: 14 Member
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    mattyc772014 wrote: »
    Keep it simple is a good rule. Be aware of portion sizes. The links below may help.

    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/portion/documents/PD1.pdf

    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/eating-out.htm

    so the first link was like a scared straight experience and the second one felt more like a one step at a time thing it is absolutely getting bookmarked for harder times ahead :)
  • esmeraldaRM
    esmeraldaRM Posts: 14 Member
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    MommyL2015 wrote: »
    Well, if you're looking at all choices being high calories you can A) eat it, log it and move on or B ) take home leftovers.

    I would do A. I love IHOP.

    i like option A too but i also feel like i should acknowledge that it was not my best performance
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
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    I hear you! But that is not so bad. Here is what scared straight eating is. :)

    https://youtu.be/zetlxblrGFQ
  • JennieMaeK
    JennieMaeK Posts: 474 Member
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    I would agree with whatever fits in your calorie allowance. I haven't been too focused on my macros, just on calories.

    I like to look at a restaurant's nutritional information in advance whenever possible.
  • esmeraldaRM
    esmeraldaRM Posts: 14 Member
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    Two eggs, two bacon, two buttermilk pancakes = 550 calories and 28 grams protein.

    see that was my plan but then i was like yuck eggs and then i was ewh pancakes and now i am lamenting my decisions
    glassyo wrote: »
    Or try to tweak the restaurant meal. For instance, that 700 calorie salad, get a lower calorie dressing and dip your fork in before spearing the lettuce/veggies/protein instead of pouring/drizzling it right on the salad.

    If there are higher calorie add ins like croutons, walnuts, cheeses, etc, either eat around them or have them leave them off the salad. It makes a less exciting salad but if you're strictly going for calories....

    The same with all the extras on a sandwich. Use mustard instead of mayo, gave them add more veggies to bulk it up. I stopped getting the cheese on Subway's sandwiches because you couldn't even taste it to begin with!

    God, I miss the chocolate chip pancakes covered in whipped cream from IHOP.

    yeah it was too much mayo but i forgot in the heat of the moment to say no mayo and i forgot to ask for whole wheat bread next time i will be better prepared
  • esmeraldaRM
    esmeraldaRM Posts: 14 Member
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    i book marked the scared straight link too lol
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    esmeraldaRM wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    You make the best choice you can. High protein, sauce on the side, nothing fried.
    And most chains have nutrition information online - for future reference, IHOP has some 'simple and fit' options that are less than 500 calories.

    i swear i did not see 500 calories or less options all those lights and smells must have gotten me loopy i did see like 600 cals for eggs but im not a big fan of eggs *-_-

    IHOP has soups too though... Can always go with a bowl of soup (there are two around 150 calories) and a House salad with light dressing, and you can get pretty much anything on top of that (ham, grits, bacon, fruit) and stay under 500 calories.

    If you know you're going somewhere, plan ahead. Look at the nutrition info online.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Log before you order on your phone ..that way you won't forget
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    You could also order a full meal but ask for a to-go box right at the beginning so you can pack half of it to take home. Or take off whatever piece of bread has the mayo and eat the sandwich open-faced, with a fork. Or (this works best at breakfast-type places like IHOP) make a meal out of sides. Get two eggs cooked without butter/oil, whatever fresh fruit or vegetable they have (tomato slices are really good with eggs), and dry toast or a pancake or two. If you practice thinking creatively, this gets a lot easier.

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