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How do you record macros from a restaurant Meal?

NewSue52
NewSue52 Posts: 180 Member
edited November 27 in Social Groups
My favorite husband and I went out to lunch at a locally owned restaurant. I ordered a meat loaf sandwich and did not eat the bread. I had the restaurant-made bbq sauce served on the side and used it very sparingly (less than 1/2t). I thought I had made a good decision. When I went to log it figuring I could use some generic meatloaf, I found the carb counts and calories vary widely. What do you do in such a situation.

BTW, the meatloaf was very good.

Replies

  • SoosannahK
    SoosannahK Posts: 238 Member
    Unless I can find the menu online, I always err on the side of caution and log on the high side. Usually when I eat out the meal is so big I am full for at least another meal. So I will skip either lunch or dinner depending on time of day and have a snack if I get hungry later on.
  • anglyn1
    anglyn1 Posts: 1,802 Member
    I try to find one that is somewhere in the middle of the range of options if I can't find an exact match.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    Meatloaf would be particularly difficult to estimate because of the typically added bread crumbs... You never know how much might be in there as well as other ingredients. This would be one of the times I, as a Keto level low carber, would check my ketone level after a few hours. Then I may have a better idea of which generic entry to use as the estimate. But, it's generally a good idea to aim higher on the estimate.
    You would be able to get a better guess with something that didn't have all the ingredients so... combined.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    anglyn1 wrote: »
    I try to find one that is somewhere in the middle of the range of options if I can't find an exact match.

    Same here.
    That's the down side of non-chain restaurants! Harder to figure out the true nutritional information.
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    There are times when a best guess is all you have. Try not to sweat it and use as a learning experience!
  • raindancer
    raindancer Posts: 993 Member
    I try to stick to simple foods that I can breakdown by know ingredients. And hope for the best.☺
  • sciencenovice
    sciencenovice Posts: 40 Member
    I did the same thing with a chili relleno yesterday. Didn't realize the flour they added to the egg coating, or the sauce to thicken it. The recipes I searched varied from17-27carbs! In my head I thought chili pepper, cheese, eggs, and sugarless sauce=
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    edited January 2016
    I always choose food with identifiable components, and no sauce (unless the server can confidently tell me it is not thickened flour, corn starch, etc.). I sometimes take a picture of it (to help me estimate the quantities later), then add (preferably) USDA values for the various components.

    Meatloaf is a particularly hard to estimate choice - and also very likely to be full of carbs. Most recipes call for significant starch to stretch the meat - either bread crumbs or (in the one I use) potatoes.

    I also "shop" in advance. Many local restaurants have menus online, so you could have looked up "meatloaf" ahead of time to see if it was likely to be something you could eat, and gotten the sticker shock out of the way before it was in your tummy, rather than after.
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