how do you log restaurant/take out foods?

AigreDoux
AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
edited November 28 in Food and Nutrition
From non chain restaurants where the nutrition information is not available.

My family gets take-out on Fridays and I want to make healthier choices. Indian tonight - thinking about "Mix Tandoori Grill -Variety of barbecued items includes (lamb kabab, chicken tikka, chicken tandoori, fish tandoori, Seekh kabab and shrimp tandoori) char broiled in clay oven to its perfection" but unsure how to log it and make sure I have enough calories left.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I will estimate what is in it and log the ingredients, allowing a healthy margin of error for things I may have missed or the increased amount of oils many places use.

    Example: one of my favorite Indian places has a potato and okra dish that I love. I looked up a recipe online to get an idea of what is in it and logged it according to the portion size I was eating, adding the calories for an additional two tablespoons of oil (my best guess of the difference between the recipe for the home cook and the one I'm getting when I eat out).
  • whooRAWRowlbear
    whooRAWRowlbear Posts: 47 Member
    My fiance and I eat at a lot of local chains, so nutrition information isn't readily available. I usually guesstimate what I order and give myself wiggle room. If it's a variety of foods (for example, nigiri convoy I got last week), I'll look up the parts of the entire dish (so I logged each piece of nigiri separately). Otherwise I try to find something close to log and if there are multiple options, I pick the highest calorie one.

    I also generally won't go to a restaurant without having decided and pre-logged my meal, and with a few back up options.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    There is an entry on the data base called
    Cheat Day - - Just Throw In the Towel - to Many Calories to Count
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    I find the best representation in the database and then over estimate by an additional .5-1.0 serving. I am a PRE-LOGGER. So I must find something prior to going. A part of my success (and OCD) is that I love seeing everything I'm gonna eat ahead of time. A starving Megan is unsuccessful. Sorry for the ramble.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    JanetYellen wrote: »
    There is an entry on the data base called
    Cheat Day - - Just Throw In the Towel - to Many Calories to Count

    Which sounds like an over-reaction to eating a tandoori grill meal.
  • JoshLikesBeer
    JoshLikesBeer Posts: 88 Member
    I just estimate the quantities as well as I can and log it. I don't eat out very often, so that works well enough for me. If I ate out several times/week I might need a better system, but people might look at me weird if I'm sitting at the table weighing my food on a pocket scale.
  • hludwig980
    hludwig980 Posts: 102 Member
    I look for the closest option to what I plan on getting and pick the one with the highest calorie count and figure an additional 1/2 of full serving.
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Would this be sort of close then?
    Chicken -thighs - Baked Skinless Thighs, 4 oz 135
    Chicken Breast - Chicken Breast,, 1.75 ounce 78
    Tilapia - Grilled, 100 g 128
    Shahnawaz - Lamb Seekh Kebab, 1 Kebab 160
    Grilled Shrimp - Large Herb Grilled Shrimp, 1 shrimp 100
    Oil - Olive, 2 tablespoon 239
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    I try to find something similar in the database that's on the high end of the calorie range for the similar items, and depending on the item, I might put in that I ate 1.5 or 2 servings. It's far from perfect, but so far I haven't issues with my weight loss and we eat out quite a bit at places that do not have nutritional information online. I see that others try to kind of decipher all the ingredients in their dish and log them that way, but I do not take the time to do that. I find that most of the dishes I eat out are complicated enough that I'd never be able to tell every single item that is in there, and I'd never be able to tell how much oil or butter was used.

    If I can't find anything comparable, I do a quick add and estimate calories. Unless it's a particularly healthy meal at the restaurant, my typical quick add for a dinner will be ~800-1000 calories.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I find something similar in the database too. I often deconstruct the meal (8z steak, 1 cup mashed potatoes, 1 cup broccoli - only time I find volume entries actually useful) then pick an entry on the higher calorie side.

    With experience it gets easier though, as you get a good idea of how many calories are in your dish anyway. I'm going for lunch today and thinking of getting some Bolognese pasta, looked it up and most entries for restaurant Bolognese are 500-630 calories, so I used a 630 calories one... then I'll adjust when I see the dish, depending on how big it is.

    Also if you're really clueless, you can always google 'healthier choices at Indian restaurants' instead of looking up every item individually. Check their website for the menu too if you can find it (or Facebook).
  • space_case
    space_case Posts: 89 Member
    Like most people on here said...I look up something generic and similar and then pick the highest (reasonable) calorie count or do 1.5 servings instead of 1 just to be safe.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    i either just try and piece it out myself or just don't even log it and i won't over eat. Just eat it'll jam full and call it a day.
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