Can't find the Nutritional Value while eating out?

I would get what you want and when you order, ask for a box right away....
So when you get your meal and your box, just cut every thing in half
Put one half in the box to eat on another day
Enjoy your one half of the meal...

Hope this helps.

At least you enjoy a meal that you like but only eat half of the calories that is for one serving....

Have you ever tried eating half of your meal? Most dining places serve you more than you should have at a meal. The more they give you the better deal that you think you are getting and that way, you'll always come back. Only eat half and take the other half home with you. That makes two meals.

I usually do the same thing you did. If I can't find the amount, I ask for a nutritional menu, sometimes they have one, sometimes not. We went out tonight, it wasn't planned, and I went over my daily calories. I really like restaurants that list lower calorie items on their menu. Chili's and IHOP are good about that. Tonight nothing low cal appealed to me, and there really weren't any decent low cal options.

I just take a stab at it and try to control how MUCH I eat -- although restaurant food is famously "high" in calories its only partially due to ingredients and partially due to the large portions.

A pizza from California Pizza Kitchen may have 1000 calories but if you only eat half of that its not that bad.

I absolutely agree with the "get the box & immediately cut your meal in half" post. My doctor told me this long ago.... Have what you want if that is what you are craving, but only eat half. Want that burger & fries? Go ahead-- but cut the burger in half & only eat half the fries. Craving chocolate cake? Go for it-- but only half of it. If having the other half around is too tempting..... throw it out. Eventually you will either: A-- Learn to supress the tempation & save the other half for the next day; or B-- Stop buying that stuff all together b/c you're tired of wasting food & money by throwing it out! I have been trying to enforce this method on myself for a while. It's a struggle at first, but it is getting easier. (I have half a Chipotle burrito bowl in the fridge right now!)

So, your very worst nightmare is not knowing exactly how many calories are on a plate when you are enjoying a night out with your lovely husband??? And when you have 1300 calories available to eat anyway? I only wish this was the biggest thing I had to worry about

It's easy to get really focussed on needing to lose weight and sticking to your goal but I also think it's important to put it into perspective. It's just one day, your obviously don't do this very often, so if you go over a few calories today, then you just need to make sure that you go back to regular healthy eating tomorrow.

It sounds to me as though you did exactly the right thing - you thought about what to eat, you logged an estimate from the MFP database, you drank lots of water - sounds like a perfect night out to me.
So, stop panicking, make sure you enjoy these times out with your husband and be kinder to yourself!!

Edited to add: leave your measuring cup at home, eating out is part of life and learning to make sensible choices is a life skill that you have to learn. Is it fair to force your obsession on everyone else at the table??

I eat half, and save the other half for the next day. I try to match it up as close as I can... and not worry about it. My old worse habit was to "get my moneys worth"... So now if I want something sweet... I buy one (not a 6 pack) If someone brings in those trigger foods... I'll put them in the garbage and poor liquid soap detergent or vinegar on it before I'm tempted to go "rescue it".