Can I lose weight and eat out?

Personally I like fast food for calorie control. It's more likely to be consistent from place to place. Sit-down restaurants, even chains, will be all over the place with calories, even if they provide nutrition information. If you have to do sit-down, try to make a best guess at what fits your goals. For local places, you can pick something similar from a chain restaurant to log. You also might want to up your activity if possible to cover for inaccuracies.

DBF and I have date night twice a week, usually dining out, and I've managed to lose 30 lbs this year. You can order what you normally eat, and just eat less of it (more meals for your cash if you eat leftovers the next day), or you can adjust what you order. Stay away from anything fried or with a cream sauce. Try to get proteins grilled or baked/broiled, and make sure you order lots of veggies on the side. You can use this with fast food also. Going to Subway? Load up on veggies & get the oven roasted chicken, no cheese. Going to McDonalds? They serve breakfast all day now, and their breakfast options are comparatively lower in calores than their burgers & fries. Also, if you want dessert, just get an appetizer as your entree, maybe with a salad. I usually skip an appetizer unless I'm splitting it with other people, and we usually skip dessert too. If it is a restaurant, you can hold yourself to only 1 adult beverage to keep the calories down also. Good luck!

smantha32 wrote: »

Yes. I do it all the time. Most fast foods are in the database so it's super easy to log.

On that point: never trust anything in the database without verifying it against a known source, like a restaurant's website, food label or USDA database.

kcb0308 wrote: »

Hey everyone,
I am struggling to find a solution that will allow me to sustain a long-term weight loss strategy. Due to the nature of my job, I eat out every day, some days restaurant style and some days fast food. I would like y'alls opinion on whether or not you believe I can lose weight counting calories if I'm eating out everyday at work.

Thank you all in advance!

Of course you can-weight loss is about eating at the appropriate calorie deficit for your goals, and you can do that at a restaurant the same as you can at home. I ate out regularly during my weight loss phase and continue to do so now in maintenance. Most restaurants have websites that give calorie info-just pre-pick out your food choices ahead of time and eat what fits into your calorie allotment. One tip-pay attention to the calories in sauces/condiments. Many of those can be surprisingly high!

slunburg wrote: »

What kind of job requires that you eat out every day? It is tough to lose weight and eat out as many options are high calorie. I don't eat fast food at all and I don't recommend that fast food be a part of any weight loss program.

My husband eats out every day for lunch and we eat out as a family several times a week as well. He maintains his weight no problem. And that's fine if you don't want to eat out, but it's definitely not necessary to cut it out to lose weight. I lost 50lbs while eating at restaurants regularly. I also improved all my health markers during that time as well. And I've been successfully maintaining the loss for several years now, still eating at restaurants usually 3-4 times a week. Weight gain/loss/maintenance comes down to calories. Doesn't matter if you're consuming those calories at home, at a friend's house, at a restaurant, at a party etc.

I have been losing weight for about six months now. Whenever I do eat out, I almost always eat at Subway. However, if I do go to a sit down restaurant, I can automatically tell what is going to have more calories. Always try to get something grilled and drink lots of water before your meal! (this will prevent you from eating as much). My go to is a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado, lettuce and tomato.

I can eat out and stay within my calorie goals just fine. Staying within my sodium limit is another story.