Can I lose weight and eat out?
kcb0308
Posts: 73 Member
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!
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!
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Replies
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Yep! What you order now, just eat less of it.2
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Yes, you just need to eat at a deficit.
If you eat out every day, why not make that your biggest meal of the day?1 -
Yup, you can.. just log everything and stay under your calorie goal.1
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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.4
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Yes I think you can. It is a matter of logging.1
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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!2
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Yes. I do it all the time. Most fast foods are in the database so it's super easy to log.0
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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!
I would say, it depends. Log everything and keep track of your calories. You can get most fast food nutrition and calorie info on the company websites. That said, it can be hard to find fast food and restaurant food that isn't a calorie bomb. For fast food, I would look for salads with a protein, either in it or in a protein shake you could possibly bring with you (some don't need refrigeration -- Atkins has a 15 G protein 1 G sugar shake that isn't bad).0 -
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!3 -
Yes.
You can plan what you order. Look up nutritional info online.
Reduce portion sizes. Order a regular burger instead of a triple bacon cheeseburger. Don't supersize things.
Get a thin crust pizza instead of the pan pizza.
Choose more vegetables with your meal. Have a salad instead of fries or chips with your sandwich.
Go easy on breaded/fried food, cheese, condiments, sauces, cream, desserts. Watch portion sizes of rice, bread, pasta.
Drink water, unsweetened tea, or diet soda pop.
Eat lighter at your other meals.3 -
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.1
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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.
Really? It's worked wonders for me. It's almost as if there's no one way that works for everyone.3 -
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.4 -
I agree with everyone. I would add to watch the sodium intake. Try to eat fruits and veggies to offset the extra sodium from eating out.1
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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.1
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Planning is the key.2
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I can eat out and stay within my calorie goals just fine. Staying within my sodium limit is another story.2
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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.
I work in public accounting. It's not impossible for me to pack a lunch, though during busy season, I find it more difficult with the longer hours and traveling.
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I can eat out and stay within my calorie goals just fine. Staying within my sodium limit is another story.
The sodium may be the culprit, because in the past, I know that I've consistently eaten below my calories, but with the extra sodium it has caused the scale, and bloating, to go the other way.0 -
PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
THIS!!! ^^^ However, I have successfully incorporated a few 'fast food' and take-out (or sit-down) options into my work week.
My weekday breakfast is almost always 2 fresh eggs and 2 sausage patties from McDonalds, sometime with cheese (600 calories) sometimes without (500 calories). I am trying to diversify and eat some different stuff, but it's a reliable standby.
A lunch option I use all the time is a grilled chicken salad from an independent rotisserie place. What I did was order the salad at the end of my workday and take it home and deconstruct it and weigh everything. I did this 5 or 6 times and now I know that on average, they are right around 510 calories (485 was my lowest calculation; 540 was my highest).
Chipotle's Barbacoa bowl is another option I use. I get double barbacoa on a bed of lettuce, double fajita veggies, mild salsa, and guacamole...also right around 500 calories +/- 20 or 30 calories, depending on what kind of mood the server is in!
The other thing with me is that I have been a fairly accomplished cook for a long time, so I know what a cup of this, that, or the other looks like. Since I began my MFP journey, I have been weighing everything to the gram. I'm at a point now where I can reach into a bag of nuts and pull out a handful and it will be 27 to 29 grams. So when I eat out I can usually eyeball how much chicken (a palm-sized chicken breast is 7 to 8 ounces - I have large palms!) or how much broccoli. I no longer sop up sauces with bread, so what ever sticks to the food, I usually count as 1 to 2 tbsp, and leave the rest on the plate.
So it is definitely possible. You'll get good at it with practice. I especially recommend taking meals home and deconstructing them to get an idea of what's involved. Best of luck!0 -
natasha_hal1 wrote: »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.
That would be relatively high calorie compared to grilled chicken served with vegetables, please use no butter, margarine or oils, and swap my starch for extra vegetables, which is how I used to order when I was running a large deficit.
Nowadays I eat at McDonald's almost every day.... Just... not exactly the same items most people frequently order. And certainly not without customizing my order.2 -
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.
Really? Why not? I lost 66 pounds and I eat fast food regularly. Not every day, but at least once a week and occasionally more. I also eat at mom & pop restaurants. OP, you can eat out. Just log it and make sure it fits your calorie goal. Lots of fast food places list the calories on their menus. If I go to a non chain restaurant I just use nutrition information from a similar restaurant.3 -
Thanks y'all. Appreciate the feedback and suggestions!1
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Sodium induced water weight is "easy enough" to deal with if you use a weigh trend tracking web site or application.
I use trendweight.com connected to a free (even without a tracker) fitbit.com account that automatically pushes weigh ins to MFP and trendweight.
You can also use weightgrapher.com or happy scale for iphone/libra for android.0 -
You definitely can, it's just a matter of making the right choices where to eat out. There are definitely healthy options in today's health-conscious society. There are other factors that might come into play but there are definitely healthy options while eating out. Best of luck!0
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I always ask for a nutrition guide at the restaurant. Most chains seem to have them and non-chain restaurants usually do not. Then take it from there.0
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I get the busy season eating out now and then, but it is just much healthier (and cheaper) to pack your lunch and take it with you. Even if you manage to eat at a deficit while eating out, the sodium content is going to be through the roof. Not only can sodium be bad for your blood pressure, but excess sodium can cause you to retain excess water.0
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I get the busy season eating out now and then, but it is just much healthier (and cheaper) to pack your lunch and take it with you. Even if you manage to eat at a deficit while eating out, the sodium content is going to be through the roof. Not only can sodium be bad for your blood pressure, but excess sodium can cause you to retain excess water.
Yeah but as long as you drink enough, high sodium won't do any harm unless there are underlying medical problems.0 -
Yeah but as long as you drink enough, high sodium won't do any harm unless there are underlying medical problems.[/quote]
Except that research has shown that high levels of sodium over an extended time raise blood pressure. Millions of Americans have high blood pressure and it didn't come as a result of eating veggies.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.
Really? Why not? I lost 66 pounds and I eat fast food regularly. Not every day, but at least once a week and occasionally more. I also eat at mom & pop restaurants. OP, you can eat out. Just log it and make sure it fits your calorie goal. Lots of fast food places list the calories on their menus. If I go to a non chain restaurant I just use nutrition information from a similar restaurant.
I don't know how much weight you had to lose in the first place or how many calories you eat a day. Fast food is simply not a healthy choice though and this person made it sound like they eat fast food often.
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