How to eat out the right way

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awal2069
awal2069 Posts: 101 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, any suggestions on this? For example this weekend I went out to dinner with family and we went to Olive Garden. Ouch.
I had the Grilled Shrimp Caprese (s.p.) and only ate about 1/6 of serving. I did have the salad and no breadsticks.
How do you choose what to eat when out with friends and family and still eat well? This is one of my hardest things to do.
:smile:
Thanks for the input. I really appreciate all of the response and support on here by the way!

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    I just try to make the best choices possible and not feel guilty. Chicken, or shrimp (sometimes small steaks), no burgers, no sausage. Red sauce over anything creamy. Nothing fried. Stay away from bread (WHY do they always give you some butter loaded piece of bread with your salad?). Sadly stay away from margaritas. I generally just drink light beer. Tacos or fajitas at Mexican. Stop eating when full!

    And sometimes I throw it all out the window and eat whatever I want.
  • awal2069
    awal2069 Posts: 101 Member
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    Thanks! I am trying to follow along those same lines as well. YES, the freakin bread. SERIOUSLY???? Especially when you are a bread eater, it is hard to stare it down. But I won, so there! LOL Thanks again for suggestions. :)
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    Portion control
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  • KateHubb
    KateHubb Posts: 366 Member
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    It is hard. I HIGHLY suggest "Eat This, Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide". It is amazing, and has tons of restaurants in it. It will tell you what the best choices are, that way you're not left guessing. It has Olive Garden in there. Also, I have looked at the website of the restaurant I'm going to so I can see the nutrition info and go ahead and make my choice before I get there.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160529540X
    About $12 on Amazon

    P.S. The bread and butter they have at Outback is SO hard to resist... I was there Saturday night and it took every bit of self restraint to not scarf down the whole loaf... but I can proudly say I didn't touch it!
  • meli_medina
    meli_medina Posts: 594 Member
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    I also go out and look at the menu beforehand to get an idea of what is going to be a good choice. Then I can also plan my day around it and eat lighter if I need to so that I can get something that is not only good for me, but also makes me happy. I am not a big restaurant salad eater so whenever that is the ONLY healthy, good choice, I will find something that is more reasonable and order that instead. I will also generally ask for them to split the serving in half back in the kitchen and put it in a box so it isn't even on the plate to tempt me when it arrives. :)
  • kaf330
    kaf330 Posts: 61
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    If I know I am going out and where we are going I go to the website and look up the nutrition guide - most places especially chains have them now - then i can decide what i am going to have before i get there.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I just try to make the best choices possible and not feel guilty. Chicken, or shrimp (sometimes small steaks), no burgers, no sausage. Red sauce over anything creamy. Nothing fried. Stay away from bread (WHY do they always give you some butter loaded piece of bread with your salad?). Sadly stay away from margaritas. I generally just drink light beer. Tacos or fajitas at Mexican. Stop eating when full!

    And sometimes I throw it all out the window and eat whatever I want.

    Yes, this is good advice. Also, if it's a chain restaurant such as Olive Garden try checking for an internet page with calorie/nutrition information before going. Order whole grain options when available, or skip any pasta/bread options altogether. Sometimes your healthiest option might be a small fliet mignon with a steamed veggie side, especially if you are at a steak house. Or try ordering only 2 or 3 veggie sides if there enough options available that are not laden with butter or cheese. Go for vinegrette dressings on salads instead of creamy. And ask the server not to bring bread to the table if the diners don't mind.

    I'm a pasta lover so I don't follow this advice myself, but Olive Garden does have a grilled salmon entree.
  • awal2069
    awal2069 Posts: 101 Member
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    It is hard. I HIGHLY suggest "Eat This, Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide". It is amazing, and has tons of restaurants in it. It will tell you what the best choices are, that way you're not left guessing.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160529540X
    About $12 on Amazon

    P.S. The bread and butter they have at Outback is SO hard to resist... I was there Saturday night and it took every bit of self restraint to not scarf down the whole loaf... but I can proudly say I didn't touch it!

    I love those books and usually get the emails sent to me. It is hard when you live with a picky eater and we decide at last moment where we are going. LOL.
    Yes, Outback is mean. They have no idea how mean they are... GOOD FOR YOU GIRL!!! That is awesome!
  • megan4487
    megan4487 Posts: 142 Member
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    I totally agree, i have started to look online at the menu ahead of time, and when I go to the restaurant i already know what I am going to have. This helps me to plan the rest of my day, and it gives me something to look forward to. Most times you can find the nutritional facts online if you just google them....good luck
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
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    Choose a restaurant that meets the needs of all attending or consider not going.
  • rankailie
    rankailie Posts: 144
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    I tend to go for simple dishes and ask questions. Grilled lean meats, seafood and veggies are always a good option, I'll ask for whole grain options as far as rice and pasta goes. And I'll ask to swap out unhealthy sides, steamed veggies rather then mashed potatoes as an example.

    I've also made it a habit to ask wait staff to not bring bread to the table.

    And simply where I eat out can be a big choice in eating better as well. For example most Japanese restaurants offer great healthy options and the starter edamame is way better then bread. Mexican restaurants can be a good choice too, just stick with simple grilled meats and avoid the Tex-Mex standards (tacos, enchiladas, etc) and pinto beans. Black beans are awesome, grilled meats are great, just watch the number of tortillas you eat.

    But end of the day my smart phone has saved me more then a few times, I try to look up meals as best as I can before ordering to get an idea of ingredients if I'm unsure.
  • sambustem
    sambustem Posts: 83
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    I checked ahead on here when we went out Fri night and Sat lunch. I was really glad I did that because I could have REALLY messed up! The only problem I have is we have a lot of little "mom and pop" type places that we love, so its HARD to figure that stuff out - so we are just not going as much. And my kids LOVE CICI's Pizza. So, I've been able to keep them away until now, but eventually I won't and on that day I'll just limit everything else A LOT!
  • Sonchie
    Sonchie Posts: 259 Member
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    Before I go out if I know where Im going I check the website to see what their healthiest choices are. Or if you have the MFP app you can look it up before you order at the restaurant. For instance, Olive garden has a Venetian Apricot Chicken dish with 400 calories. Thats way less calories than any other entree on the menu. Yeah, if ya gotta have the bread just limit yourself by the number of calories in your "budget" Remember those little delicious mints they give ya with your check have 75 calories each!
    If I go someplace thats not listed, I try to just get steamed veggies and grilled fish or chicken, and salad with no dressing or light on the side.
  • dustyhockeymom
    dustyhockeymom Posts: 537 Member
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    I always check the website for nutritional information before we go, and I have learned to ask for things the way I want them. For example, at Outback you can ask for a lite preparation where they won't use any butter. They use butter even on their steaks, so that made a huge difference. I also make sure to drink a lot of water because in most restaurants even the lower calorie healthy choices have a ton of sodium. Eating out is a social occasion for my circle of friends, so I just had to make sure to figure out how to do it because I am not willing to miss out on my time with them. I probably still eat out three times a week and I still average 2 pounds lost each week.
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
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    If I know I'm going to be eating out, I will bank my calories a bit, or plan an extra work-out session to make up for any extra calories I may indulge in.
  • sawalter68
    sawalter68 Posts: 24 Member
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    Great suggestions. Don't be afraid to have a healthy salad before going out. You can order things the healthy way - all sauces on the side, lemon juice, no butter or oil. If it comes out covered send it back. You are a paying customer. The bread is so hard - especially when others are eating it. Chew Gum! A strong peppermint will turn off the taste of that bread.

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