Eating out

active562
active562 Posts: 135 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
So , I ask this question because of a recent AWESOME thread where several of us admitted to eating out / eating junk on a daily basis but still hitting their goals.
Now my question for you is this : When you go eat out at a restaurant which does not have nutritional data available , how do you know how much calories you are consuming? This is the only thing that bugs me in calorie counting!

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    If it's not a special occasion, we tend to go to places where basic meals are available - protein with vegies/salad etc. These things are easier to guesstimate, and I usually overestimate.

    Special occasions, at fancy restaurants, are the times where I don't give two hoots!
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    edited January 2017
    I mentally try to reconstitute the meal then log the individual ingredients using my best guess. Then I add one more serving of oil/fat/butter because restaurants are notorious for adding more than necessary. Sometimes even two if the veggies are dripping in it (drives me bonkers that cooks around here add oil or butter to EVERYTHING, including veggies and plain pasta).

    It's not precise, but it gets the job done of given a rough idea of what and how much you ate.
  • cmazurek85
    cmazurek85 Posts: 99 Member
    I don't bother to count calories, which is why I try to limit my consumption of restaurant food. The restaurants I love to frequent do NOT have caloric data on their menus.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    I try to do a best guess - I take pictures of food (did this pre-mfp) which helps me try to figure out
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    I try and keep my restaurant meals to once a week or less and on those days I will eat significantly less (200-300 calories throughout the day). This way I can eat whatever I want on the menu and not do too much damage.

    I know some people will say "go for the lighter option! avoid the bread/butter or chips/salsa!" but If i'm going to do that I might as well cook something that's good at home. I go out to eat to eat delicious food that I'm not capable of replicating.

    I guess what i'm saying is... I enjoy food more now because I only go out to eat for high-quality and delicious food. I will not waste my calories for something I can make at home (for better cals and flavor).
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    To make up for logging inaccuracies I try to keep my calories a bit lower during the week. Depending on what I order (and whether I have any drinks) I tend to quick add about 1000 calories for a dinner out. Sometimes more if I indulge a bit too much, sometimes less. It's obviously not exact and probably not as accurate as what many people do, which is trying to log individual ingredients. But it works for me and my weight loss was relatively consistent using this method.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    Sometimes you have to find a good/general equivalent and just make the best guess you can. This is still much more accountable than just not logging and eating whatever. Also, this is not going to be the usual situation. It'll be the outlier. If you're nailing your goals most of the time and developing consistency/accountability, then you'll still make progress.
  • biglouie7504
    biglouie7504 Posts: 23 Member
    active562 wrote: »
    So , I ask this question because of a recent AWESOME thread where several of us admitted to eating out / eating junk on a daily basis but still hitting their goals.
    Now my question for you is this : When you go eat out at a restaurant which does not have nutritional data available , how do you know how much calories you are consuming? This is the only thing that bugs me in calorie counting!

    I would recommend not eating out to much because of this lol I feel the same way I would limit eating out to once a week
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
    I try to just find something in the database similar to what I get at that restaurant, and roll with it. I know it won't be 100% accurate, but I still have a rough idea of just how many calories I had that day. And try to get a good workout in to offset the extra calories that I missed. I've done this many times since we like to eat out (I'm pretty sure I'm a part of that awesome thread you're talking about, haha) and I still usually see the weight loss I'm expecting when I step on the scale. :)
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