Eating out: need advice!

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readytobeatfat54
readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For Valentine's Day I'm going out to eat. It's a fancier restaurant but serves most of the typicals: salads, sandwiches with fries, baked chicken, fish, pasta, etc.

Just wondering if anyone has a few go to menu items which are common enough that you can apply them to most places? I think a Caesar salad with chicken would be my go to, but what I don't know is how much dressing they use. I normally put two tablespoons on my salad, and I am guessing that a restaurant puts much more than that. Other thoughts I had were to get the soy glazed salmon, a nice fish meal and the glaze isn't likely to add a ton of calories.

Okay, any thoughts are much appreciated. Since dining out is not uncommon, I'd really appreciate the advice!
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  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,985 Member
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    Grilled salmon or chicken is always a good choice. I always ask for dressing on the side. Even before I started counting calories I did that because most places use too much and I don't like my salad swimming in dressing. Try not to stress too much. It is a special occasion and it isn't like you eat this meal at this restaurant often. If you do go over, one meal is not going to ruin your progress. Just get back to it tomorrow.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    most restuarants have a lower calorie portion of the menu

    if you know where you are going, maybe look and see if they have their nutrition listed online (many places do nowadays)
  • readytobeatfat54
    readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
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    deannalfisher wrote: »
    most restuarants have a lower calorie portion of the menu

    if you know where you are going, maybe look and see if they have their nutrition listed online (many places do nowadays)

    They don't unfortunately. They have the menu, that's about it. I am thinking a salad with dressing on the side.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    what restaurant?
  • Rebecca0224
    Rebecca0224 Posts: 810 Member
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    Be careful with salads some of them can add up to more calories than other menu options. Just keep in mind that it is a special occasion and enjoy. Fish is usually a good option if it's not fried.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    Can you email the restaurant and ask? This was what I sent yesterday to a Middle Eastern restaurant in my neighborhood. (I have friends planning to take me out for my birthday, next week.) I've only had one thing there, it was delicious, but it's also fried eggplant and other vegetables with sliced hard egg in a kind of deep-fried dough and I'd rather not spend quite that many calories, however many they are, on supper.

    I'm a vegetarian watching my weight and I'm trying to find some healthy options on your menu. I was wondering whether you could advise me about either the Shakshuka Stylish or the Grilled Eggplant.

    1) Are these both vegetarian options?
    2) In your opinion, would either be considered low-calorie? (If you have a rough idea of the calories involved, that would be great, but I understand if you don't. I'm just trying to plan ahead for a night out, and while I adore your sambukasi, I don't think I can handle deep-fried food at the moment.)

    Thanks so much!


    Their reply:

    Both meals are vegetarian and can be considered healthy .
    Our shakshuka is servers in a fresh baked bun but you can ask to have it without .
    The grilled eggplant is just an whole eggplant grilled and cut in half so no oil should be involved . The thini sauce comes on the side.


    So, while I still don't know exact calories, I do have enough to work with. (There are several shakshuka listings in the MFP database; If I can control the amount of sauce on the grilled eggplant, I can handle that, too).

    Maybe your restaurant can do something similar. And if you're contacting them when it's not too busy, say, mid-afternoon, you'll probably get a quick reply.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    readytobeatfat54 wrote: »
    For Valentine's Day I'm going out to eat. It's a fancier restaurant but serves most of the typicals: salads, sandwiches with fries, baked chicken, fish, pasta, etc.

    Just wondering if anyone has a few go to menu items which are common enough that you can apply them to most places? I think a Caesar salad with chicken would be my go to, but what I don't know is how much dressing they use. I normally put two tablespoons on my salad, and I am guessing that a restaurant puts much more than that. Other thoughts I had were to get the soy glazed salmon, a nice fish meal and the glaze isn't likely to add a ton of calories.

    Okay, any thoughts are much appreciated. Since dining out is not uncommon, I'd really appreciate the advice!

    My dining out is also pretty uncommon...so when I go out, I usually just enjoy myself...being uncommon makes it pretty immaterial to the whole.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    Caesar salads are typically much higher in calories than a garden salad with a vinaigrette dressing (a lot of cheese in the garden salad could change that). Not saying you shouldn't have it, just be aware.

    If I'm trying to keep calories down I typically go for grilled lean meat (fish, small steak filet, chicken), salad with vinaigrette on the side, grilled or steamed veggies on the side. Skip or have only a small piece of bread.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Cheese, croutons, and nuts, on salad make for pretty high calorie salads usually... Caesar salads are basically calorie bombs, even without the dressing, with all the cheese and croutons, and basically no veggies except greens.

    Typically I go for grilled meat and veggies/potatoes or something.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    I get what sounds good and control the portion (ask for a to-go box to come with the meal, and put a good deal of it aside before you dive in). Definitely dressing on the side - dip the fork, then get some greens. You'll eat so much less dressing and it still tastes good.
  • readytobeatfat54
    readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
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    Thanks all for the suggestions!

    I considered the salad, but I ultimately didn't do it. Had I done the salad I planned on ordering the dressing on the side. I ended up having a grilled chicken sandwich, it came with a honey mustard sauce which I had on the side, as well as a small side of fries. All total I think I did pretty good. I rounded up when I logged my meal to try and compensate for any unanticipated additional calories since I was estimating size and weights. Even if the meal still contained more than I logged due to unanticipated calories (ie- the bun is higher calories than expected), I still feel pretty confident that I came in right around my calorie goal.

    I find it so eye opening. I always felt that I ate relatively healthy. Sure, I had days where I just went nuts, but now that I track I realize that I tended to eat larger portions, thus giving me more calories than expected.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    Life is too short to worry about things like this. Valentines happens once a year and assuming you choose sensibly, don't pig out for the sake of it and get back on track the next day, you will feel better mentally for it.
  • readytobeatfat54
    readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
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    annacole94 wrote: »
    But the problem is "once a year" things happen at least once a month... and sometimes more than that. It's good to have a strategy to not undo all my hard work for the week because it's Valentines, my anniversary, a kid's birthday, a parent's birthday, my friend is in town, etc.

    It's good to have fun and eat good food, but my desire to label things "once in a while" exceeds the definition of "once in a while".

    I agree. I'm the type of person who can easily convince myself of "this is a special occasion." Next thing I know every other day is special. :#

    To a point though, I also agree that when eating out or ordering out it's nice to have a few options which are tasty but not breaking the diet bank. That's why I was so proud that I ate out without going over my calories, or if I assume that the calorie counter isn't perfect--I at least got close to my goal.

    Just curious: does anyone have some 'go to' healthy options when eating out? I realize it is very restaurant specific, but in general certain restaurant types have some obviously healthier options.

    One that I enjoy is from the 'healthy' portion of most Chinese restaurants. I get steamed chicken and broccoli and eat it over rice with some soy sauce. The rice adds the most calories, but for a meal it's surprisingly low cal and really fills you up. If you wanted a little more flavor in the meal you could get yourself some steamed dumplings or a spring roll.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    even if you give yourself a "this is a special occasion" once a month - it won't derail you - in fact, if you look at many of the folks who are doing long-term maintenance they do just that - they incorporate food they enjoy/like into their weekly calories. If they know they are going out on a Friday, they might bank some calories the rest of the week etc
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    I promise I enjoy my food. Banking calories is a strategy to intentionally eat high calorie when you know you want to. That's great - did it yesterday. Enjoyed the heck out of two glasses of wine.

    There's two ways to take this post. Either the OP is totally stressed about a once a year occasion, or the OP wants advice on healthy restaurant eating that's easier to fit into calorie goals. I'd say that it's the second... based on actual OP follow up.
  • readytobeatfat54
    readytobeatfat54 Posts: 91 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I know it works for some people, I'm just not great at that. Don't get me wrong, I think 'cheat days' can work great for some people and I certainly have had them, I just notice that they tend to throw me into a string of cheat days. To me, any excuse I can give myself seems to throw me off. So I want to save those excuses for exceptionally rare situations--weddings, reunions, etc. Does anyone else notice this?

    I also like that in not giving myself too many special days, it forces me to be healthier if I do want the occasional treat. For instance, I've jointed pinterest and learned how to make brownies and blondies which are tasty, full of fiber and protein, and don't break the bank. I made one small tray last week and they lasted in the fridge all week. By doing this its also given me insight into healthy substitutions when cooking/baking. This mentality has also carried over into shopping: I enjoy ice cream on occasion, but it kills the bank. A half a pint of halo-top brand tastes great but is low cal compared to a typical brand, bonus that it's natural.
  • lavoiekr
    lavoiekr Posts: 27 Member
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    If you ask the restaurant for a nutritional menu, they should have it on hand for you. I know here in Canada it is now the law to post calories on their menu.....it is amazing how much calories a simple hamburger is (1400 for some) in a restaurant.

    I have even gone so far as to email them and ask for a nutritional guide. LOL
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    lavoiekr wrote: »
    If you ask the restaurant for a nutritional menu, they should have it on hand for you. I know here in Canada it is now the law to post calories on their menu.....it is amazing how much calories a simple hamburger is (1400 for some) in a restaurant.

    I have even gone so far as to email them and ask for a nutritional guide. LOL

    This would only be the case for chain restaurants. Non-chains, at least in the US, usually lack nutritional information.

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