Going out to dinner- eat normally, graze, macro hoard/fast?

If it's planned, I cut back for a few days to compensate. I try to go to places with nutritional info online so I can plan the meal before hand, but that doesn't always work. If it's unplanned, I cut back a little for a few days after.

It helps to look at your week vs. the individual days.

I eat out fairly often so I usually just eat within my calories. If it's a really great place I might bank some extra calories for dessert.

I usually eat out once a week as well.

Typically, I eat a small brunch if I know I'm going to dinner later. I usually eat out on the weekends and I sleep in so I usually consume maybe 500 calories leaving a 1000 or so for dinner. I don't eat more than I normally would though. It's just that I know restaurant food tends to be higher in calories. I eat maybe half of my food and by then I'm stuffed anyways and well within my calories.

Don't forget restaurant food is usually high in sodium so you'll probably retain a little water regardless of what you choose to do.

Most of the time I eat normally. I eat out pretty regularly and I just try to eat reasonable portions. I might eat a little lighter earlier in the day if it is planned. Occasionally we will go out for a special occasion. We did for valentine's and had lobster and appetizers and drinks and dessert. Those types of meals out are few and far between so normally I will bank a few calories for something like that. But I don't worry about it too much because it isn't a regular thing.

I eat normally.

We go out to eat 1-2x/wk and went out twice as often when I was in the thick of my major weight loss. I quickly learned to treat restaurant meals the same as any other meal. The only exceptions are special event days when I might splurge and get a dessert.

It just depends. I have more calories to work with than most and I typically have a decent sized protein snack before bed anyway so it isn't that difficult to just eat sensibly and stay within my calories. If it is a special occasion and I know that dinner is going to be high in calories, I will bank a few the day before and sometimes eat a late breakfast and just a light snack later which leaves lots of calories for dinner.

Tonight ate at a restaurant.. had banked the calories, but the servings I've noticed are twice the protein & carbs, I would normally eat, so I don't eat till full, can tell by eye about 3-4oz of protein, and take just a few bites of carbs -

I check out the nutritional value of the foods online for the restaurant that we are going to be eating at before leaving the house. That way, I've already preplanned and don't even bother looking at the menu. I make it a habit to NOT eat a restaurant where i cannot see the nutritional values before ordering. My friends and family support me on this and have never complained about the restaurant choices we've had to make. The problem with trying to make lower calorie choices without the nutrition charts available is that there are sometimes hidden ingredients and it is also easy to overeat based on portion sizes. Are the nutritional values always accurate? don't know, but at least it is a starting point for me to plan my meal... also, don't be afraid to ask for something not on the menu or to have something prepared in a different manner... the worst that they can do is say "no"

My friends are taking me out for my birthday this week. They told me to pick the restaurant. There's one I like, but the first time I went, I ordered something I'd never heard of, loved it, and kept ordering. The problem is it's essentially a deep-fried turnover stuffed with eggplant, tomato, hard egg, and other veggies and, while I don't know the total calories, I know it's more than I want to spend on one meal.

So I checked their online menu and found a couple of items that looked safer. I emailed the restaurant and explained that I was trying to find low-calorie option on their menu and asked after the two that interested me. They replied that both were healthy and one could be ordered without the bun, one with sauce on the side. (While the restaurant isn't in the MFP database, both of these foods are and although I don't have the specific calorie amounts, I can scroll through the various entries and shoot for average).

Usually, I try to go for lower-calorie but nutritionally-dense meals at home during the day, maybe make a point of taking a long walk, etc.

Eat normally at meals; try to cut down a bit on snacks. If it's somewhere particularly tasty or high calorie, plan for a maintenance day instead of aiming for a deficit that day.

If I go out I eat at maintenance for that day