Takeout tips!

HappieRosy wrote: »

Evening all and happy European Mother's Day! Tonight my family treated my mom to Chinese takeaway! Of course as soon as this was mentioned I made sure I ate as clean as possible throughout the day and got a quick workout it to make space for the calories at dinner time!

Upon doing some strategic thinking, instead of opting for a greasy caloric dinner I simply ordered Chinese chicken and vegetables (I asked for them to be boiled but not sure they did) and cooked my own rice noodles I had at home. Of course I had one or two vegetable spring rolls to treat myself...but my meal came to approx 350cal altogether! I will still be working extra hard in the gym but feeling less of a guilt this evening!

Anyone have any other tips and tweaks for takeaway favourites to morph around healthy eating?

I would ask for them to be steamed, not boiled. A Chinese restaurant should be able to steam with no problem (it's a common Chinese cooking technique, albeit more for dumplings and such than for dishes like chicken and vegetables). And ask for whatever sauce you're getting on the side, which is more of a calorie bomb than the amount of oil commonly used for stir-frying, any way.

You could always eat half the portion they serve you as the portions tend to be enough for two meals.

If you are eating at home, you can find similar entries (take an average or take the higher entry) and weigh what you eat.

I usually check the menu beforehand to see what I am going to get and pre log it. I do this anyway to check that there are vegan options but it is good to do from a health/calorie perspective too!
Sometimes I will just get an entree or otherwise I find that choosing vegetable dishes will have less of an impact depending on the sauce.
I also tend to go to healthier places to eat out anyway- Japanese, Thai, salads, vegan places, and places that have lower calorie tofu dishes cooked with less oil etc. I live in a country that doesn't do the huge portions found in America so that helps too- I think if I was eating out in America a lot I would have to ask for a take away bag and spread the leftovers over one or two meals.
Another good strategy is to get to know your own appetite. Some people do better if they eat less before going out in order to eat more at dinner, while others will do better having something small and healthy to eat before going out in order to have a smaller appetite for higher calorie restaraunt food!