Conscious Decisions Before Eating Out

I work my calories over 7 days.

I save 200 or so calories from nights I'm not socialising to use when I am.

What types of restaurants do you go to? Some have calorie information available (or do online).

Otherwise, grilled or roasted or broiled meat/fish with vegetables is usually pretty safe. I assume large portions and more added fat than I would at home, but it still works out okay.

Restaurant burgers will be high cal, usually pasta will be (depending on restaurant, preparation, size), fries obviously will be. Salad dressing at restaurants is high cal, you can ask for oil and vinegar instead normally. Appetizers and dessert will be high cal.

These are all averages, depends on the place, of course.

I went out 1-2x per week when losing, sometimes was more indulgent than others, but it didn't ever mess up my losses.

I like to look online to see the menu before going out to eat. I can look over the choices and decide what might fit into my calorie goals. Some menus have nutritional information available printed on them or the website might have a tab for nutritional info. While the numbers may not be exact, it at least gives you an idea of calories in different food items.

I'm also a fan of saving up a few extra calories for the weekend since I know I'm more likely to eat out or have a few drinks on the weekend. I enjoy eating out, so I try not to ruin the experience by overthinking on the calories. If you end up overeating, get back on track the next day. Looking at the weekly average view in the nutrition tab on the mobile app helps put things in perspective.

If you know - in the morning - that you're going out for dinner later on, eat a bit less during the day.

Eating out is my downfall as well. It's just a lot easier to grab something at a restaurant on my way home from work, than it is to prepare something at home.

My word is "planning".
- If I'm eating out, I'll try to plan on certain restaurants where I can get something 'healthier' and if I can, plan ahead what i'm going to order and stick to it.
- I try to plan my weekend schedule better so that I'm at home at meal times instead of out and about at meal times.
- I try to eat out only once or twice a week. Anything more than that just ruins me.
- I try to plan ahead so that I have things as prepared as much as possible for cooking at home, especially if something needs to be thawed out, but also what's on the menu.

Planning, for me, helps me guard against that mindless eating. Not that I'm all that good at it, but I'm getting better

I save up some extra calories to bank, if I know I am going out to eat. I also will look up the restaurant's nutritional info on line if it's available. If it's not, I will still try to plan the meal and what I will order ahead of time.

Decide where to go before you go out and see if they have websites or nutritional information available by calling. If you are unsure order safe things veggies and meat.

icimani wrote: »

Eating out is my downfall as well. It's just a lot easier to grab something at a restaurant on my way home from work, than it is to prepare something at home.

My word is "planning".
- If I'm eating out, I'll try to plan on certain restaurants where I can get something 'healthier' and if I can, plan ahead what i'm going to order and stick to it.
- I try to plan my weekend schedule better so that I'm at home at meal times instead of out and about at meal times.
- I try to eat out only once or twice a week. Anything more than that just ruins me.
- I try to plan ahead so that I have things as prepared as much as possible for cooking at home, especially if something needs to be thawed out, but also what's on the menu.

Planning, for me, helps me guard against that mindless eating. Not that I'm all that good at it, but I'm getting better

I agree 100%...I echo these suggestions. If you know you are going out Saturday night for dinner, try to eat a little less during the day and then look online at the menu beforehand and try to pick the healthiest selection you can make that still fits in your daily allotment for fats, proteins and carbs.

Can't stress enough consistency is so important, if you adhere during the week then having one meal, even at a restaurant that is high in calories, will have no impact on you. Over the last 18 months i have lost nearly 40lbs and that includes every sunday having 1 or 2 higher fat and calorie meals and I still was able to lose weight due to my overall calories deficit and staying consistent during the week. Stay strong and goodluck!

ritzvin wrote: »

Steak! (and a to-go container). My go to for eating out. Known calories per size for a certain cut of meat (with size and cut typically listed on the menu), and generally will not have any added fat or sugar (because they are awesomely tasty on their own). Calorie content is pretty reasonable.

That's a good point. A steak, ordered without any butters, sauces or toppings, can be pretty easy to estimate calorie content.

I've emailed the restaurant ahead of time to ask about calories, etc. I think the advantage to this is that they have a chance to reply when the restaurant isn't busy with the lunch/supper rush. So, when I decided to go to my favorite Middle Eastern place and get a veg option other than sambusak, I inquired about two other dishes and got back the response:

"Our shakshuka comes in a bread bun, but you can ask to have it without. (Note: their bread bun is a hollowed-out round loaf of bread, probably 10" diameter. So the dish comes in a bread bowl. No clue how I'd even start logging it, not knowing the weight of the remaining bread, etc.). Our grilled eggplant comes drizzled in tahini, but you can ask to have it on the side." (Tahini is a sesame paste/butter. As in, healthy and good for you... but a potential calorie bomb. And not mentioned anywhere in the menu description of the grilled eggplant.)

I've never needed to, but it's possible that if you ask ahead, the chef will agree to prepare something lower-calorie on request.