I hate eating out!

MaddMaestro
MaddMaestro Posts: 405 Member
edited November 22 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
But i won't stop. Lol.

More specifically, I hate logging restaurant calories because of the gross inaccuracy. I want Chipotle for dinner, but apparently there's an option for logging what i want to eat at approx 600, to a max of 890! I know some people are into putting in the higher rate, but should i just enter the 890 and bike longer, or do i take my chances and put in a 700 cal entry to be in the "middle"?

Replies

  • jesspen91
    jesspen91 Posts: 1,383 Member
    Try living in the UK where nowhere publishes their calories! I am always widely guessing when I eat out.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Have you tried the Chipotle website? I was able to "build" my typical order on the website and get calorie/nutritional information and then use it to build a "My Food" entry on MFP. Yes, there might be some inaccuracies due to an employee giving me more or less of a certain item -- but it gives me a good base for an assumption.

    I second this, I use the website, then log it and add 10-20% if it looks like they gave me alot of stuff (sour cream or guac)
  • MaddMaestro
    MaddMaestro Posts: 405 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Have you tried the Chipotle website? I was able to "build" my typical order on the website and get calorie/nutritional information and then use it to build a "My Food" entry on MFP. Yes, there might be some inaccuracies due to an employee giving me more or less of a certain item -- but it gives me a good base for an assumption.

    Nice! I'm glad to hear more restaurants are doing this.
  • thunderztormdk
    thunderztormdk Posts: 51 Member
    I have lunch every day in a restaurant. It's a random buffet every day, so it's always based on mostly guesstimates when I log my lunch. It's a bit annoying, but I guess I just have to deal with it the best I can.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    jesspen91 wrote: »
    Try living in the UK where nowhere publishes their calories! I am always widely guessing when I eat out.

    I live in the UK, plenty of places give nutritional information...
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
    Try this
    https://www.chipotle.com/nutrition-calculator
    Build your meal, and then either build a entry for it (That describes it so, Chipolte, Bowl, Chicken, br rice, sour cream, etc), or just quick add cals, when you enter it in here
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    jesspen91 wrote: »
    Try living in the UK where nowhere publishes their calories! I am always widely guessing when I eat out.

    Huh?
    "Nowhere" doesn't mean what you think it means!

    The widespread food labelling and nutritional information in many food outlets makes calorie counting far easier than it used to be in the dark ages (before the Internet).

    But I also didn't find it at all problematic to make reasonable estimates when I was calorie counting and ate out at places without any of their own calorie estimates.
  • SusanDSME
    SusanDSME Posts: 194 Member
    We're driving from Maine to Ohio for Thanksgiving... that's going to be a lot of eating out.
    If all goes well, we'll be having Korean food for my husband's birthday dinner tomorrow, and a Polish lunch Saturday, so I'm excited about it, but I expect it will be a diet buster & I have no idea how I'll log the calories.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,192 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    This to me is a problem of relying too much on logging/counting rather than learning portion control. Nothing wrong with counting and logging but learning how to eat proper amounts without it is a good skill to have for occasions like this.

    I agree with this statement. I eat out quite often and most of the restaurants that my husband and I choose, do not have nutritional or calorie information in their menus or website because they are not part of a chain. I choose smaller portions or if a dish is big, I will bring part of my dinner or lunch home with me. If I am doing errands and can't keep food in the car, I will choose a small salad or an appetizer and maybe a soup. I don't worry about logging my choices or looking for something similar in the MFP food database.

    As @Need2Exerc1se said, it is a good skill to learn portion control and to choose healthy and small portions. IMO to hate eating out is too restrictive and can take the away the enjoyment of the treat.

  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
    I looooove eating out. I don't do it often but one of my favorite things about being in maintenance is having that sort of flexibility.
  • ttreit
    ttreit Posts: 59 Member
    edited November 2017
    MaddMaestro wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Have you tried the Chipotle website? I was able to "build" my typical order on the website and get calorie/nutritional information and then use it to build a "My Food" entry on MFP. Yes, there might be some inaccuracies due to an employee giving me more or less of a certain item -- but it gives me a good base for an assumption.

    Nice! I'm glad to hear more restaurants are doing this.

    Where I live it's a law - and I love it. King County (Seattle area) requires restaurants to post calories. I think it only technically applies to chain restaurants but it's really caught on it's becoming normal to easily be able to get calories when I eat out. I mean you know they aren't weighing things, but at least it gives you a base to go by.

    Write your local representative! I don't like encumbering businesses but this law is so helpful for the healthiness of society that I really believe it's worth it.

    Here's a link.

    EDIT: Oh oops maybe this is a national thing now already. :smile: Oh well I'm just glad we've been doing it for awhile.
  • thapainmaker
    thapainmaker Posts: 152 Member
    Yeah I hate eating out it’s why my wallets thin as paper
  • SusanDSME
    SusanDSME Posts: 194 Member
    @Bluetail6 : Thanks for the great tips. I love the idea of taking a picture so you can reconstruct the meal later on.

    I won't bring snacks on the trip, except granola bars for the kids. If I have any snacks in the car, they're gone immediately. Ah, for the days when my husband would bring king size boxes of peanut m&ms for the drive!

    @sssgilbe , I like the idea of immediately putting half your entree in a box. That might work for me! And then I can have Korean takeout for breakfast, instead of a stale danish at the breakfast bar.

    Looks like our hotel for tomorrow night has a gym!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Most chain restaurants here in the Uk have online nutritional data, but there is one that I enjoy going to which does not... surprising considering they have branches all over the country and loads in London. That is a restaurant called Bella Italia. They only mark on the menu which dishes are 600 calories or less but offer no data for the rest of their menu. It is always a guessing game.
  • bisky
    bisky Posts: 1,090 Member
    I am disliking eating out more and more because the way a lot of places prepare food with sodium and butter, possibly even trans fats :s
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    I love to eat out but the crowds and traffic and parking lends me to cooking at home.

    When I do go out though, I order veggies and protein, no carbs such as potatoes, rice, bread, no dessert (ok, maybe a spoonful of someone elses). I estimate the portions.

    At Chipolte, I asked how much their spoons were an equivalent to... it helped me estimate the calorie value (no cheese, no sour cream, guac and salsa only).
  • llbrixon
    llbrixon Posts: 964 Member
    Pre-plan! Look up restaurant and decide what you are going to eat while you are at home. Pass up the bread prior to your meal Calories add up very quickly when wating out. Can you get some exercise on the day of eatibg? No alcohol when eatin out. Drink only water when eating out. eating. Keep the meal simple.."Meat, vegatable, salad." Salad dressing on the side.
  • Rosemary7391
    Rosemary7391 Posts: 232 Member
    Most places I eat out at don't post nutritional information. I tend to just make my best guess and not worry too much - I don't eat out often enough for it to be a problem! I order something I'll enjoy and make the most of it, none of this "must have salad" malarky (if they even serve salad!), and if they have a nice looking drink I'll have it (I don't drink, interesting non alcoholic drinks are sadly few and far between :( ). I also make sure to eat slowly and stop when I've stopped feeling hungry instead of when I feel stuffed. I often end up skipping breakfast the next day too if I'm not hungry.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Most of the times when I do eat out, I try and eat something I want. My diet at home is very basic and I have chicken, potatoes and vegetables with an egg every evening so I can guarantee I am mostly not going to have the same sort of meal if I get to eat out. I tend to bank all my calories for evening eating window anyway so can usually fit in pizza, pasta or something else and a dessert if I so desire.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    edited November 2017
    All of the components are in the MFP food database. It is not going to be completely accurate because the Chipotle employees are just hand adding or quickly scooping the ingredients in, but it is probably close enough. (If I am home I weigh the guacamole (get it on the side) and the chips)

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  • jrwms714
    jrwms714 Posts: 421 Member
    Eating out, for me, just means that I plan ahead (usually by seeing the menu online if possible beforehand), and sometimes there is nothing on the menu that I can or will eat. We eat out often. I find something and just do the best I can with logging. I can also eyeball the portion and eat what I know is about the right amount. For me, eating out is a pain because of all the salt restaurants use. It's usually a few pound gain and uncomfortable to boot for the next few days. I have taken to saying "no salt, please" but they can only really ask the chef to not put EXTRA salt on before serving. Salt is the biggest issue for me.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    jesspen91 wrote: »
    Try living in the UK where nowhere publishes their calories! I am always widely guessing when I eat out.

    I live in the UK, plenty of places give nutritional information...

    This. Plus all caloric information is based off averages so you never truly know what's what.

    In my opinion, the best way is to overestimate calories when you eat out to be sure you're in a deficit.
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