Restaurant Recommendations

Venqat · February 2018

Hi! Am new to fitness and to tracking my nutrition. I eat out a lot and am curious to know of your favorite menu items and restaurants which are also healthy. No fair just saying “salad” or “wraps”. I want to know which restaurants to go to which have really delicious yet healthy food. Am not into trendy diet food...do I need to be?

kommodevaran · February 2018

Life's even unfairer than that. Figure out what you mean by healthy, and eat appropriate amounts of what fits both that description, and your taste preferences. I have personally become a great fan of home cooking - I get to decide exactly what I want to eat, I can make and eat anything, I can balance all meals to suit me, and it's way cheaper and fast too.

wizzybeth · February 2018

My go to restaurant is Panera because I can usually find something I like that will fit into my calorie goal and it is delicious. I also go to McDonalds. Food is food there are nutrients to be had in just about anything. When it comes to weight loss it all boils down to how many calories are you willing to spend on a particular piece of food.

JoRocka · February 2018

I mean- this is really open ended.

I only eat out 1-2 times a week. For dinner it's either Mexican or steak- there is rarely anything in the middle.

(and frequently Mexican IS steak)

I do eat at WaWa a LOT- but if you don't have that- it means nothing. I get the turkey bacon salad in the little pre made section- only 250 calories I think.

But for lunch if I am forced to go out- I almost always get a tuna wrap- or a grilled chicken salad.

amfmmama · February 2018

Just don't be fooled... a lot of the restaurants will have a section of "lighter options" I still find these foods to be 700 + calories. This is particularly true of the chains. Go on their websites,before you go, best way to do it.

COGypsy · February 2018

I eat out at least as much as I eat in and I typically eat what sounds good at whatever place I end up. I just eat an appropriate amount. Last night I had a burger with swiss cheese, mushrooms, bacon and Caesar dressing. I decided before my meal ever came out that I'd only have half and actually wasn't as hungry as I thought and took home even more than that half burger. I had a couple of pieces of a shared appetizer and water to drink. It came to about 600 calories or so.

The trick is to not treat every meal out as a special occasion that deserves four courses and a nightcap. I keep to an entree and maybe some of a shared appetizer or dessert, but usually just an entree. For myself, I also usually decide ahead of time if possible what I'll eat and plan for that in my day's calories/macros. With very few exceptions (sushi, tapas) I automatically take at least half the meal home. I don't go to many chain restaurants, but I do use them for calorie tracking. I also have a good friend that's a chef and I've picked his brain many times on what standard amounts of ingredients are and use those for my estimates.

I've lost 50 pounds eating this way and maintained it for two years. Now I'm working on losing another 10 pounds or so, haven't changed my basic approach, just trimmed back on amounts and am losing steadily (if not speedily!). If my losses slowed much or stopped, I'd probably re-evaluate the choices I was making and tighten up more on my estimates. But as long as it's working, I don't see any need to stress out too much.

janejellyroll · February 2018

If you define what you mean by "healthy," it may help you get recommendations. I don't worry too much about individual meals, I just focus on meeting my nutritional needs in the context of my overall diet. My favorite things to eat when I'm going out are pizza, Indian food (especially vegetable dishes), portobello burgers and french fries, and burritos/burrito bowls.

dsboohead · February 2018

It cracks me up when people say....But I had a salad

......have you seen the calorie expenditure on those said salads?!
You would be better off with those regular menu items and adapt them a bit to make them fit your needs!

busyPK · February 2018

This is hard to answer as we don't know your taste preferences. I look up menus before I head to a restaurant and pick a lower calorie option or stick with fish/chicken and steamed veggies. One of my favorite chain lower calorie meals is the margarita grilled chicken at Chili's. If you mean fast food - search the posts and there are a few that a lot of people posted their favorites.

bbell1985 · February 2018

I don't eat at chains but I find Mexican/Peruvian restaurants that have ceviche to be helpful.

Also...diners. You can literally get whatever. I'll order to garden salads, combine them, and sprinkle them with a side of bacon and hot sauce. Chicken soup on the side. You have a big old meal for a few hundred calories.

Anywhere you can get fish without dense sauces.

Cbean08 · February 2018

I eat out a lot and have no problems ordering things that I can make work. Just watch your portions. I often order side orders of meat and a side of veg as a meal. Or, I'll just order an appetizer and a have that.

Mexican food- fajitas (eat 1/3 of the meat, half the veg, and 1 tortilla) or ceviche are good options
Italian- grilled calamari, minestrone soup, grilled chicken with veggies, 1 slice of pizza w/ side salad. Or, sometimes I just order a meatball and a side of veggies.
Chinese- beef and broccoli
American- burger without the bun, meatloaf and veggies, baked potato(plain) with meat and sautéed spinach, 2 eggs and bacon with 1 piece of toast,

Overall, I choose meals that are based around lean meat and usually take 1/2 to go.

lucerorojo · February 2018

I don't eat out as much as I used to. I find it easier to stick to my calorie allotment by making it myself. If I do eat out, and it is not with friends for a special occasion, my go to is Panera. They list the calories and they have a salads, sandwiches and hot foods that fit in easily, especially the Pick 2, which for me is usually under 600 calories. There are other salad places in my area. Other than Panera or soup or sushi at an Asian restaurant, I just have to consider eating out as a "cheat meal." Chipotle is okay, but I don't like their food anymore. It went downhill. It used to be good when they first opened and everything was humanely raised.

lulalacroix · February 2018

I eat out quite a bit. I find that I can find a meal almost anywhere that fits my needs. I generally look for a piece of grilled meat, chicken or fish, with a lot of veg. And as someone else mentioned, I don't treat every meal out like a celebration. But if I wanted to splurge, I would either eat low calories during the day or use some exercise calories to increase the splurge a bit.

To give a direct recommendation, one of my favorite restaurants currently is Tokyo Joe's. It's healthy for me because I can get some delicious ahi tuna or other fish with fresh veggies and many meals come in around 500 or so calories. Everything I eat there is really delicious too.

CourtneyUT · February 2018

Panda Express beef and broccoli is crazy low calorie. Chili's sirloin with avocado on the lighter fare menu section is like 420 cal or something like that.

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