Unless I have decided ahead of time to enjoy a special treat, I focus on protein and veggies. Last night, I had prime rib with seasonal vegetables. The house salad was mixed greens, blue cheese, candied walnuts and vinagrette. I ate less than half the walnuts and my husband ate the mashed potatoes. I don't generally like mashed potatoes, so no hardship there. The club only brings rolls if you ask for them. Sometimes my husband does, but he always asks me first, even though I have never said no. I just make sure they are placed out of my reach so that I don't go for them absent mindedly.

I always drink water at restaurants, no matter how well or poorly I am eating overall. Maybe an unsweetened tea. I used to have Dr. Pepper at fast food restaurants, but I cut that out on a diet years ago and never started up again. Occasionally, I might have coffee or an unadultered latte. The only "drink your calories" problem I have had in years was McDonald's hazelnut iced coffee. I don't drink much alcohol, either, and lately I have to drive, so never while we are out.

Sit down restaurants are the one place we do not take our water bottles. They are usually pretty good about keeping our glasses full. If we been out in the sun, I might request a pitcher or carafe. We drink tap water, but restaurants usually serve it filtered out of the soda machine, so it is even better than our home Brita filter or the reverse osmosis system in the marina lounge.

I feel like my restaurant game is strong. I generally plan ahead and look up the menu if I can. If I feel good about a certain choice, I go ahead and log it to see how many calories I’m left to work with for the rest of the day. This encourages me to make good choices.

The main things though is I ask for substitutions. I try to get rid of the carbs I don’t care about. I honesty do not care about some carbs and can’t believe I’ve eaten them so long just because they were there.

Instead of a bun on my burger, I politely ask for a bed of lettuce (restaurants often give me enough lettuce for a small salad). Italian restaurants are tricky, so I might ask for a bed of broccoli in place of noodles. Instead of a slice of bread with a breakfast plate, I ask for extra steamed tomatoes. I always check out the menu to make sure the substitutions I ask for are possible, and the choice is ultimately up to the restaurant, but I’ve never once been refused. I also haven’t been charged extra. If I’m asking for broccoli instead of noodles, they know I’m trying to make healthier choices and most are happy to accommodate.

I genuinely believe that most American restaurants’ average meals are 700-1000 calories, and substitutions are often needed to find balance.

@craigo3154 I’m having trouble clicking the star to bookmark the new thread. It says I need permission? I don’t think I’m doing anything different than usual...

@craigo3154
I would like to be rolled over, but could you change my weigh-in day to Saturday?

Thanks

Username: biche896
Weigh in week: Week 4 of April
Weigh in day: Sunday
Previous Weight: 141.76
Todays Weight: 141.09