tips and advice for eating out!

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bryonyd4
bryonyd4 Posts: 6 Member
edited April 2018 in Food and Nutrition
Hi,

I am going out for a family meal on Saturday to a Chinese restaurant. I love Chinese food but I wanted some advice or tips on what kind of things I can order. I have a real issue of being able to go out for dinner or being sociable without putting myself out of my calories too much. I know some people may say i need to enjoy myself but I need to learn to enjoy myself without going over board! what do you guys order or what would be the best option?

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  • AveriaKyle
    AveriaKyle Posts: 20 Member
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    Check if they have a menu online, so that u can plan ur meal. Otherwise, choose healthier option available.
  • Rose18l
    Rose18l Posts: 147 Member
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    Portion control. Also go easy on the sauce, rice and fried stuff. Not sure about what is regular in American Chinese food so can't help you there.
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
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    Try going some extra exercise that day or leave a deficit the next day to give yourself more wiggle room.

    I also try to eat super high protein and fiber density food for lunch and breakfast to have more calories for dinner.

    Last figure out what you must have to call it a satisfying meal.
    Do you want a whole serving of fried rice or would a bite from someone's plates be enough? Otherwise you could have white instead and spend your calories elsewhere. Would you rather eat beef and broccoli and skip the rice all together so you could eat more beef and broccoli or save them for an egg roll etc. etc.

    P.s I hate when people say just enjoy yourself because they don't know how much you go overboard with calories if you were to order everything you want or how frequently you do this. And that phrase was a large factor in my gaining weight.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Is the meal served "family style" where everyone shares the same dishes? If so, you can make sure that some of the dishes ordered are lighter, and then fill most of your plate with those. Then you can take a small amount of the more calorie-dense foods.

    I would pre-log what I intended to order, or at least look up calorie info a day or so ahead of time for the dishes I might order. Always use higher estimates for restaurant food, since restaurants generally use more oil, sugar, etc. than we might at home. By looking it up in advance, you can plan your day for the meal.

    If it's a lunch, then you might be okay with skipping breakfast since you're going to be having a large lunch. You can also "bank" calories during the week to eat on the weekend. Just make sure that you're under your calorie goal by 100 or so each day from now until then. That way you have a few hundred extra calories for your meal.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    Start with a pint of hot n sour soup then follow up with a chicken or shrimp dish with vegetables no rice. You can easily walk out of there under 500 calories. If you can afford more eat more.
  • triciale555
    triciale555 Posts: 57 Member
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    Steamed dumplings and steamed chicken/shrimp with vegetables. They have a lighter type of noodles also but I forget the name
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
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    I'm an appetizer fan. I usually get a cup of broth-based or hot and sour soup, steamed dumplings, grilled skewers (~800 calories, depending on portions). Maybe an egg roll instead of skewers.

    Most place will also be fine with steaming your entree with sauce on the side instead of stir-frying together (which often involves velveted meat - fried - and a good bit of oil in the sauce). A spicy brown sauce will likely have fewer calories than the sweeter/sticky sauces - General Tso's, honey walnut, sesame. You can check Panda Express or PF Chang's chain restaurant calorie counts for common dishes to ballpark your calories.

    One thing you might notice is that regardless of your order, you'll potentially be a few pounds heavier in the morning. Sodium is usually really high at American Chinese places (soy sauces, MSG seasoning, etc.), so you may retain some water for a day or two. Don't freak out!
  • bryonyd4
    bryonyd4 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank-you everyone this is really helpful! hopefully I wont over indulge on Saturday!
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
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    Lettuce wraps are good.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    Steamed fish or chicken is usually something they have at Chinese restaurants. Then a side of steamed brocc and your g2g

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