Overeating at Resturants
champion818
Posts: 65 Member
So I don’t go out to eat at resturants often , but when I do sometimes the menu does not have the calories listed . I even asked my server and he replied “ there is not a calorie count here “ . Although this is rare as most resturants do list calories . What can you do when you are in situations where you have no idea how many calories you are honeslty eating .
For example , I went to a cafe last night and the menu had no listed nutritional values . So I ended up getting a salad and took off the cheese , bread and meat and just had lettuce and a little salt because I was not going to go over calories blindly !
Thanks
For example , I went to a cafe last night and the menu had no listed nutritional values . So I ended up getting a salad and took off the cheese , bread and meat and just had lettuce and a little salt because I was not going to go over calories blindly !
Thanks
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Replies
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You have to learn to make your best guesstimates. Just eating lettuce is silly, and a waste of money and good food!
If I'm trying to be as accurate as possible when eating out, I order something simple that can be mentally deconstructed. Steak with salad (dressing on the side) or steamed vegies. Salad with chicken added etc. If I'm trying to eat lower cal/fat I avoid fried foods and look for a grilled option. If I want carbs, many places offer baked potato, or plain rice, bread etc.
Don't be afraid to ask for dressings on the side, steamed vegies or salad instead of chips.21 -
If it's a rare occasion, just eat and enjoy. In fact, eat an enjoy every meal. Picking at food can lead you towards mindsets you don't want.8
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Live life. One meal out isn't going to derail you. You wasted money and food.15
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Find something similar from a restuarant that does have nutritional info or something in the database.
If you eat a place enough to know their menu make a choice in advance.
Pay attention when you log food to portion sizes and calorie counts so it is easier to guess.
One higher calorie meal or day will not derail.
There is no reason to just eat salty lettuce.
I'd walk into a restaurant meal expecting to eat at least 400-600 calories for lunch or dinner and would be fine with that.
A regular burger (single patty, condiments, no bacon or cheese), side salad and vinaigrette dressing with an unsweetened iced tea is around 400 calories.
Two slices of pizza (thinner crust, no piled with greasy meat) and a side salad is around 500-600 calories.
A larger main dish salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, grilled meat, beans, cheese, egg and lower calorie dressing might be 400-600 calories. It is a meal not a side dish.
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champion818 wrote: »So I don’t go out to eat at resturants often , but when I do sometimes the menu does not have the calories listed . I even asked my server and he replied “ there is not a calorie count here “ . Although this is rare as most resturants do list calories . What can you do when you are in situations where you have no idea how many calories you are honeslty eating .
For example , I went to a cafe last night and the menu had no listed nutritional values . So I ended up getting a salad and took off the cheese , bread and meat and just had lettuce and a little salt because I was not going to go over calories blindly !
Thanks
So sad.
Did you really have so few calories left that you thought anything more than lettuce would put you over? If you know you're going ahead of time, leave yourself a little cushion.11 -
I read a blog on MFP that pointed out many restaurants serve portions that are too large, and it suggested eating 1/2 and taking the rest to-go. So the next meal out, I had that in mind. It happened that the "portion police" had gotten the memo, however; I literally laughed OUT LOUD when I considered eating only 1/2 the entree and ate the entire meal with confidence! I used approximate measures to log the meal and had a great time out! Give yourself some flexibility when opportunities arise!!5
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MalkinMagic71 wrote: »Live life. One meal out isn't going to derail you. You wasted money and food.
This x 10010 -
First off, you can't be afraid of food like that. One meal won't make much difference in the grand scheme of things.
You can either find a chain restaurant entry for a similar meal in the database and go with that, or deconstruct the meal in your head and guesstimate to log each item - like 3 oz of chicken and 1 serving of croutons and 1/4 cup of cheese, etc. As you get more experience logging (and using a food scale as often as possible) you get better at guessing portion sizes when you have to. I always log a TBL of oil or butter along with most restaurant meals I log like that, as that's what often makes them taste so good!
Please don't allow trying to lose weight to make you not enjoy meals or be afraid of food. It's not necessary and can potentially mess with your head long term.7 -
If the portion is obviously too large, get the to-go box at the beginning of your meal and put half of it in there, enjoy the other half in the restaurant. This can save calories and money, as you get 2 meals out of one. You will sometimes have to guesstimate the calories for restaurant calories but they are usually on the higher side because of the often liberal use of oils, dressings and larger portions.0
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I went out for tapas with friends last night. Talk about a logging nightmare! I deconstructed everything and then added 25% for oil and whatever I forgot. I went over my daily allotment even though I tried to plan for dinner, which didn't work because I had to go out for a work-related lunch too. Whatever. I logged it all and even though I cringed at the number when I was done I also know it was just one day, not the rest of my life, and dinner with my friends was totally worth it.6
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I just guess and don't overstress. Over the week, if you're pretty sensible, even if you're a bit off in your estimation, it should even out. I was just in Romania for 10 days. Had zero idea what the calories were in anythinggg. I had fun while I was there, also walked a lot. I gained less than half a pound and it's gone now.4
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Eat.4
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I too rarely go to restaurants (prefer home cooked meals) but of course I do go to them on occasion.
I usually end up asking the server to see if the kitchen could steam vegetables/poach some fish, etc., sauce is asked to be on the side for salads/entrees etc.,
Most - if not all the restaurants have been great to accommodate my requests.
Otherwise I'd be 'picking' off the 'stuff' I don't wish to consume.0 -
I usually eat about 1/4 to 1/3 of what's on my plate when I go out and take the rest home, or I get an appetizer as my meal and still guess on the calories. If I know calorie counts it's easy, but I have a general idea of what chicken wings have for calories (for example).
Besides, I don't eat out often enough for it to derail me, and a cheat meal every once in awhile is good for your mental well being0 -
As a former chunky chops and am still not quite there, also one for never really gong out and dreading having to do so, may I offer this support. At the outset were live in different countries so our portion sizes and mileage may differ.
Get a handle on what calorific value is for certain meals, take a mental note and over time you get a sense of a potion size. You also get a sense of which types of meals suit you. You become instinctively aware overall and not have to battle with one meal at a time - getting each one 'just right' - the bigger picture.
I've just returned from a weekend away, relying solely on restaurant food. I observed my friends, as much as I guess they did me. Breakfast I went all out, many went pretty light. We had a mid morning stop and all of them needed to have something to eat and a coffee or tea. I didn't need to. Lunch time I went heavier than some, went for a slim burger rather than a sandwich. Afternoon stop they were at it again having to have cake and this and that, I sailed through with water.
Evening meal starter main and desert, mine was a mangy small main, cut the other two out. Having seen me going all out in the morning they were wondering how come I was able to lose as much as I have. I was larger than most of them and am now slimer than many.
It takes time, but get that balance right.
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There is usually some form of grilled chicken on every place with a menu... May not come with the healthiest stuff, but at least there is a non deep-fried option 95% of the time. There is a start.
I'll sub out the sides for veggies (steamed brocco, hell yes), ask for whatever is on the chicken to come on the side (never know with some sauces), etc.
If they don't have it, and nothing looks particularly healthy... Just friggin' ask. "Any way I can just get some grilled chicken breast with yadda yadda as sides?"
I do this at Chinese places, too. Chicken & Broccoli, sauce on the side. They always give too much rice - I admit I throw most away, it doesn't exactly refrigerate well.
(Edit; I also portion stuff out ahead of time. Example, pizza place... I order a small veggie calzone. It was pretty large, so I split it in half and took half home.)1 -
I eat out a lot, usually at places with no calories listed. I have no problems.
1. smart choices - choose a meal with components that you are familiar with and that you could estimate calories in. I also choose things that I can easily deconstruct so I can re-portion as needed.
2. self control and honesty- restaurants typically use full fat ingredients and add butter and oil for flavor. That Mac and cheese is not the same calories as a Lean Cuisine. Don't kid yourself by thinking a vegetable lasagna is "low calorie" or an enchilada is covered in fat free cheese. You do not have to finish your entire plate. And really, no one cares if you do or not.
3. Eat off a different plate- when your meal plate comes, ask for a bread plate or a salad plate. Portion your amount off the meal plate and onto the smaller plate. Have the rest of it boxed up immediately.
4. Share- I'm a big food sharer. Sometimes I'll just order a side of vegetables and then eat a portion of my boyfriend's meal and a bit of his appetizer. I get more variety this way and it helps me try new foods.2 -
We went out for dinner last night. The restaurant where we planned to go (and I had budgeted calories for my favorite meal there!) had moved to summer hours and closed after lunch on Sundays. So we opted to go to the German restaurant instead. German food is not exactly low calorie and since I don't go to this place all that often, I wasn't about to deviate from my favorite stuff. They also don't list calorie counts and have massive serving sizes.
So instead of gorging myself, I had about a quarter of the small soft pretzel with a couple of small dunks in the beer cheese and one of the (sausage link size) brats. I cut my sandwich in half and only ate a quarter of the potatoes. Guesstimates of similar foods in the database put me somewhere just at maintenance for the day. I estimated on the higher side too, so maybe I was still under? It was one meal and I've been doing well the whole week, so far from a problem at all. And I enjoyed it immensely.
I wouldn't recommend this approach if you eat out daily or anything, but a couple times a month isn't the end of the world, especially if you are normally doing fine. Just don't feel the need to clean your plate when eating out and try to aim for 1/3 or 1/2 of the portions. Split appetizers with people (and take the smaller portion yourself). Avoid the mindless eating traps like chips and salsa (or be super strict with them - I personally limit myself to 10-12 chips and eat them really slowly). If you get a salad, don't flood it with dressing, maybe remove some of the cheese and croutons, but enjoy the meat for protein. Most places rarely put tons of meat on salads anyway for cost. Overall, just be a little more mindful of portion sizes and condiments and enjoy the treat. If it is an occasional event, it won't be detrimental in the grand scheme!2 -
Have you watched chefs prepare food? They are not weighing ingredients with calories as a concern. Taste and flavor are highest priorities along with speed and keeping the orders moving.
Calorie estimation from a restaurant is a best guess at best.1 -
I assume that each piece of the meal is 1 serving of that food item and I just “assemble” it myself with the foods I know for certain are in it. I might be a little off, but never by anything too crazy.0
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kommodevaran wrote: »If it's a rare occasion, just eat and enjoy. In fact, eat an enjoy every meal. Picking at food can lead you towards mindsets you don't want.
I could never agree more. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I did.0 -
I dont eat out too often. (1-2 a month) so when I do, I just bank up calories before and eat it all in 2 weeks we are going out for lobster, steak and chocolate mousse( pre ordered menu)..I'll hopefully manage to walk 8-10 km before that and have 700 cals left over from my normal calories that day as well - leaving me 1400 calories for the 3 dishes0
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I don't go out often, so I just pick whatever sounds most appealing to me from the menu and use similar entries to log it. I would never ever go to a restaurant to eat lettuce. Waste of money and good time.
If it's a very regular thing that happens several times a week and you have a say in which restaurant you're going to, maybe have a few restaurant options to choose from that have lower calorie dishes that you like and pick one of these whenever you go out. If you don't have a say, there is nothing wrong with eating at home and just having coffee, ordering food only occasionally.1
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