Tips for making healthy choices when dining out?

I always try to look up the info before I go, so I know when a salad is surprisingly 1000 calories or something that I'd expect to be really caloric is surprisingly lower calorie.

You can eat half portions whenever possible. Or get things on the side. Like, I might get a salad and have the more caloric things put on the side so I can use a spoon and measure them out. I'll use one soup spoon's worth of nuts or seeds rather than whatever they put on the salad, and use that spoon for dressings, also.

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I don't eat out all that often anymore...when I do, I usually just get what I want to get. I mainly eat at local eateries because the food quality is better and fresher, service is better, and overall experience is just better. Because they'll local, they don't have nutritional information listed...but I typically get a protein that has a veg side and a side of grain or starch of some kind. Serving sizes are more reasonable as well.

In the grand scheme of things, my meals out aren't really material to my diet as a whole...I don't go crazy, but I typically just get what I want to get. In regards to things like french fries...they've never really been my thing and have long (like way before weight loss) subbed a side salad for fries...I will get them every once in a blue moon, but I usually can't eat more than bit...I've just never been into fried food much.

You could ask for your meat and fish to be grilled rather than fried, and you could ask for smaller portions, eat a starter as your main meal, or order from the kids' menu. I would suggest ordering extra boiled/steamed vegetables and filling up on them so you have less room for more calorie dense items. You could eat less of the starchy carbs like potatoes or opt for sweet potato instead, and have less pasta, noodles and rice. You could have a lighter dessert, no dessert or share one portion with someone else. Most restaurants are happy to serve smaller portions because it means they save on food costs, so don't be afraid to ask, or to tell them you're watching your weight and ask for healthier recommendations.

Eating out is tough. As an aside, when I broke my arm I stopped leaving the house for a couple months (it was a really bad break!) I didn't eat out at all. It's interesting because I lost about 15 pounds, and even more interesting that I obviously didn't do any exercise either!

Always check beforehand if the nutritional information is available. I try to stick to water (its cheaper too!) and I try to eat slower. Other than that, I try to reduce the frequency of eating out too.

If looking at the menu in advance is possible try and have a few options for entrées and sides in mind in case they are out of something. I have had weird luck lately with that happening. Sometimes online menus are out of date or have regional items on them too.

While salad dressings are usually things to watch they actually can be safer to order on the side of a piece of grilled chicken instead of the mountain of calories some places will top it with. A salad dressing is easier to log then some random amount of cheese sauce with who knows what ingredients in it too.

Speaking of salad dressings if you don't know them already you should discreetly take the plastic cup home to learn the difference between 1oz and 2oz salad dressing cups.

Here's my resolution for the issue.

RESEARCH out the places you go to or want to go to IN ADVANCE. Many now list their menus and nutrition online.

1) I never do take out or carry out. I eat IN the place.
2) I never take home the left overs.
3) I DO ask about substitutions.
4) If the place is known for large helpings, I try to split with someone.
5) Skip appetizers and desserts.
6) If all else fails and portion control is an issue: hit the kiddie or seniors menu!
7) Omit the heavy dressings, sauces and creams or ask for them "on the side".

I usually wind up getting what I really want the most, but no sides, and water or black coffee to drink. I like ordering a la carte when possible, especially in Mexican restaurants. At Chinese places, I'll often get a bowl of soup instead of an entree...still a lot of sodium, but a smaller portion and still satisfying. A lot of the things I like best in restaurants are pretty "bad" like burgers and pasta and pizza, but I still eat them and then I find that I don't crave that particular item for awhile so it works out.

Mostly, I try to limit how often I go out. I still feel that I dine out pretty often. Once a week I go to lunch out with my dad. Saturdays, my husband and I always go out for lunch or dinner and sometimes both. So it's at least 2-3 times per week that I dine out. I also get together with girlfriends 1-2 times per month and they usually want to go out.

I usually eat my entire meal. I don't really go anywhere with crazy portions or a ton of fried food, though. I would rather leave behind the bread/fries. I order veggie sides whenever possible. At BBQ places, I go heavy on veggies and meat without sauce. For special occasions, I generally do dessert OR a drink, but not both.

Checking out menus for chains is very helpful. As others have said, sometimes the calorie counts are full of surprises! I knew the tortilla added calories at Chipotle, but didn't realize it adds 300 calories (and 46 carbs). I love Chipotle, but I am perfectly happy with their burrito bowl instead! Arby's grilled chicken & pecan salad sandwich has 840 calories...their DOUBLE roast beef sandwich with a packet of creamy horseradish sauce comes out to 560 calories. Before MFP, I'm sure I would have thought the chicken salad was a slightly better option, even with the creaminess it says "grilled" chicken and all. I'd much rather have the double roast beef (which I sometimes do with 1/2 bun saving even more calories).

One more thing for me is that I eat 3 meals every day and don't snack so I kind of know how many calories I am shooting for. I prefer to have a really small breakfast (200 or less), then 400-500 calories for lunch and around 600-700 for dinner most of the time. Knowing that helps me a lot and I don't like to undereat for example, a 190 calorie side salad wouldn't be satisfying to me at lunch and I'd never order (just) that. I am 4 years into maintenance after a 130 lb loss and these random 'tips' are what keep me on track.

Millicent3015 wrote: »

You could ask for your meat and fish to be grilled rather than fried, and you could ask for smaller portions, eat a starter as your main meal, or order from the kids' menu. I would suggest ordering extra boiled/steamed vegetables and filling up on them so you have less room for more calorie dense items. You could eat less of the starchy carbs like potatoes or opt for sweet potato instead, and have less pasta, noodles and rice. You could have a lighter dessert, no dessert or share one portion with someone else. Most restaurants are happy to serve smaller portions because it means they save on food costs, so don't be afraid to ask, or to tell them you're watching your weight and ask for healthier recommendations.

By weight, baked white potatoes and sweet potatoes have roughly the same number of calories, and the main way that a sweet potato manages to be marginally less "starchy" than a white potato is by having a few more of its carbs be simple sugars. Not trying to demonize sugar, but not really seeing how that makes it healthier.

Eating out is maybe once a month, I just go with whatever I want to eat and fit the rest of the day around it.
I look at the menu before hand, I never order a salad (boring) and I always have a beer (or two). If I can get a baked potato over chips I do.

I'm in the UK, I think it's easier in the US to ask for things on the side, what meals can you ask for things on the side anyways, surely not many.

debrag12 wrote: »

I'm in the UK, I think it's easier in the US to ask for things on the side, what meals can you ask for things on the side anyways, surely not many.

I know what you mean.

Here in the UK can you imagine their faces if you asked for a takeout box for your leftovers? (anywhere other than a pizza place that is...) Having said that, I don't think we get the humongous portions sometimes served in the US

I don't go out to eat very often because it's expensive. I only went out to eat once this month. So I don't really worry about it too much. When I went out I logged my food and it came out to 1600 calories. I tried to eat pretty light the whole day beforehand and planned on going over a bit.

Large portion sizes don't bother me. If I'm paying a bunch of money to eat somewhere I better be getting a lot of food lol