Eating out
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shezian
Posts: 9 Member
How do you guys eat out while maintaining? I love Indian and Thai food but l never know how many calories l am eating.
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Replies
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I eat out to enjoy the company of friends and family and to enjoy good food. I will pick the food I really enjoy rather than based on calories. But if I know I'm likely to be having a big meal then just as part of mindful eating I'd be likely to have smaller meals, fewer snacks that day.
If I feel the need to count or estimate calories (mostly I don't) I would just estimate as best I could using similar database entries or just a Quick Add based on experience.
As regards any impact on my weight I just see individual meals as being insignificant in the long term and just part of the natural ebb and flow of my weight trend over an extended period of time.9 -
I just guess. Quite often I can have a good idea of how much I've eaten by how full I feel. Not always, but it's a good indicator. Like I was in London this weekend and we went out for afternoon tea. I guessed it was like 1000 calories, and I found an entry on the database of 1100, so I logged that and then planned lighter meals around it. I was in London for 4 days and I came back and I'm my usual weight.5
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I just use one of the general higher entries in MFP as an estimate. I don't worry about it too much. One night doesn't derail your goals.8
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To keep calories in control in Indian and Thai restaurants, I just limit what I eat from dishes that are deep fried or swimming in coconut cream, peanut sauce or ghee. Plenty of nice grilled dishes on both Indian and Thai menus. And I love the Thai salads where the dressings are oil free (plenty of sugar though).
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The biggest thing for me when it comes to dining out and maintaining weight loss is just eliminating how many times per week/month I go out to eat. When I was younger and first started making a decent income, I would freely dine out ALL the time...seriously, sometimes I'd go out 5-10 times per week for lunches and dinners. Now I go out about 2 times each week and use good judgment like others have said...steering clear of the super heavy, rich, fried things...or just stick to small portions of the "worst" items. But when you just go out for say, Indian food on Saturday afternoon, and eat 2 tacos for lunch at a taco truck on Tuesday....it's MUCH easier to control the unknown calories and such, than if you were dining out much more frequently!6
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I try to make the best choices I can and then enjoy it and not worry about ithe calories. I look at maintenance as a "for the rest of my issue. One meal, as long as it does not become a frequent occurrence, is not going to make a real difference in long term.1
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In maintenance, it's not biggie really unless it is a very frequent thing.2
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online menus are a godsend. It makes it so much easier to plan and be decided when you walk in..there is no impulsive temptation. When it comes to Thai food.. I'd eat fish and salad all day..work out.. then eat what I want. Indian food, I get tandoori chicken.. Raita ..and rice.0
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Eating out responsibly I have not mastered yet. So far I have been trying to concentrate on one specific meal / dish I really would like to eat and where I can "eye ball" the calories I am going to eat. BUT! It starts with the most delicious breads, 3 or 4 varieties, still oven warm served with 2 or 3 different butters and / or dips. Unfortunately that would be in the region of 1.000 calories already - because why would I stop after one basket? 2 or 3 really get me going...bread always has been my trigger food. Buffets, especially the Italian / Spanish / Scandinavian kind are definitely out. Currently I pre - view the menu, see what fits into my daily calorie allowance (more or less) and make up my mind BEFORE I enter the establishment. I try to stay away from starters and I am generally not interested in desserts. I always enjoy salad buffets, but take real salads only - not croutons, not cheeses, not creamy salad dressings, not mayonnaise. I do enjoy a double portion of vegetables with whatever meat or fish - but hang on - I have totally forgotten about portion control. Oh well, that's another chapter...6
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I search in the database and go for a medium entry. Like f I see 3 entires at 100, 2 at 200, 3 at 300, and one at 500 I'd go with the 300 entry.1
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I do the math when eating out and then adjust the rest of my day accordingly. Last outing, last Saturday, was a full rack of BBQ baby back ribs and a naked baked potato that "costed out" at 1,696 calories. I ended by day at 2,616 calories which was only 288 calories over maintenance based on a light exercise day of a one hour walk. I was satisfied with my discipline and the ribs were delicious. I try to each out infrequently but one day week recently I had two days in a row where lunch was eaten out on business. Have a business lunch next week and take the same approach and plan on not being significantly over whatever happens to be the maintenance calc for the day.
This precision approach works for me and I don't feel deprived one bit. But, I may add, alcohol is not in my equation at this chapter of my life so I don't have those calories or any other liquid calories to make it more challenging.1 -
Just got back from a week out of town where every evening meal was in a restaurant. My approach was to first enjoy the company and the food and secondly to make the best choices possible given the menu. And by "best," I mean "yummy & not fried." Except for that last night fish fry, which was exceptional. I had one cocktail on two of the seven nights out, and didn't bother with dessert.
Meals other than dinner out tended to be what I eat at home during the day - fresh fruit and Greek yogurt, and the occasional cookie. I weighed less than half a pound more when I got home. It can be done.2 -
I usually try to opt for a lighter offering, but if there's something on the menu that I'm really dying to have and it's likely high calorie, I just eat and enjoy it, try to log it as well as I can (if possible, if not, I'm not sweating it) and then just go back to the plan the next day. If I start to see my weight creeping up, I know how to deal with that and I do it.
My attitude is, if I'm doing the right thing 95% of the time, the other 5% can be dealt with fairly painlessly. It's the big picture that's important, not every last meal or even day's worth of meals.4 -
Thx guys for all the advice. Will keep this in mind. Great to see his others are doing it.1
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My attitude is, if I'm doing the right thing 95% of the time, the other 5% can be dealt with fairly painlessly. It's the big picture that's important, not every last meal or even day's worth of meals.
THIS!! Exactly! I have been in maintenance since Sept of 2017 and have managed to keep my loss of 100 lbs with taking my weekends off. From Friday at lunch through Sunday night I don't weigh, log or worry too much about my diet/fitness. First thing Monday morning I get right back to it. Yes, my weight will be up on Monday mornings but I have it right back where I want it by mid week and at the latest by Friday morning. This allows me to enjoy going out on the weekends while eating what I want that is not exactly healthy. However, I don't gorge myself either. This method might not be the best option for everyone... but it has certainly worked for me and it is a lifestyle I can maintain.
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I eat out frequently and it's never really an issue. After 4.5 years of maintenance, I pretty much know what to do, which includes checking menus online and even photos in Yelp, whenever possible. If it's not possible, and I can't plan ahead, I do the best that I can. I am so into healthy food after all these years (7 total with MFP) that it's easy to make choices. When I am at a restaurant where there is literally nothing that I would want to eat, I make do with a Caesar salad (no croutons, dressing on the side) and grilled salmon. If that isn't possible, I make do with a side salad. It's all about the company for me, and not ever really about the food. Nothing really tempts me at this stage of the game but it something calls my name, I have it. It's usually something that I would never get at home or at another restaurant, so I enjoy and don't worry about it. As others have said on here, one meal, large calories, is not going to ruin everything. I just get back to my regular routine right after. The only thing that is different is when we are out of town for 4 months every winter. We stay in a town that has several restaurants that I love, and I eat what I want, within reason. But I am still pretty much careful about breakfast and the one other meal that day. If I gain a few pounds while gone, I rein it right back in when home.4
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When l was younger l used to eat whatever l wanted on weekend and ate less during the week and l always maintained. But now that lm approaching 50, l have to really watch how much lm eating every single day. I’m fine when l eat my own home cooked meals, but once l start eating out l always gain weight and lm sick of being in a diet to lose those gained kilos. I have to be so strict now. One day I’m just going to stop caring so much.2
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I find the portions are too big. I tend to eat half and bring the rest home for someone in my family.2
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I eat out for lunch all the time. My husband and I split all meals almost always. If I'm eating alone I bring half home or order an appetizer.2
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I have found that I have a limit. If I eat more than about 1500 calories in one sitting (and really, it's more like 1400) I just don't feel well. I can basically feel when I am approaching my limit. So, I bank calories throughout the week (200-300 per day) and then when I eat out on Friday (when I don't have time to exercise due to a job change that requires more hours in the office), I try not to go over what I've banked by using estimates from the database, but I also know that it's impossible for me to get too far off course because I start to feel very bloated and unwell.
On Saturday, if I have lunch out, it is usually at a chain like Panera or Jason's Deli or Zoe's Kitchen or some place similar that has calories posted online or in the store and those estimates work all right for me.2
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