Restaurant Question

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cbihatt
cbihatt Posts: 319 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If you go to a restaurant and do not finish your meal, do you count the full amount of calories?

I went out for breakfast with a friend and I didn’t eat everything, but it wasn’t like I left half the meal behind. I ended up counting the calories for the full serving size because it was easier than trying to estimate how much I ate. I was just curious what others do in that situation.

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  • OAS5
    OAS5 Posts: 376 Member
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    I guestimate, and have become pretty good at it. Sometimes I finish everything but more times than not I don't.
  • idreamincolor5
    idreamincolor5 Posts: 11 Member
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    If I eat half the meal, I only document that I ate half of the meal. Usually the other half I will take home with me. When I eat the rest of it, I document that I ate the rest of it at that time. I always leave wiggle room at the end of each day so I don't have to worry about going over my limit. If I eat foods high in sodium, I am very careful not to indulge in anymore high sodium foods for the rest of the day. In addition to this strategy, I work out more than I usually do for that day to burn off more of the calories. With all this being said, I don't eat out much! LOL
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 920 Member
    edited August 2019
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    i log what i eat, not what's on the table. if i eat about 2/3 of a meal, that's what i log.

    and like idreamincolor5, i am careful about sodium. if i eat at a restaurant, the rest of that day i eat very little sodium.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
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    I estimate. I am not logging food that gets tossed.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    nighthawk584 wrote: »
    I never have trouble eating it all haha but I would just count it as a full meal. Most the time Restaurants or we UNDERESTIMATE the calories anyway.

    This ^^^^^

    Unless the restaurant gives you the nutritional value of the meal, overestimate.
  • 1BlueAurora
    1BlueAurora Posts: 439 Member
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    When I log, I aim for accurate even when that's impossible. You know, unless you are taking your food scale to the restaurant with you, it's already very difficult to know what constitutes "one portion". So I either log the whole serving, or replace the "1.0 serving" with "0.75". But usually I log the entire serving even if I eat less, because (as others have said) you probably need to err on the side of overestimating.
  • Hollis100
    Hollis100 Posts: 1,408 Member
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    cbihatt wrote: »
    If you go to a restaurant and do not finish your meal, do you count the full amount of calories?

    I had lunch with a friend recently at a Chinese restaurant and just put 1000 calories for the meal. I had no idea how to log what I ate. The restaurant is family owned, not a chain, and has no calorie info. I don't think I ate that many calories, but who knows. I do the best I can with the food diary, but since I'm losing weight at a regular pace I'm not going to worry if the diary is less than perfect.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
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    ExistingFish wrote: »
    I estimate. I am not logging food that gets tossed.

    To further clarify, this would be in a situation where calories are posted either on the menu or online.

    I do not go to many small places (can't afford to eat out often at all, really) so that usually isn't an issue.
  • Torxa
    Torxa Posts: 61 Member
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    I will count the full meal, then bring home whatever I didn't eat off the plate at the restaurant, and incorporate it later in my day. That way I logged, and ate, all of those calories.

    This takes some extra planning. I have to order stuff that transports home okay, or it won't work. Nachos generally don't transport home well. Neither do salads. So if my meal was salad, chicken, and potatoes, and I know I want to bring home and eat the leftovers for calorie counting purposes, I will focus on consuming the entire salad because it won't transport home and eat well later. Then I'll end up with uneaten chicken or potatoes, which transport fine and reheat well.
  • koslowkj
    koslowkj Posts: 188 Member
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    95% of the time when I don't eat the full meal, I bring the rest home. I log as I eat it (if I eat 3/4 in the restaurant I log 3/4 of the calories there and 1/4 the next day when I finish it). If you're eating all of it eventually it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things if you log it all together or on two separate days.

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