Motivation to Not Eat Out

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  • DarkTwain
    DarkTwain Posts: 130 Member
    LexiLuLavender wrote: »
    Hi all! I've been off of MFP for a few months now and I'm ready to come back.

    The hardest thing for me is finding the motivation to not eat out for dinner. I'll eat well for the entire day, and then right after work, have the urge to eat out. And it's a little bit harder on the weekends when I'm not working.

    What has worked for you to keep you from eating out? I am open to any and all suggestions that have helped you to reach your fitness goals.

    This is probably my biggest struggle, I now do IF where I just don't eat after 6pm. When I get home I just find something to keep me busy until it's time for bed. If I'm out or have company I'll indulge but that's maybe a few times a month, if that.
  • sensdornam
    sensdornam Posts: 6 Member
    Have you thought about why you eat out? If it's abiut the ritual of unwinding after work, maybe you can go to a cafe and grab a pressed juice or lemonade.

    Also, the advice I've seen someone give: leave your credit card and money at home... It's GENIUS. I might start doing that as well hahaha
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    For us, it's expensive and very disappointing when we realize we could have made something better at home for less. We have a few regular go to recipes in rotation, but recently bought a multi pot. Hubby has been trying out some new stuff in it, like beef chuck and pork roast, ribs, and chicken. Bonus for me is that I don't have to cook as much!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited September 2019
    $$$$

    With a wife and two kids, eating out gets really expensive, really quick. You're pretty much starting at around $30 right out the door.

    I also enjoy cooking and I'm pretty good in the kitchen...I can usually make something better at home than I can get out, unless it's a fancier restaurant.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,086 Member
    This can be a struggle for me, too. Single, so never any chance of sharing the cooking responsibility (but also don't need to be sure anyone else gets fed).

    My biggest "motivators" and things that help me avoid eating out (but far from a cure all):

    -Finding easy, tasty, similar things I can make at home (for example, the other day I was about ready to order Thai delivery when I realized I had some pre-cooked rice in the freezer and all the fixing, including curry mix, to make it at home - far more controlled in the calorie and servings department!).

    -Accurately tracking my calories. Most meals out for me mean lots o' calories! If I'm accurately logging, and being honest, that alone will often stop me (pre-logging my "planned" choices has stopped me more than once)!

    -Cost. Eating out is expensive, and adds up really fast. Keeping a budget and totaling my spend each month by category revealed just how silly my spending was when I was doing too much eating out.

    I probably still eat out way more than I should. I do not enjoy cooking (I enjoy the results, but not the process), I HATE cleaning up after (it's easier now that I have my own kitchen, but I still don't like it), and sometimes I just want a warm, fresh meal without all the effort and mess. Okay, I want that far too often LOL. That, and variety!! Due to my lack of wanting to cook and/or clean up a huge pile of dishes, I end up wanting something different than my usual fair (which starts getting a bit routine) - that part is harder for me, but I'm trying to get better about keeping sauces and such at home that can help me create the variety I desire.
  • sadiebot
    sadiebot Posts: 5 Member
    On the weekends when I’m most likely to order takeout, I like looking through cookbooks or Pinterest for something healthy and super flavorful (using things like seasonal produce) and prepare a meal as something special, and plate it nicely like a treat. It makes it feel more like an indulgence. Basically, I pretend I’m the Barefoot Contessa.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Almost any time I eat out I have a salty food induced scaled spike to deal with and while I know it's not true gain it's something I can do without. Also eating within cals while eating out involves more compromise than usual trying to balance sensible with satiation for me. I just don't get enough calories a day, even in maintenance, to be able to order whatever I want off the average menu without starving the rest of the day and working out extra, which I'm not willing to do.
  • Emmapatterson1729
    Emmapatterson1729 Posts: 1,296 Member
    edited September 2019
    I don't like to eat out for several reasons. I think having delicious food at home helps, especially fast quick foods, like even frozen meals.

    I was addicted to Amy's Green Curry bag...2 servings, 10 minutes. Also the Chinese frozen food from Trader Joe's, I think it's better than takeout, cheaper and a lot lower calorie!

    Trader Joe's frozen lava cakes for dessert, OMG the stuff is to die for, perfect size servings.

    I also add things to frozen foods. Like frozen Mexican food... Topped with chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, avocados, cilantro, lettuce or greens, sour cream, salsa, etc.

    Quick delicious foods, I prefer over takeout or eating out!
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,307 Member
    LexiLuLavender wrote: »
    Hi all! I've been off of MFP for a few months now and I'm ready to come back.

    The hardest thing for me is finding the motivation to not eat out for dinner. I'll eat well for the entire day, and then right after work, have the urge to eat out. And it's a little bit harder on the weekends when I'm not working.

    What has worked for you to keep you from eating out? I am open to any and all suggestions that have helped you to reach your fitness goals.

    Looks like I'm going against the grain here - but I did nothing to curb my motivation to eat out.

    I like eating out and do so about as much now as before losing weight.

    I dont mind cooking (or being cooked for) and time and money and enjoying being home mean I dont eat out all the time - but neither did I before losing weight.

    I just think a bit more about my choices, both the eating out food and the at home or taken to work in my lunchbox food

  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,024 Member
    I've eaten out TWICE since I started wlj last April. I found a passion for cooking a few years back. Plus it is healthier and much cheaper. I know I am probably not the norm, but in order for me to focus on my goals, I have basically hunkered down in my house until I lose this 100 lbs. I've lost 68 so far. I'm single, no kids so it's easier for me to focus.
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
    Meal planning is key for me - thinking ahead, and making sure I have all the ingredients on hand.
  • clemandwestatl
    clemandwestatl Posts: 6 Member
    My motivation for not eating out is simply knowing that I’m cutting my calories significantly lower by cooking at home. Probably close to half!
  • Emmapatterson1729
    Emmapatterson1729 Posts: 1,296 Member
    clemandwestatl wrote: »
    My motivation for not eating out is simply knowing that I’m cutting my calories significantly lower by cooking at home. Probably close to half!

    Probably even more than half! People would be surprised at some of the practices at restaurants.

    I'm like nighthawk584, found a passion for cooking.

    Took some culinary classes, decided working in a professional kitchen wasn't for me, but learned that restaurants add so many unnecessary calories.

    Like I always ordered a baked sweet potato, especially places like Texas Roadhouse. Found out they fry them in bacon grease, after they're baked. I thought I was ordering a healthy vegetarian option... Was wrong. Plus, I don't eat pork... Needless to say, I was upset. This is one of the reasons I quit eating out. Hidden ingredients, hidden calories.
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
    crockpot. prepare your meal in the crock pot b4 bed. put in on in the morning when you leave for work. then you know you have you supper already waiting for you when you get home. plus you will get a few suppers out of it at least that you can come home to already made and ready to heat up. if you have never tried crock pot cooking...its so super easy and here are tons of receipes on line. most are just dump all the ingredients in and flip the switch. some require a little more prep work.
  • sugarcakes38
    sugarcakes38 Posts: 80 Member
    edited September 2019
    As far as getting off on the right foot, the only reasonable thing I can suggest is cutting back significantly on eating out however you have to. Meet your calorie requirements through sensible eating, again however you choose, loads of ideas already here.

    Concerning eating out, one thing I already knew about myself is that I’m an impulse/emotional/social eater. On top of that I live among other eaters of similar types and together we’ve enjoyed eating out as much as snacking and other pitfalls I’ve had to learn to steer clear of. Expensive, yeah. Routine, yeah. Calorific, every time, because I so often ate what I really wanted, as much as I wanted and to hell with the consequences.

    Even now, there are more times I must stick to “no, thanks, I brought my lunch”, or “no thank you, I’ll go home and eat.” Or “No thanks, I brought my snacks.” May sound like a killjoy, I know I disappoint these days but its HOW I have made progress on ME. I did not lose this much by eating the way I always did. Sometimes that’s all the motivation I need to go straight home and eat instead of a drive thru.

    Lastly, there’s nothing wrong in eating out once in a while. “Once in a while” is different for everyone, I’ve learned very quickly how seldom I can do this without setting myself up for unknown/hidden calorie content, full-fledge overeating and days of lingering water retention. It’s the PATTERN that I’ve had to learn to avoid, and often for me, that means gracefully declining, even if it’s tempting, even if it’s ME offering it to myself.
    Welcome back.


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