Not home? What to eat?
JessicaGarrantParmeter
Posts: 67 Member
What does everyone eat for dinner when they are not home? Salads from a restaurant or maybe low calorie selections?
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Replies
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If your aim is to keep it low-calorie, order just one dish to enjoy (no appetizer/entree combos, or entree/dessert, or entree/drinks.) Make it something delicious so you’re excited about it and will be satisfied with your one dish, and not want to order something else afterwards. If you want to eat the whole dish, some good options could be dishes with grilled meat instead of breaded/fried, salads with low amounts of cheese/nuts/croutons and dressing on the side so you can control it, 1 or 2 small tasting plates, a soup and a house salad, or something a la carte with no sides.
Another easy solution? Order whatever dish you want, but eat only half of it and take half home for the next day.
ANOTHER easy solution? Eat at your maintenance calorie level for one day (will just push back your expected weight loss by a day).1 -
It depends how many calories I have for the day, if I’ve planned ahead, if I’m craving anything in particular and if I’m eating for convenience or enjoyment.
Salads at many restaurants can be deceptively high in calories. If you’re going for a lower calorie option then sometimes salad is not the best choice. I often review in the database what some of the calorie counts would be if the restaurant doesn’t have them posted on their menu or online.
I eat out a few times a week at either fast food (when we are busy on weekends) fast casual (Panera, chipotle or Noodles &Co) or local neighborhood pizza places or Mexican restaurants. I never order salads, or even from the low calorie menu at any of those places. I plan ahead and factor in enough calories to get a burger and small fries, or a burrito bowl, or few slices of pizza at any of those kind of places.
From your other thread I recall you were aiming for lower calories than the recommended 1200 minimum for women. That’s going to be difficult to manage eating in restaurants and sticking to those extremely low and likely unnecessary calorie restrictions which is why people were telling you that having a more modest deficit might make the experience of losing weight less challenging and easier to maintain.5 -
Salad bar from a grocery store, not a restaurant, with my own dressing (can buy it in the same store). Just the vegetables, not the prepared food dishes. That, and a plain yogurt.1
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If you plan ahead, you can have a nice meal. I try to stay away from carbs (even more so now that I'm on a keto diet) but I don't shy away from red meat... a filet or sirloin has less fat.
Fish is always good but make sure it's wild caught, not farm raised, and stay away from tilapia.
Italian restaurants are tough for me because I grew up eating Italian, but I usually go for veal parmesian, which is leaner... sure, it's breaded, but I'm willing to sacrifice! 😄
And whenever I eat cheese (I love cheese!), I will only eat white cheeses...1 -
I don't eat outside of my home without planning ahead. Then, I eat whatever I want and log it.1
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Almost every restaurant has low calorie or healthy options with the calories listed....a small steak or grilled chicken is on almost every menu...enjoy your meal1
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Thank You. I’m changing my plan to eat 1200 calories a day now. This should work better for me.1
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JessicaGarrantParmeter wrote: »Thank You. I’m changing my plan to eat 1200 calories a day now. This should work better for me.
Great! Keep in mind that MFP works off of a NEAT calorie goal which means that the 1200 doesn’t include any exercise. If you do exercise, you should log and eat at least some of those calories back to keep your net intake at 1200.
If you haven’t yet, take the time to read the stickied most helpful forum posts at the top of the getting started section. They have lots of great info about how to use the site and tips to maximize long term success.
Yo Yo No Mo!6 -
Thanks for the tips!1
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We eat whataburger every Friday. My hubby gets a double meat, extra extra veggies, no bun; and I usually get a grilled chicken melt, extra lettuce tomato pickles, no bun.
Anywhere else, I usually look for something with protein and veg, or just get something I can't make or get around my house/town. You can make roomo for "treat" meals if you plan for them.1 -
Thank You.0
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I see someone is already taking advantage of the new “disagree” button and I’m really curious what there is to disagree with in some of these posts...2
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WinoGelato wrote: »I see someone is already taking advantage of the new “disagree” button and I’m really curious what there is to disagree with in some of these posts...
Sorry, I thought “disagree” meant “woo-hoo!”14 -
I go to the grocery store and get fruits, nuts, and frozen veg steam able bags. Most places even gas stations have a microwave. I have a bowl in my car that I keep on hand for such occasions. Also yogurt, hard boiled eggs, and veggie subs are good and easy options when out and about1
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WinoGelato wrote: »I see someone is already taking advantage of the new “disagree” button and I’m really curious what there is to disagree with in some of these posts...
Just saw that thanks! Well if one is seriously watching their food intake closely then “burgers and fries” and “a few slices of pizza” is what I hit that button for in this case.
1. Salads (watch the dressings) with your healthy protein added (steak/fish/chicken)
2. Fish - broiled or grilled
3. Other Protein (not fried) in small portions
4. Veggies
Lots of healthy options and watch the total amount. This works for me.2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »I see someone is already taking advantage of the new “disagree” button and I’m really curious what there is to disagree with in some of these posts...
Just saw that thanks! Well if one is seriously watching their food intake closely then “burgers and fries” and “a few slices of pizza” is what I hit that button for in this case.
1. Salads (watch the dressings) with your healthy protein added (steak/fish/chicken)
2. Fish - broiled or grilled
3. Other Protein (not fried) in small portions
4. Veggies
Lots of healthy options and watch the total amount. This works for me.
Depending on the person's deficit and what they've eaten throughout the day, a burger and fries or a few slices of pizza is something that someone may be able to fit into their calorie allotment. There were definitely days last winter when, after burning over 500 calories on a rowing machine, I would go out to dinner and get a burger and fries. I still lost weight which is logical when you consider that I typically have around 500 calories between 5pm and the time I go to bed on days that I don't workout.2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »I see someone is already taking advantage of the new “disagree” button and I’m really curious what there is to disagree with in some of these posts...
Just saw that thanks! Well if one is seriously watching their food intake closely then “burgers and fries” and “a few slices of pizza” is what I hit that button for in this case.
1. Salads (watch the dressings) with your healthy protein added (steak/fish/chicken)
2. Fish - broiled or grilled
3. Other Protein (not fried) in small portions
4. Veggies
Lots of healthy options and watch the total amount. This works for me.
It's really not useful to talk about "slices" of pizza.- For one place near me, 2 slices of their small pepperoni pizza is 129 g and 310 calories, not hard to fit in one's calorie budget.
- However, another place sells giant slices that weigh around 300 grams per slice. Using the above as a metric, that would be 1442 calories for two slices.
- And then there are all the places in between.
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WinoGelato wrote: »I see someone is already taking advantage of the new “disagree” button and I’m really curious what there is to disagree with in some of these posts...
Just saw that thanks! Well if one is seriously watching their food intake closely then “burgers and fries” and “a few slices of pizza” is what I hit that button for in this case.
1. Salads (watch the dressings) with your healthy protein added (steak/fish/chicken)
2. Fish - broiled or grilled
3. Other Protein (not fried) in small portions
4. Veggies
Lots of healthy options and watch the total amount. This works for me.
So you are disagreeing with the fact that I can eat burgers and fries or a couple slices of pizza within my calorie budget and still achieve my weight goals?
Huh....3 -
Grocerey shops near my home shut at 9pm. I get something like a few pieces of fruit, maybe a juice, a pre made salad, small tuna and crackers, cheese and crackers...1
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Salad bar from a grocery store, not a restaurant, with my own dressing (can buy it in the same store). Just the vegetables, not the prepared food dishes. That, and a plain yogurt.
Somebody gave me a "hug" for my post, lol. Maybe they felt sorry for me.
I love plain Fage yogurt, either the 2% (140 calories, 20 g protein) or the 5% (190 calories, a little less protein). I like the plain yogurt by itself or with almonds or blueberries. I also like taking enough vegetables from a salad bar for one meal and not having to deal with cooking or storing anything.0 -
I don't eat outside of my home without planning ahead. Then, I eat whatever I want and log it.
Thats how i do it. if im not starving, ill opt for something 'lighter'. if i am, ill order what i want and enjoy it. We eat breakfast a couple of times a month at crackerbarrel (its right by our home depot which we seem to live and spend all our money at). I'll get the little yogurt meal and have a few bites of my hubbys breakfast, since he cant eat all of it anyways (their portions are large enough for 2 people to begin with!). my fruit and yogurt and a half a slice of his french toast and im good and still feel like i ate 'out' lol0 -
I'm not very social so usually when I do eat out, I get what I want. If I'm in a situation where I'm out but alone (such as a trip), I will usually go to the grocery store and pick up what I can that allows me to eat normally. I'm all for the treats but they can make me sluggish.0
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Due to football, I'm eating out a lot lately. We do a lot of Subway. I can get a filling meal for about 550 calories. At a sit-down restaurant, I opt for a protein of some sort (steak, chicken) and a steamed veggie side.
If it's date night, I usually eat to maintenance calories and have something I wouldn't normally order.0
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