Eating out at a non-chain restaurant

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tunktunk5583
tunktunk5583 Posts: 76 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you trust MFP's calorie count (some foods have 10+ different choices to choose from) when you're dining out? How do you judge/count how much you've eaten?

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  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    I order somethings that's "standard" everywhere, for example 8oz steak and baked potato.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    depends on what it is.

    you get good at eyeballing portion sizes. use measuring cups as well as weighing...I use the tare function with a measuring cup...so I know what 1 actual serving of most things LOOKS like.

    so rice for example..if you order it steamed you should be able to guesstimate within 25-50 calories. It's not a HUGE deal to be off by that much if you're not eating out for every meal.

    Also, try to order ALL sauces on the side and estimate how much you use based on how big the container is and how much is left when you're finished.

    I log the elements of the meal separately instead of trying to find the actual dish i ordered in the food database.

    hope this helps! :)
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    Sometimes even non-chain restaurants know their nutrition info or have it on their website.
    I usually ask for it if I can't find it -- or I attempt to create a recipe myself and "guess"
    I have to do this quite often if i I eat in our company cafeteria ..
  • lizgreenhill
    lizgreenhill Posts: 185
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    before i goto any restaurant i goto their webiste and see if they have a nutritional chart if they i compare their calories to mfp and suprising its not that off maybe by a few calories.
  • kagenw
    kagenw Posts: 260 Member
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    I believe that most foods are pretty much the same wherever you are. Ex. If if looks like a double Whopper, tastes like a double Whopper and has exactly the same ingredients as a double Whopper, then you can probably count on that having the same nutritional value and calories. Just get a menu beforehand, ask which are the healthiest items and then do a bit of your own calculations on how much approximately the caloric values for that item would be.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    I try to find something similar from a different restaurant. I figure it can't be compared to home cooked stuff since they all add butter and salt like there is no tomorrow. Last night's dinner was one of these.
  • ReginaB13
    ReginaB13 Posts: 87 Member
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    this is always difficult for me. I just try to use my best guess. If I can, I include each component of my meal separately so that I feel it's a better estimate of what I ate....It will never be perfect unless you order something that is relatively standard in most places. Even then, the preparation could be different. It's really a case of best guessing. Just make sure you have a little wiggle room in your calories available, and you should be totally fine. When in doubt, round calories up!
  • tunktunk5583
    tunktunk5583 Posts: 76 Member
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    I try and add individual ingredients if I can help it but it's really hard when you're a food appreciator like me haha. Though I try not to eat out too much, I do it more than I'd like to because of time. On weekdays I try and stay conscious of what I order and order something that's not ridiculous caloric wise.

    Guess the problem is even if you do order that "standard" dish, every restaurant has a different take on the recipe and on MFP, sometimes there are way too many contributors all with outlandishly different calorie counts (i.e. pork dumplings goes from 340 for 8 to 80+ calories for 1)...

    @ReginaB13-I round up all the time! My husband thinks I have this really distorted view of how many calories things really are...but I don't think I do :)

    @love4fitnesslove4food-you're totally right. I've become more skilled at eyeballing and guess how many grams/ounces etc things are...I also try and follow the Weight Watcher (I never did weight watchers but my old roomie did) rule i.e. "deck of card is a 4 oz steak and 1 serving of rice is size of a tennis ball etc"
  • itontae
    itontae Posts: 138 Member
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    I do not count or estimate cals when eating out.
    I choose exactly what I want and enjoy it.

    Main course only, no starter or desert.

    I eat out about 1 - 2 times a month

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