Dealing with Eating Out

Try portion control... instead of eating the entire plate, ask for a box when the food comes out and put 50-75% of your food in the box before you even take your first bite. That has helped me a lot because I am a huge porker when it comes to pasta at restaurants!

P, one of the things that helps me is deciding what I'm going to have before I ever get to the restaurant! Don't look at the menu at all when you get there. Menus are just food porn - stuff that isn't really food!

Go online to the restaurant's nutrition info and pick your meal before you leave the house, or use your myfitnesspal app and order from there - order with the calories and sodium and carbs in front of you instead of those pictures in the menu!

Eating out doesn't have to be stressful - you can make it AWESOME by making it a victory over the evil restaurant empire's attempts to make you fat and wreck your plan. You can leave there feeling like you "took them down, took them out, ate what you wanted and BOOM got out!"

One other thing - variety is highly overrated when it comes to losing weight. Pick a meal that you like and that works, and order it every time you go.

These are some things that work for me.

P, one of the things that helps me is deciding what I'm going to have before I ever get to the restaurant! Don't look at the menu at all when you get there. Menus are just food porn - stuff that isn't really food!

Food porn - SO TRUE!!! The pictures get me every time!!

I definately agree! Especially when the deserts are on the same menu!

Hi everyone!

So eating out always has me stressed. It makes me go over my calories on MFP just about every time! I try to preemptively decide what I will order and enter it into MFP so I can adjust my remaining caloric intake for the rest of the day. Anyone else struggle with this? I used to always love to eat out. Now it's just stressful!!

Every time. I have to have a beer or two when I go out and when I do my self control goes out the window. I do find myself eating less now but that is not the answer, I still go over.

If I know I am going out to eat, I plan for it by eating a little less OR eating things with less calories (a lot more veggies, less carbs) so I can 'splurge' a little at the meal. I then make the best choice I can (grilled or broiled protein, steamed veggies) and then leave half on the plate and take it home. That way, I can STILL enjoy the meal, but take in half the calories. I fill up with a side salad and beverage (water with crystal light in it or an unsweetened tea).

It doesn't have to be stressful.....you just have to wrap your mind around the fact that it can't be 'fun' anymore, that its just fuel. Still trying to get that through my head LOL

And if you go over a bit, its nothing to worry about (stress/guilt adds pounds dontcha know). Work out a few extra minutes the next day or go light on one of your meals the next day. WALA. By the end of the week its not going to matter come scale day!!!

Pretty much what everyone else has said. If possible, try and plan ahead (that can help with the budget too...if you know you're on a limited amount you can spend, you can plan out the healthiest thing within your budget!) with what you're going to eat. If you know you'll be working out that day, you can have a little more wiggle room in what to order. If not, well, you can plan it out. (That's what I've done for today. I know I'm eating out and it's a rest day on my training plan. I've found a grilled chicken salad with avocado and ginger dressing (that alas is mixed in) that I've entered as best I can. And I'm still under my calorie goal for the day, so I've got a little wiggle room just in case.)

Also a "cheat" meal or a day where you're not uber strict once a week is a good idea - it keeps your metabolism on its toes. I've found I actually lose more when I'm good about making sure I have a "cheat" meal or day when I go over. I'm just trying not to do that by too much today because I'm sure tomorrow I'll be over as it's my running club's awards night dinner.

Try portion control... instead of eating the entire plate, ask for a box when the food comes out and put 50-75% of your food in the box before you even take your first bite. That has helped me a lot because I am a huge porker when it comes to pasta at restaurants!

My girlfriend and I usually split an entree when we go out. We save a lot of money that way!

P, one of the things that helps me is deciding what I'm going to have before I ever get to the restaurant! Don't look at the menu at all when you get there. Menus are just food porn - stuff that isn't really food!

Food porn! :laugh: So true!!
My DH and I will often split an entree or get an app to share and have a big salad, dressing on the side. I also will try to eat a piece of fruit or some raw vegs before going out to fill up a bit.

I try not to let it stress me out and I just try an make better choices when dinning out but yet it is hard sometimes especially when place don't offer healthy food. I have been places where there isn't low cal food on the menu. I personaly feel they should give the amount it serves, cal, protien and so on. It would make it lot easier. I hate going in some where and saying hey do you have turkey bacon to hear no I am sorry we don't offer that.

But in the end I have just learned to embrace it and eat smaller amounts and to enjoy myself. Hope you can find a happy medium so you are not so stressed out when dinning out... :happy: Get a take about box this is something I need to do it would help out a lot!! Right at the being of the meal.

sometimes it's best to get one of the "healthy options," but if that isn't your cup of tea, order what you like and eat half, still not working? eat it all, and make all your other options for that day healthy and few, log it, exercise, plenty water, life is good

I pretend to love soup when I go out to eat. I order the soup and have it come with everyone's entree, sip it slooooooooowly, and drink a whole lot of water, iced tea, or diet coke with it so I am constantly putting something in my mouth but it is less likely to be as calorie-dense as other food on the menu. Mmmmm, soupy!

Folks, I just don't go out unless I can eat something fabulous.
And that mean high calorie.

I refuse to order some rabbit food-looking dish of green something or other with a few shards of meat while everybody else is chowing down on the good stuff. To HELL with that!

Why even go?
Either eat out on a "free day" or exercise a few hours before and/or after to account for it.
That's my solution, and when I go out, I get exactly what I want with no restrictions.

Life is to be lived!

I hear ya! It's kinda hard to be good when your spouse is ordering two chili cheese foot-long hot dogs to eat. My saving graces are my goals. If you find something to be really passionate about and make it your goal, then you will have enough motivation to make the right choices. Also accountability is everything. If I feel temptation, then I look the questionable food item up on myfitnesspal to see the calories and nutrition info. Most of the time, I'm shocked, and I tell myself that it doesn't taste good enough to be worth that many calories. Another trick I do is to look at the appetizers as meals. Last night, I went to Outback and ordered the appetizer of grilled shrimp and as a side, a plain baked sweet potato.

Like you, I pull up menus beforehand and make decisions based upon those before I ever get to the restaurant. While I do, on occasion, go over on my calories, it's not by much, and I feel good about the decisions I make. I've gotten very good at sharing appetizers and desserts so that I only have a small amount, and if no one wants to share, I eat a few bites, then push it away and have the server remove it. I ask for dressing on the side (dipping rather than pouring markedly reduces the amount of dressing I have), and I've even been known to bring my own low-cal/low-fat dressing. I always opt for broiled/grilled rather than fried, and I stay away from sauces and gravies.

Like I said, I'm not perfect, sometimes I come in a couple hundred calories over for the day, but I don't consider that a failure when I'm sitting in a steakhouse where I could have easily gone into the 2,000+ calories over range.

Kris.