What's your opinion on restaurant food?

If you've got access to the nutritional content of all the items let that guide you, stick with the items that truly are healthier (watch sodium content, it's not unusual to see calories & fat go down and sodium go up).

try to stick to some of the healthier options, and you can always ask them to modify it slightly when they make it for you. My husband and I go to Chili's a lot and I typically get the grilled chicken fajitas, without the tortillas (grill veggies and chicken aren't too bad for you).

Also, like the previous poster mentioned portion control key. If I don't necessarily want to go with the healthiest option my husband and I will often split something or I will ask for a box as soon as the food comes out and put half of it in the box right away so I can eat it tomorrow because I know I will just keep eating it if its on my plate.

Personally I view restaurant food as I view all other food.. and try to eat smaller portions of it when I do have it.

Nothing says that you have to eat the whole entree in one sitting.. You can easily split it up into two or three meals, and save your self a lot of calories and sodium!

How can you split it up?

As for my pov I eat out a lot just make sure I log it like everything else

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How can you split it up?

Doggy bags! Not just for doggies any more.

I research restaurant items and make the best choices I can from what they offer. Many chains have their info online which makes it quite easy to plan ahead. If they don't give nutritional info, I either make the best choices I can o call it a 'spike' day and not stress over it. LOL

Eat what you want, just don't eat all of it at once. Restaurant portions are usually at least 2-3 times what they need to be, so order something, ask or put half in a box and enjoy it as two meals instead of one.

That depends... I was a server in college and the restaurants I worked in typically allowed each server to eat one meal per shift for free. So, eating at work saved me a lot of money. I should have made better choices and I wouldn't be so heavy now, but alas, I did what I had to do so that I could eat AND pay rent. If the meal is free and money is an issue, take advantage of it as long as you can make healthy choices. Make it a rule that you'll only have a regular meal once a week and go guiltless for the rest of the week.

If the meal isn't free, I don't think I would actually pay to eat Chili's every day. EDon't get me wrong, I like Chili's and they have some delicious meals. But, I don't see the point in paying a company to make me less healthy on a daily basis. And even if the meal is half off, you could easily prepare yourself something healthier that is just as tasty at home.

As a rule, I pretty much avoid restaurants because they add a lot of fat, sugar and sodium to foods. The extra crap makes the supply chain function at massive levels, but it can easily be eliminated by preparing fresh foods at home.

Once a week I allow myself a meal where I don't worry about calories. I usually go out with my husband and I'll treat myself to a cocktail with dinner, or a higher calorie entree than I would normally choose. Works for me!

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How can you split it up?

Doggy bags! Not just for doggies any more.

Oh those are unheard of over here in the UK! What you don't eat just gets binned

That's unfortunate, its not uncommon here in the US to take your uneaten portions home, in fact when my family goes out to certain places its almost a no-brainer that there will be at least one additional meal worth of food left at the end of a meal to take home for someone to eat for lunch or a late dinner.

As for eating out -- it can be done, you just have to be mindful of what you're ordering.

I would not eat it regularly. Even chains like chilis that publish nutritional information - the data they publish us best case scenario. I've seen reports saying counts are actually higher. An extra scoop of "grill oil" can easily add 100+ extra calories.

I love to eat out. I'm a stay-at-home mom, so any meal I don't have to shop for, prepare, or clean up after is a bonus. We eat out usually once a week, and I try to plan ahead so I know what healthy choices they offer. We do, however, also like to eat at local restaurants, and their info is not always readily available, so I try to be mindful of my portion size as well as choosing healthier options. I also eat my exercise calories back, so if I burn extra calories, I have more to use!

If I go to Chili's, I usually get a small bowl of chili (no cheese, no sour cream, etc) which is still awesome. Or if I want a full meal, I'll get the grilled steak and chicken fajitas, hold the cheese, sour cream, all that fattening stuff. Just the grilled meat and one or two tortillas in moderation are great, as long as you account for everything on MFP!

If I go to Chili's, I usually get a small bowl of chili (no cheese, no sour cream, etc) which is still awesome. Or if I want a full meal, I'll get the grilled steak and chicken fajitas, hold the cheese, sour cream, all that fattening stuff. Just the grilled meat and one or two tortillas in moderation are great, as long as you account for everything on MFP!

Those are good ideas. They aren't the healthiest thing on the menu but those are good ways to cut down the calories and fat. And yes i couldn't agree more, SALADS DO NOT MEAN HEALTHY. Our Quesadilla Explosion Salad is one of the worst on the menu

I noticed about the salads when I ate there last night. I ended up getting the margarita chicken, and couldn't finish it because it is so big!

When I was a server at a different large chain, there was an option to order items "ala carte". Why not just order a chicken breast, chop it up, then get a side salad. Top with salsa and beans and you have a delish taco salad for about 300 calories

Restaurant food is a sodium nightmare, but that is why it is so delicious. You can always ask for sauces on the side or skip the cheese or whatever you have to do to get the calories down, but the sodium is pretty much there to stay!

When I worked at Ruby Tuesdays, they had the nutrition info readily available, so I knew what I could get. Then again, I didn't own a scale at the time, and I felt I was ok since I was on my feet carrying heavy food all day. They had an awesome salad bar, so that was always nice.

I am sure you can figure out which foods are better for you than others. You can ask the cooks to cook with less grease, and I know you probably have hungry coworkers who are in the same boat, so if you want to share your food, that's an instant way to make your portion smaller, and probably make a new friend too.