Going out to eat at Restaurants?? How to count calories?

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,108 Member
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    Even the posted nutrition numbers from the restaurant itself will be off. I think they have a 20% wiggle-room.

    In kitchens, humans prepare the food. They do not weigh every cheese and butter to the gram.

    So the bomb calorimeter is the only way.
  • brittanidigby
    brittanidigby Posts: 247 Member
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    I find something similar to it. Or go to the website.
  • PrettyLydie
    PrettyLydie Posts: 54 Member
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    If it's a local little place, I find a chain with something similar on their page and log that...and if I really don't know, I just guess a high number, lol.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    Packaged food has +/-20% wiggle room. Restaurants have no required level of accuracy. Take a look at this article if you really want to be depressed about the accuracy of logging restaurant meals: http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/38283/1/IND44305112.pdf
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
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    Check their website before you go. Eat lean meat with no buns, no sauces, and only steamed veggies. Salads always have lots of cheese or other fatting thing along with the dressing that is bad!! Stay clear of fried anything butter, sugar....and you know it's going to have lots of salt!!
  • PixelTreason
    PixelTreason Posts: 226 Member
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    I look for something similar from a chain restaurant and log it as that.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Just ask. The restaurant should be able to provide you with the nutrition info.

    This sounds like wishful thinking to me.... but I guess you could try, I certainly wouldn't expect a regular (ie. not chain) restaurant to have nutritional info.

    I think you are spot on with your current approach - just pick something close to it from the database.
    Remember that every singe food and exercise you enter is an estimate - even if you have a packet or have weighed your food, it's still an estimate.
    As long as you are making a pretty close guess most of the time you'll be OK (apologies to all the perfectionists out there... but it's true!)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,108 Member
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    Packaged food has +/-20% wiggle room. Restaurants have no required level of accuracy. Take a look at this article if you really want to be depressed about the accuracy of logging restaurant meals: http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/bitstream/10113/38283/1/IND44305112.pdf

    I know. :laugh: I worked in a restaurant. Our food cost was always through the roof. I considered locking up the oils and butters and cheeses to try to rein it in. . . oh, "a handful of this and a spoon-of-some-random-size of that".....the one ounce portion of cheese the recipe called for was often more like four ounces when it walked out to the table. Maddening. I'll never trust a restaurant's calorie count estimates.
  • sweetad
    sweetad Posts: 28 Member
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    Thank you guys!! I guess I'm doing all I can. Mostly I have the info of things I eat...but just needed to know in this case. This was so helpful! Again...thanks.
  • TheGreenfaerie
    TheGreenfaerie Posts: 24
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    I've had pretty good luck so far with emailing the restaurant and telling them:

    1) how much I love their place and how much I enjoy having ____ to eat when I go there. (This is easiest if I have a favorite item or items on the menu and the menu doesn't change often.)

    2) that I would be delighted if they could help me estimate my calories so that I can continue with my goal of _____.

    3) I ask for either their estimate of a serving size and basic nutrition (fat, carbs, sugar, sodium) or a rough ingredient list with amounts. I add that I understand if they are uncomfortable giving me seasoning details for a "secret recipe" but that I just want enough info so that can make a decent nutrition estimate.

    Most of the time, I get a reply in a couple of days or less and it's always very friendly and informative for my needs.

    It's even worked with grocery stores. For example, I emailed Publix and they sent me PDFs of the full nutrition info for their artisan salads that they make fresh each day (from the grill/sandwich/deli section).
  • Donnarose43
    Donnarose43 Posts: 1 Member
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    We had a very helpful server at an Applebee's restaurant a few weeks ago. I asked her if she knew the calorie count on a new entree and she went and got the nutritional information sheet and let me write down all the info. The manager came over later and asked if I got the information I wanted. I usually go to the restaurant website for the nutritional information and select what I am going to order BEFORE I even set food in the restaurant. But you can't always do that I know.

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