What do you eat when the restaurant doesn't show calories?

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24

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  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    Whatever sounds the tastiest, it's not like you have be on your diet/ in a deficit at all times. Enjoy yourself and eat what you want

    This. It's not like I eat out every day/week. So I'll chose what looks like it'll taste the best.


    I love you hair thankyouforthev!!!!
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
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    I usually eat 2 appetizers for a meal:

    1 soup (avoid "cream" soups) or salad (no dressing, I ask for Balsamic vinegar only)
    +
    1 protein appetizer dish. Preferably a grilled meat (rather than fried) or a tartar of fish or beef.
  • ericarae33
    ericarae33 Posts: 211 Member
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    Tonight I'm going to a sports bar and grill, that I don't care for, I'm ordering their "grilled" chicken breast sandwich, but no bun, and I'm getting a side of steamed veggies instead of the fries.

    Depending on where we are going, if its somewhere I love, I will order what I want and eat a smaller portion!
  • beekuzz
    beekuzz Posts: 428 Member
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    Thank you so much. Everyone is very helpful. I'm so thankful that I found this site. Going to Outback Steakhouse and going for grilled fish and veggies and salad. I'll bring my own dressing. No bread and no cheese fries for me anymore.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
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    Whatever sounds good, but no meat or poultry unless I know where it came from. Thankfully some restaurants do include that information.
  • fatgirlslove
    fatgirlslove Posts: 614 Member
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    I always go with salmon/chicken and mixed veggies/grilled asparagus
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    Hotwings and beer.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    If you can, plan ahead! Look up calories for a bunch of common foods (hamburger, small steak with a potato and veggies, etc) and be mindful of how many calories you have available. You'll pretty quickly learn to be reasonable in your estimation of calories, if not perfect (but if you had to be perfect all the time to lose weight, we'd all be screwed!).
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
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    If you can, plan ahead! Look up calories for a bunch of common foods (hamburger, small steak with a potato and veggies, etc) and be mindful of how many calories you have available. You'll pretty quickly learn to be reasonable in your estimation of calories, if not perfect (but if you had to be perfect all the time to lose weight, we'd all be screwed!).

    I do something similar; if it's a planned outing I look it up ahead of time - most restaurants publish their nutrition guidelines online.
  • Wonderwoman2677
    Wonderwoman2677 Posts: 434 Member
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    I don' eat out often so I get what I want and don't worry about the cals... but I don't stuff myself either.

    Salads and lean meats are usually good options.
  • Living4Liz2012
    Living4Liz2012 Posts: 312
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    Kinda hard to say if you do eat your favorite foods have a small portion.
    You could also have a side salad with low fat dressing
    stick with chicken(grilled)...don't be afraid to tell them to hold the mayo, and instead of fries have a steamed veggie on the side
  • joe7880
    joe7880 Posts: 92 Member
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    Thank you so much. Everyone is very helpful. I'm so thankful that I found this site. Going to Outback Steakhouse and going for grilled fish and veggies and salad. I'll bring my own dressing. No bread and no cheese fries for me anymore.

    Looks like other members put in the calories for some items at outback already. Maybe you should take a look at them to help you decide what to eat.

    Edit: what you picked sounds good also btw!
  • msgremmy
    msgremmy Posts: 88
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    My perspective is that if I'm eating out, I want to enjoy something I can't (or won't) make at home. If a restaurant happens to have a yummy salad, that's great-- but I won't force it. And if I want fries, I eat my husband's :) They taste better from his plate anyway, and that way we share and I can't eat them all. I also believe in portioning the meal. These days I'll actually eat the leftovers for lunch, so that's one other thing I don't have to worry about!

    Enjoy dinner!
  • niknak2308
    niknak2308 Posts: 315 Member
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    Generally if I'm being good I'll try to order something low-carb. If I'm feeling naughty I'll order what I actually want and just deal with the consequences later.
  • RiverMelSong
    RiverMelSong Posts: 456 Member
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    I don't go to restaurants very often, so when I do I see it as a treat and order whatever the heck I feel like :)
  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
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    In those cases I order things I can easily guesstimate. For example, lean protein, veggies, and a carb are usually pretty easy to log. You do need are add some additional fat though.
  • Heaven71
    Heaven71 Posts: 706 Member
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    salad and ask for vinegar and no oil.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    Lot's of options.

    1. Look it up beforehand on this site or on their website.
    2. Chose something generic (steak and baked potato) that I can roughly estimate from experience, or look up similar on my smart phone. The plainer the dish the less likely that it has been loaded up with fats.
    3. Say f-it and eat what I want and make up for it later.

    Avoid things with creamy dressings or sauces. I have found restaurants load those with sugar and fat to "make it taste better". Like the salads at Applebees, they have like 100 grams of fat, it must be all in the dressing as there is nothing else to them.
  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
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    Another thing I do is cut down on the carbs by asking for veggies instead of the fries, mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, etc. That really helps with the calories.
  • bergsangel
    bergsangel Posts: 131
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    Outback's nutrition is on the web. I go for the small sirloin special..not so bad! The calories are in the apps, the toppings for potatoes, etc. Even the bread isn't that bad if you don't eat the whole loaf!

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