Weight-Loss Now that youre on a diet, do you still eat out...?

Weight-Loss
I do eat out sometimes, maybe 1-2 times a week; I've done some research on the menus at the restaurants I go to regularly and I have a mental list of healthy options to choose from. I was really shocked to see how high in fat and calories my "regular" choices were.

Eating out is usually not very healthy; even options that are low in fat and calories often have a ton of sodium in them. Unfortunately, eating out is extremely popular here in Dallas and it's how my friends prefer to socialize. I'd like to make some new friends with different (healthier) interests so I don't feel pressured to eat out so often, but it's not easy in a big city.

Basically you can stay on plan and eat out, you just have to be smart about what you choose. Also beware of what I call the "salad trap"; a lot of salads at popular chain restaurants are pretty high in fat and calories too.
 
maleficent said:
He just got married and has a hot nekkid wife around him all the time.. he's - ummm - a little distracted :D
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Yeah, lots of that, she wants a baby... badly.

JDhd said:
Pics to prove it?

erm... nevermind. hehe
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That's fine, but errr... I am in them in the same suit as her. If your into that :p heh.
 
I still eat out but I make smart decisions about what I order and I keep my portion sizes low. I always research the menu and compare it to calorieking.com for sit down places. I have to do this because things that one would assume is healthy and low cal on a menu really is not at all. Salads for example are rarely low cal because they have such huge portion sizes. Usually I keep to ordering grilled fish or chicken and substitute fries for fresh fruit, veggies or rice.

I'll even have fast food sometmes. For example I went to Arby's for lunch last week but only ordered a Ham & Swiss melt and left out the fries, which is only 268 calories. Then I had fruit which I had brought myself. A lot of fast food places now have lower calorie options like snack wraps but I wouldn't depend on them too often as they still aren't exactly healthy, just low cal.

But still, every once in a while, it's okay to indulge a little. Just not often. I'd say only 1-2 times a month you should treat yourself to a really nice meal no matter what the calories. Otherwise I don't know how one would stay sane haha. ;)
 
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It might sound weird, but I've gone through and made calorie lists for myself of fast food resturaunts I'm likely to encounter when I'm with my bf (really the only time I eat fast food). This way I can pick something based off of the calorie content. Last time I went to Mc.Donalds I got a double hamburger, side salad, and fruit n' yogurt parfait. It was kind of nice bc without knowing the calorie, I would have never gotten a double hamburger. Probably would have stuck to the good old grilled chicken which gets extremely boring. I have little sheets for Mc.Donalds, Burger King, Wendy's, and Arby's in my purse. It's a little embarrassing, but whatever.

It is a bit tough though at actual restruants. I usually try to get grilled chicken with veggies bc I actually really do enjoy that meal. Or grilled shrimp is always good. I've also been trying to remember to get a side salad with my meal. Fries are a huge weakness for me so if I get them, I usually try to get a healthier entree. If for some reason I really want a less than healthy entree, I'll get veggies as a side. It's really hard when they put free bread on the table (who doesn't love free bread?!). I try to stick to one peice. That can be VERY hard at places like Red Lobster bc their Cheddar Bay Biscuits are the freaken shiiiat.

Something else I've been doing lately is NOT eating all of my food. I used to ALWAYS finish everything on my plate no matter what. Now I try to leave some every time. I think it's a good strategy.
 
the one thing I would say that makes me crazy and that I crave the most are my mothers chicken enchiladas. I do not hold back on those. But she will only make them on special occasions, but she saves me a plate :drool5:
 
I eat out. But my general rule is "if there's a healthier place around, go there first". We have a BBQ Pit and I can get a cheeseburger wrap that's grilled with lettuce and tomato n cheese. I always skip the mayo and such. And it's right across the street from Wendy's and Arby's. So I'll go there over fast food. Or I'll go next door to the BBQ Pit where there's a Sheetz gas station and get a sub.

Our Burger King has a Subway across the street, so I pick subway.
Our Mickey D's and other Arby's has a Chick-fil-A next door, I'll go chick-fil-A

And at a resturant, I try my hardest to get a decent meal. Take Applebee's for example, I'll get the quaso burger, but I wont eat my fries.
 
PaperAirPlanes said:
I eat out. But my general rule is "if there's a healthier place around, go there first". We have a BBQ Pit and I can get a cheeseburger wrap that's grilled with lettuce and tomato n cheese. I always skip the mayo and such. And it's right across the street from Wendy's and Arby's. So I'll go there over fast food. Or I'll go next door to the BBQ Pit where there's a Sheetz gas station and get a sub.

Our Burger King has a Subway across the street, so I pick subway.
Our Mickey D's and other Arby's has a Chick-fil-A next door, I'll go chick-fil-A

And at a resturant, I try my hardest to get a decent meal. Take Applebee's for example, I'll get the quaso burger, but I wont eat my fries.
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Subway has been great for when my husband and I want to eat out, but recently we've been going to Port of Subs (don't know if they have locations everywhere...) for something different but still low cal. But right downstairs is this place called the Chuckbox, they make massive burgers with all the horrible sides, onion rings, hush puppies, etc. They even have this little (normal sized!) burger that they call the Little One. The menu says it's for "kids and lil' old ladies."

Needless to say, we don't go there anymore. I'm kind of lucky when it comes to picking healthy places to eat because I work on a college campus and that's where my husband goes to school, so there are tons of options around.
 
I used to eat at Subway but I got tired of the communication issues common to Dallas-area Subways. Now if I want a sub I go to Firehouse, which is pretty close by. It is possible to keep a Firehouse sub healthy; the one I usually order is about 400-500 calories.
 
I eat out all the time and it has been challenging for me.

I used to go to a restaurant and have them surprise me with whatever they thought was best. If I'm going to a new restaurant I still have them surprise me with anything - but if I'm going to like an Applebees/Chilis/Fridays style place I'll generally just have them surprise me off the lite menu. That way I still get my surprise but don't go crazy on the calories. Another trick I use is to have them bring a to-go box right away and put at least half of the food in the box immediately.
 
I just made a new discovery:
Boston Market
1/4 White Chicken
String Beans as side 1
Potatoes or String Beans as side 2 (their sring beans are soo good)
AND a biscuit

all that, is like 600 calories or so, if you take off the chicken skin.. which i don't like anyway... YUMMMY!
 
I never ate out a lot, once a week or less.
When I do get the urge to go to a restaurant, I usually go for Vietnamese. I only discovered Vietnamese food about a year ago; they have so many yummy, veggieful and relatively low cal options. Love it.
 
It is hard to avoid temptations when we go out to eat. I think we should decrease the frequency of outings. We are putting so much effort in our diet and that shouldn't be jeopardized frequently. Though it takes time to cook our meals but the benefits outweigh the efforts. When I go out to eat, I try to eat grilled or steamed dishes with lots of vegetables. When I eat burger or pizza, I eat more vegetables and fruits for few days to compensate.
 
ONCE in a while it is good to eat out and not worry about the calories. (maximum once a week)
 
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