Quote:
Originally Posted by jillybean720
I definitely think it's a value thing, too. If I'm paying $8-$12 for something at a typical restaurant (TGIFriday's, Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday, Chili's...), I want to get a lot of bang for my buck! This is why I hate ordering entree salads--it's almost all lettuce, so I don't feel it's really worth the $8 they charge for it. A regular entree, however, filled with "real" food that can last me 3 meals...now we're talkin'!
I used to feel that way; one of my major criteria for ordering was how much I'd get for the price. I was also the queen of free food -- leftovers at the office often made their way to my house, whether or not I scarfed up as much as reasonable at the time. After I started my program, one of the hardest things I ever did in my whole life was throw out a tray of sandwiches left over from the lunch provided at a training session I conducted. It nearly physically hurt to see that perfectly good food, food I really liked, food that was FREE, go into the garbage.
Now, I would much rather pay whatever for an appropriate portion than the same amount for too much food that will be a temptation. Restaurant food, even "healthy" dishes, are usually richer than I eat at home, so the doggie-box option isn't really helpful for me all the time. If I order something that's more than I should eat, I usually leave the remainders on the plate and feel OK with that. When I let go of the "I need to get my money's worth" mentality, I really freed myself to enjoy a meal out for the experience. I rarely order entrees, I usually order those entree salads or appetizers, even in fancy restaurants. One restaurant I frequent is high-end; appetizers run $7-$9. I'll order one of those and have some wine. While the portions are a little smaller than I would normally eat, especially given that there is not much in the way of vegetables, it's still plenty of food. I think my definition of "value" has changed -- to me, value is high quality (I'm no longer satisfied with a lot of chain-restaurant crap), appropriate portions so nothing is wasted, good service, etc. I do eat the occasional chain restaurant, fast casual, or fast-food meal, but I follow my typical ordering guidelines there as well, and I'm happy with what I get.