I am a follower of eating what i want when i am out for a meal. But I do live in Portugal so meals out are 80% good for you.
It will be something like bbq chicken with salad and olive oil and then I will have a slice of cake afterwards. Yes the cake is bad but nothing else is
I usually have whatever I feel like. I used to have a habit of ordering too much, feeling like I had eaten too much and then feeling bloated and sick afterwards. I'm a bit more moderate now and often share a main course with someone else if they agree! Also, I always make sure I order something I would never or could never make at home. Sushi anyone?
If you are "dieting" and eating out, everything seems like a temptation, so usually I just avoid eating out.
If you are on the "make healthier choices/lifelong diet" then I will eat out and make a concerted effort to choose healthier options. I also will choose places I know they will have a healthy option too. We have a tapas restaurant that is awesome. (tapas = smaller plate/higher quality). Last time I had a shrimp appetizer, and didn't eat so much sauce and ordered the blackened fish on a bed of greens. It was great!
If every-time eating out is a "splurge" it seems like that could be a slippery slope. Maybe the splurge is a drink, or a occasional dessert, but not the whole meal.
Sometimes I order something healthy and sneak a bite of something bad off my husband's plate. I do allow myself one "cheat" meal a week without overdoing it (reasonable portions, water instead of soda or alcoholic drinks). I often use that on a special trip out.
I can never be good when I eat out, because, I am cheating. i eat at home if I want to eat clean. restaurants don't make foods clean, in order to make anything less costly to their food cost, and to add more seasoning i.e. salt and butter to make it taste better. but I try to eat healthy, choosing foods such as mediterraneans and eating with intuition.
- The food they make rarely tastes as good as the stuff I make at home.
- I subconsciously eat less without trying because I enjoy the company more than the food. And I get to share my dessert.
- I gravitate toward "healthy-ish" choices anyway...out of habit and not denial.
When I go out for a meal by myself or with relatives, I aim to make the best choices I can (given my knowledge of nutrition) that don't leave me feeling deprived. What that looks like varies. When I do this I generally end up feeling more satisfied with both the meal and with myself than I do if I order a super-healthy option that doesn't satisfy my hunger or my taste buds, or if I eat whatever I feel like without regard to nutrition. I find it easier to be mindful of what I'm eating (even when I'm "splurging" on a high-calorie meal that I've been craving for a long time), often seem to eat a bit less, and am more successful over time at losing weight because this attitude toward meals out is both helpful and sustainable for me. With this attitude, it also generally seems to get easier to make healthier choices when I eat out as time goes on.
When I eat at a restaurant for business or to meet up with friends, I do tend to order very light meals. It would be a lie to say this doesn't have anything to do with health or appearances, but it has more to do with knowing that I'm going to be too busy talking to eat much, wanting to focus on the people I'm with rather than the food, and the fact that I'm a natural slob - I know that there's a good chance any sort of sauce, dressing, or sticky drink is likely to end up on my shirt if I don't spend an inordinate amount of time making sure it doesn't, so I often choose to avoid them entirely.
We eat out rather often because DBF likes to, so I try to make good choices when eating out...and if I'm going to go nuts, I try to plan it ahead. I don't like to feel like I've "caved".
Last night we went to a steakhouse I declined the free garlic bread, and sent it away when it arrived with my steak. I passed on starchy sides that I used to love with steak and got a side salad. I drank water. BUT I "splurged" on exactly the size and cut of steak I wanted, rather than going for one of the smaller, leaner options.
DBF and I are planning a date where we can both eat what we want at our favorite Thai place, and that night I'm darn well going to be FULL of my favorite dishes. The weeks of anticipation leading up to it I find almost as fun as the night itself, so it's nice to have that to look forward to!
Almost never eat out, so that solves that! If I have to, I have a couple pre-vetted restaurants - healthy sushi and a couple vegan places. I'm allergic to soy and almonds and hate pizza and sandwiches ( weird I know) so that takes out most options..
