I've been seeing in some of the other threads people say that they eat out a lot, and that's one of the hardest things to face. Planning is the key, I've heard over and over again.

So, what are your strategies for Eating Out?

Here are some of mine:

• At work, check the cafeteria menu online before going down there, and have a plan as to what I'm going to order.
  
• No filling up on bread.
  
• Beer is not a food group. (Unless it's Guiness)
  
• Remember to consider soup. Even "creamy" soups are usually better, calorie-wise, than fried stuff.
  
• Fettuccini Alfredo is Heartattack on a Plate
  
• Choose an appetizer for dinner.
  
• Say "no" to caesar salad unless I plan to make it my meal (this one is HARD)
  
• Choose lean protein (burgers, steaks, chicken, fish, shellfish)
  
• Don't choose anything "fried" or "creamed"
  
• Fettuccini Alfredo is Heartattack on a Plate
  
• Get sauces and gravies on the side
  
• Separate out my portion (palm size of meat, fist size of carb) and put the rest on another plate or a to-go box right away
  
• Eat slowly and mindfully. Enjoy every bite of what I do eat. Enjoy the company. Don't rush.
  
• Fettuccini Alfredo is Heartattack on a Plate
  

I try something new, that I would not cook for myself at home.

I try to have fish and veggies.

I only eat half my meal, boxing up the rest for later.

I have some bread, b/c I usually know when I'm going to be eating out & will budget for it. That way it's not sitting in the basket, mocking me.

I have a salad, dressing on the side. I dip my fork tines into it before I spear any lettuce/veggies.

I ask them to cook my meal w/as little oil as possible.

I try to choose really really good restaurants, to make the splurge (if any) worthwhile.

Sometimes I order the appetizer & make that my meal.

I never drink my calories. Sparkling water/seltzer w/a lemon is what I have to drink.

what great ideas!!!!! i take my knitting. it keeps me from nibbling on the bread [see how much self control i DON'T have????]

oh. and you can HAVE dessert every once in a while. BUT: it has to be WONDERFUL, one of those things that are unusual or so fabulous that you can't get anywhere else. and you have to SHARE it with AT LEAST one other person. preferably two or more.

some places will give you half portions, you have to ask, though.

i totally do that salad dressing dipping thing!

i always get a glass of water in addition to diet soda so i drink both.

i order from the "healthy" section that many restaurants seem to have.

i look up nutritional info BEFORE i go.

If we are going to a sit down resteraunt I am usally planing on a treat day. I still watch that I don't stuff myself but I don't count calories either. I always order water.

Now for fast food I have the good choices in memory. So it is going to be a grilled chicken sandwich make sure you don't get mayo that really knocks the calories up. Small chile is a good choice. Or I go to subway and get one of there 7 under 6 subs. I sometimes order a personal pizza at pizza hut. It is only 630 calories. So in other words I just count calories and look it up before I go if I'm going to a place where I don't know what they are.

I know a lot of people say "don't drink your calories"....but I like to have a really full glass of red wine when I eat out....That way I can feel like I have treated myself for waaAaay less calories than a really rich meal and dessert. Also, I find a glass of wine or beer (only one mind you!!) to be quite filling....it slows my eating down while I savour the drink with my meal and makes me aware of how much I am eating. This usually helps me to stop from overeating. The other benefit of a glass of wine is that you can sip at it instead of picking at the bread basket or the leftovers on your plate.

The other trick I like to use, is to put your napkin in the middle of your plate as soon as you're done eating. It makes it more difficult to pick at leftovers while you wait for the plate to be taken away.

Kris
261-188-155

Thanks, these are some great ideas!

Here are my secrets:

• Make it absolutely clear to the waitperson that the bread shall never even see my table.
• Ask for a box with dinner so I can shove the excess in there without temptation. I usually give this box to the homeless (there are a lot in the city) because I hate leftovers anyway.
• Split dinner with my significant other. The dinner is always too big anyway. And it's cheaper!
• Always request a bigger glass for water. Those puny water glasses are ridiculous!
• Ask for the check when dinner comes so I won't be temped to get dessert.
• Put my fork down between bites and enjoy the dinner conversation.

hah. as if david could eat half a meal. i have better luck trying to GIVE him my half. heh. damn skinny boys!

I LOVE the put-my-fork-down-between-bites manuever. It's GREAT because I eat waaaaaaaaaay too fast and therefore tend to eat WAY more. I'll have to start doing that again, tonight we went out for dinner and I had an iced tea, broiled fish, a bread stick, half of a baked potato, and like 4 bites of coleslaw. Could have been better.... could have been MUCH MUCH worse.

Definitely planning ahead is what helps me. I find out where we're going and what I can have there. I know exactly what I'll order before we go. If it's a place that doesn't provide at least some nutritional info on-line, then we have to go somewhere else. Also, lots and lots of water while we're there.

One of my favorite detective series is Robert Parker's Spenser books. The character Susan Silverman is a tall, slender psychotherapist, who is Spenser's permanent main squeeze.
Spenser is a very good cook, but Susan is a very careful eater. She always divides her main course in half and puts the other half on her bread and butter plate, eats her salad first, and spends a lot of time playing with and subdividing her portions. Like, she takes a sandwich apart, eats the lettuce, then, eats perhaps one piece of lean meat, then eats her salad, and then may take a bite of the bread.
I would love to be able to eat like that!

My biggest thing is to plan ahead. Where am I going? What will I most want to eat when I get there? What have I eaten today?

Words to know(but the bad thing is you can't see them cooking!)
--steamed veggies instead of fries, no butter, no oil
--is that skinless?
---No cheese or croutons on my salad please, dressing on the side

What I bring with
--Splenda
--1 tbsp measure (I believe there are 3 measurers that could save us all from obesity, 1 tbsp. for dressings and sauces, 1/2 cup. for fruits and sweets, 1 cup for veggies, and you always have your palm or deck of cards to figure out your protein)

Miss Chris

Yikes...im going out on friday for a meal with some friends and i was going to ask about this thanks for the info!!

Do you guys eat out that much? yikes! With a 3 year old McDonalds seems to be the food of choice when we do go out.

# 1 thing.. plan plan plan. Go to Dottie's web site and look up the points before I go. I heard Applebee's will be having ww points on their menu come January