Okay, my first night to go out since starting WW. I've been so good, and I'm nervous about restaurant food, and not knowing what goes on in the kitchen. I have an abundance of EPs and APs. I don't really dip into these, and really don't want to go crazy with them either. So here is the situation:
I have 15 DPs left.
I don't intend to drink alcohol, I'm going to go for sparkling water instead.
I've scanned the menu of the place we are going, and here are the things that I think might be okay, but I need your expert opinions:
- Berry Salad (sounds innocent, though it's going have dressing/walnuts and blue cheese...no meat, though I can add chicken if I want to )
- Turkey Burger, comes with a side of fries (no way!) or "no mayo potato salad" (that's how they advertise it )
- Thyme n Lime Chicken over black bean salsa, with a side of mash potato & veggies
You can ask for the dressing/walnuts and blue cheese on the side and do add a grilled chicken if you want! This way you can control how much of the dressing, walnuts and blue cheese you get to eat.
The thyme n lime chicken sounds really good especially with black bean salsa (my fave!) You can always ask for a baked potato instead of mashed with veggies. Maybe steamed veggies if you're a bit nervous about how they do their veggies?
Don't be afraid to sound fussy or picky about what you want or don't want. That being said, I totally understand about being nervous to go out to eat because you do not know what they use (butter, oil, how much? etc) to cook meats and veggies.
My head is saying the Thyme n Lime Chicken (though my heart is saying the Berry Salad...but I just know I'll put all those darn walnuts on,lol).
I am not familiar with black bean salsa, but it looks like it's not very pointy!
Not sure how they do their veggies, though I can be a pain and ask, lol. They don't mention baked potato as an option, but hey, no harm in asking right
Thanks for your input...and btw, awesome weight loss, go you!! Hoping to get there someday
Don't be afraid to sound fussy or picky about what you want or don't want. That being said, I totally understand about being nervous to go out to eat because you do not know what they use (butter, oil, how much? etc) to cook meats and veggies.
Enjoy your date night!!
AGREED. I can't worry about the server or my date being annoyed that I'm being picky when my health is at stake. I will be super polite but firm about my dietary needs. Nothing comes before that.
Thanks everyone - really appreciate the support So, here's how it went: got to the restaurant and *gulp* they had taken the Thyme n Lime chicken off the menu. So, I went for the salad, and added grilled salmon - it was a 4oz piece. The waiter was adorable and asked me if I wanted everything on the side. YES PLEASE!!! So I found the will power to just have half of the dressing, and half the walnut and cheese (wasn't much to begin with). I actually added an additional point to the cheese and walnuts in the diary - I'd rather over estimate than under estimate. So it worked out. Nice waiter made a huge difference
A trick I use for salads is to always have the dressing on the side. Even at home! I just dip my fork in the dressing and then get a bite of salad. You have dressing on every bite and will only use about half a tablespoon!
I have the dining out guide and that has been a life saver. I also check out the menus and nutritional facts before going out. As long as you're prepared, you can be successful. I always right down at least two choices, more often four, so I am not stuck if they don't have one of the choices.
Last night we went to Ruby Tuesday and I had the petite steak, no butter or oil; grilled green beans, no butter, light oil; and the salad bar. I used light Italian dressing and only veggies. I also splurged on a mozzarella stick. The steak was 5 PP, according to their nutritional facts; I counted the green beans as 4 PP just in case, the salad as 2 PP and the mozzarella stick was 4 PP. So my dinner was 15 PP. I do love Ruby Tuesday for this reason.
Applebees has the WW menu, but in my experience they aren't as giving on the individual requests.
I stay away from Texas Roadhouse because they don't post their nutritional facts on-line or in the restaurants.