Thank you there are some good suggestions in this thread! I defintely try to chose restaurants that offer easy to find calorie information before I dine out.

What about Japanese food? Most of the Japanese food places around here aren't big enough to post their nutritional facts. Do you thnk I'd be safe with a little miso and some veggie rolls? (I have a craving, can you tell? lol)

Also...anyone ever been to the Veggie Grill? I've heard good things, but it's all vegetarian...is it any good?

I also had a friend recommend Charo Chicken. Has anyone been there?

Also, I understand that the calorie counts might not be perfect when I go to a restaurant...but my thought process is that I'm more likely to stay on track if this is a way I don't deny myself. Does that make sense? I usually account for about 50 calories over what they say. Food is such a social thing for me...I don't think I could handle being on this program if I didn't go out once a week or so.

Thanks again for the great advice, everyone!

I agree with the idea of checking out the online menus before going out to eat. USUALLY, every place has some healthy options or things that can be requested healthier. If you know your going out after work or whenever, just calculate everything before you go, then don't even look at the menu when you get there (you'll just be tempted...or atleast I would be).

StellarGirl - you are actually very fortunate to be in California because a new law just went into effect requiring all chain restaurants with 20 or more stores to make available nutritional data (calories, fat, carbs, sodium). Sometimes it's posted right on the menu, and sometimes its in a bar menu or other separate sheet. It makes it so much easier to judge how good or bad something is before ordering. Obviously there will be some variance due to actual cooking technique used, but it can help you avoid some serious land mines in things that seem like they'd be a good choice.

Originally Posted by SaySumthing:
StellarGirl - you are actually very fortunate to be in California because a new law just went into effect requiring all chain restaurants with 20 or more stores to make available nutritional data (calories, fat, carbs, sodium). Sometimes it's posted right on the menu, and sometimes its in a bar menu or other separate sheet. It makes it so much easier to judge how good or bad something is before ordering. Obviously there will be some variance due to actual cooking technique used, but it can help you avoid some serious land mines in things that seem like they'd be a good choice.

I am from CA and took my summer vacation there this year (now live in WI). It was so great to have nutritional info on the table! If I remember correctly I lost 4-6 lbs while on vacation! ...what gets me is that many of these restaurants still won't post the info on their websites! I know I can look at other sites but I think there is more accountability if they post it. ...but oh well, maybe other states will pass the same laws. Or I just move back to Cali. :D

A lot of the major chains do have their nutritional information on their website; just look for the "nutrition" link. Also, a lady has put together a website that has the WW points for many different restaurants, and she also includes a lot of other nutritional information as well.

Since I'm new I'm not super-comfortable posting a link to the website, so I did a search here and see it's mentioned many times. Read post #4 on this page:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/calo...-counters.html

Hope this helps!

I actually eat out quite a lot and have lost weight doing it. I just love the social aspect of going out to eat, and I honestly don't think I could give it up. I, too, check menus on websites for chain places. Macaroni Grill has a nice grilled chicken speidini with roasted vegetables that I enjoy lately. I also like the "naked tenders" at Buffalo Wild Wings...it's basically grilled chicken tenders and then I order a few of the lighter sauces on the side for dipping, such as the teryaki and Asian zing.

In general, when I eat out I'm looking for some type of grilled chicken, lean steak (like a filet) or a turkey club with no bacon and mayo on whole grain bread. We actually go to Mexican places a lot and I order chicken fajitas. I don't eat the sour cream or cheese or many of the oily veggies actually...just pick out the meat, degrease it a little with paper napkins, and load it up onto a flour or corn tortilla. If it's flour, I just eat one tortilla. I load up on salsa too because it's generally not bad for you. If I can order vegetarian style black beans, I do that too.

At burger places, I do a salad with low-fat ranch and a burger with about 1/3 of the bun. I strategically tear up the bread to create kind of a smaller bun for myself. LOL. I load up on tomatoes, onions, lettuce, etc.

At steak places, I do a filet and plain baked potato. Yum!

We have a great BBQ place where I order smoked turkey and a plain baked potato. All the sauces are on the side, so I just control my portion of sauce by dipping bit by bit rather than dousing it.

These are some of my strategies and I actually swear by them. I look forward to eating out, and I've learned to do it in a much healthier way. I will say that if I do go out for one meal, then I make sure to go a little lighter for my other meals and snacks, because you can't be for sure how many calories you're consuming at the restaurant. But at least you can go there making healthier choices and still lose weight.

I'm not sure about exact places but what I've done is gone to the website of each place that I eat at on a regular basis, looked at the nutritional info and picked a couple foods that are low calorie from there and wrote on down on an index card. I have a section in my purse that just has the index cards that way when I go out to eat I know what I can have and it so far has stopped me from going over in calories.

thanks for the suggestions, all! Keep 'em coming!

saysumthing...you are right..I have been fortunate to find some options at my favorite places because of the nutrition information...

Some new things I have found are:
PF Changs: steamed veggie dumplings/budda's feast (no rice!)
Chili's: chicken fajitas with corn tortillas (no sour cream or cheese)
Flame Broiler: chicken veggie bowl with white meat chicken and brown rice! (I've been here like 2x a week! love!)

Let me know if you have somewhere else you guys like! Great suggestions here! =)