So tonight was opening night for the play I'm in and we got done around 1030. Needless to say I was super hungry because I had not had dinner yet. But my friends wanted to go to the movies. The only food place open near me was a McDonalds. I have always thought that McDonalds would be the LAST place Id dine while in a diet. But I ordered a ceased salad without dressing, cheese, carrots, tomatoes, and no dressing. So basically lettuce, cucumber, and chicken breast. It was pretty good for a quick meal!

What surprising resteraunts have you discovered on IP diet? Any similar experiences?

There have been a few restaurants that have been my saving grace while on IP. I am in Ontario, so you may not have some of these restaurants in the US.

• Teriyaki Experience (Teriyaki bowl - no rice, no carrots, no sauce)
• Swiss Chalet (Quarter chicken - white meat, with side salad - no carrots)
• Anything Mediterranean (any meat kebab and salad)

You definitely learn to think outside the box while Ideal Protein!

That is wonderful, you found a way to make McDonalds work for you. It is not always easy but by doing so you find that you are in control.

Great job!!!!!!!1

I have gone to fast food spots in a pinch but we need to be careful and know what we are getting (actually, pretty much true of ANY restaurant b/c they all use highly processed foods)

Just as grocery store rotisserie chicken is injected, so is McDonalds chicken. It is so frustrating to me when food is not as it seems. If I order chicken, I want chicken, not all this other stuff!

Here is the ingredients of the grilled breast
Grilled Chicken Breast Filet:
Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel color, polysorbate 80,xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates.
CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT.

The same is true for chicken on the subway salad many folks love:

Chicken Breast Strips – Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts with rib meat, water, soy protein concentrate, salt, modified food starch, chicken flavor (contains salt, autolyzed yeast extract, sugar, molasses, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, sodium phosphates), sodium phosphates. Contains soy.

I'm not saying never eat. Just be aware.

It's scary when you think about all the chemicals they add to our food. IP has really been and eye opener, when making food choices. There's certain restaurants I will NEVER eat at again once I phase off.

In-n-Out has a (not so) 'secret menu' option called 'protein style'
To make it IP friendly, ask for double burger, no cheese, no sauce, no onion and if you wish, hold the tomato. What you get us a delicious double patty burger wrapped in lettuce - yum!
Also Panda Express can be IP friendly if you get teriyaki chicken, no sauce , with a side of veggies instead of chow mein or rice. Just avoid the carrots from the veggies. The chicken is dark meat, so the fat content is a bit high. I would use it in an emergency and not for a regular go-to place.

I like the Arby's salads in a pinch... but haven't checked out their chicken ingredients. lol But when my grandma passed away and almost 95% of the food afterwards was stuff I couldn't eat and we were staying at a hotel... it was the only good option at 10:00 at night.

I do not want to b a negative Nellie, but r u saying the packets of powder that we eat for 3 meals a day is not processed. Personally, I don't think processed is evil. Just think where we would b without pasteurization.

I agree! The packets are highly processed. My view is, anything I am eating now is probably better that how I USED to eat. My daily life consists of making better food choices, so sometimes you need to grab a little processed meat. I tell myself that it is better than grabbing a large French fry out of hunger!!

Now, do I want to eat all the chemicals, etc? Not really. But it can be difficult to avoid.

I delayed staring IP for many months b/c of the soy, artificial sweeteners, and highly processed nature of the packets.

When I started IP, I did it knowing there would be an end to the packets. I needed the structure. In January, I had to cut all packs with soy and gluten.

And in the meantime, I decided to eat my meats and veggies as "clean" and whole as possible, as often as possible, while still having a life (restaurant eating will almost always mean more highly processed foods).

However, some of the additives in the meats I pointed out actually add more carbs. It is very important for IPers to be aware of that. In a pinch there are definite options at fast food places, but as with any other time, the more aware of what we are eating, the healthier we will be. The food (over)processors are not necessarily our friends. The things they add to otherwise wholesome food can increase insulin, inflammation, and cause sensitivities.

Oh I completely agree with being aware of ingredients, it helps us make better decisions instead of just assuming we are eating something "healthy". Some people are overeaters, some emotional eaters, some junk food eaters, so everyone needs to figure out what works best for them. Even though we all need to lose weight with this program, we all want different things from it.

I've found an insulated bag with HB eggs and cans of water packed tuna get me what is needed as a back up when traveling and there are not "good" restaurants to get chicken, a chop or a steak.

I recently found out it is important esp, with grill and chop houses, to stipulate NO SUGAR when ordering any piece of meat. Some places "brine" chops etc in sugar water to give them a nice crispy finish! It's all optics.

I was HORRIFIED to find this out recently. As usual ordered my meal with "no salt-no sugar-and gluten free". The waiter came back and stated the pork chop was out because they had not gotten their order in for the evening yet from the supplier...and had no pork chops that had not already been "brined"......Appalling. Havoc for diabetics who have no idea that is common practice because it is not listed on the menu that way. For good reason...who would order their meat with sugar on it...Even in a past life? There must be some law about that...if nothing else it is immoral.

I tend to travel with coolers, as well. My last trip was an airline trip, which severely limits this option. Luckily,we have learned to stay where there is a mini fridge and microwave. I had to be resourceful on some kitchen tools, especially b/c we only had carry-on luggage.

It takes WORK to eat healthy and to stay away from the excess crap the industry wants to add to our foods! For me, this will be lifelong. I'm NOT going back where I came from.

WOW that is nuts! I've never even heard if a sugar brine! I wish I liked seafood, it would make things much easier. I find a lot of places have salmon. Or I could bring tuna with me. I also bring hard boiled eggs in my pocketbook when I can. I don't mind being the smelly friend LOL.

Yes, unfortunately, a sugar rub and/or brine is very common on steak and chicken in restaurants

I ask sooo many questions when eating out. My mom has to because she has celiac. Being on a sugar/carb restricted diet is my "medical" issue right now so I do the same thing!

I've posted this in another thread, but I'll re-post it again since we're talking about different restaurants:

Ihop puts a scoop of pancake batter in their omelets to make them fluffy. If you're ever out and order a veggie omelet there make sure you ask for "freshly cracked" eggs. This will ensure you're only getting eggs and veggies.