Saw the same thing at Shakey's Pizza tonight Meg. First time I ever really noticed.

RUBIO'S!!!


Angie and I went to Shakey's Pizza Parlor tonight. They just built one about 1 1/2 miles from my house. Years ago we had one in town but it is long gone. Wanted to try it out for "old times" sake. I went online and there wasn't a nutrition list that I could find. Angie and I got a medium Margherita Pizza and a ceasar salad, each got a beer. Should have asked for dressing on the side! We brought home 1/2 the pizza....not that it was that big at all, just that I make better choices now!

In those "old days" I would have had more than 1 beer ~ got a large pepperoni just for me and salad...HA! Why would you want to waste your money and appetite on salad? ...but that was in the old days!

I eat lunch out once a week, and 99% of the time it's sushi. I am a sushi addict!

I always order the same thing, so I know I will be within my calorie budget that day as long as I have a light dinner.

Otherwise, I always pack my lunches for work and stick with it. It can be hard, since most of the people I work with go out for lunch, and aren't too picky about what they are eating. It can be challenging to sit there and eat my healthy stuff sometimes when the guys all around me are pigging out on stuff I would love to have, too.

But the results of that discipline are well worth it.

I avoid going out, seriously. I see restaurants as potential big pitfalls, and I don't trust anything they say anymore about calorie counts. When I do go out because of special occasions or vacations, then I try to stick to meals where I can physically see all the ingredients -- salads, lettuce wraps, grilled meats, steamed veggies, sauce and dressing on the side. I request modifications where I can. Frankly, I'd rather eat at home where I can control things. It's cheaper too.

I surely wish that the government would pass a law requiring ALL restaurants to post the calorie counts of their menu items and enforce its accuracy. If I really knew what everything was on the menu, then maybe I'd go out more!

This is a tip for everyone going to Chipotle. The Chipotle salad dressing is full of calories and can actually be one of the most calorie intense things on the menu, depending on what it is topped with(I've seen people eat a full serving of guac, sour cream, cheese and salad dressing on their salads). I got annoyed that I paid extra for the salad but didn't use the salad dressing so...

I order a veggie bowl, no rice. Black beans (double), grilled onions/peppers(double), corn salsa, tomato salsa(double), red tomatillo and a little guac (they actually don't know the meaning of little guac, so I often dig most of it out) and lots of lettuce (2-3 helpings).

Meg,

my dad and (quasi)stepmom are in their 70s. they eat out DAILY at the club for lunch 2-3 times a week and dinner out an average of 6 times a week. they also travel extensively

I have no idea what to tell you but at 74 this size 2 woman still wears a bikini and has the figure for it and my dad has lost 40 pounds in the last few years...

of course they are very active, treadmill daily, golf 4-6 times a week (full 18 holes) dad walks to the fitness center to work out...

of course at 216 pounds i'm the smallest of our friends and we eat out a lot.... so i guess Dad and QSM are the minority.

Oh I never eat the dressing. And I like the lettuce in the salad cause it fills me up. I don't really worry about the extra $1. I just tell them no dressing and guac on the side ... so i can put in as much or as little as I want. But I get *all* the salsas - corn, tomato, and hot.

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Well I just meant you can tell them to add the lettuce on top rather than on bottom and the difference is $1. They will put as much as you ask.

Here's a timely article that offers some hope for healthy dining options: Eating healthy when dining out is getting easier I've haven't heard of the National Restaurant Association web site it mentions but definitely plan to check it out.

Thanks for that article Meg! My sister is moving to Bethesda at the end of the summer. Now I have a restaurant I know I can go to when I go visit her! I just sent her the link and told her that we'd have to try it.

DH and I eat out lunch once a week. We usually go to Applebee's (I get a half salad of some kind) or a deli (BLT with avacado--no mayo--on rye) or an Italian place (vegetable lasagna). Due to my doctor recommending me to stay away from all carbs, it looks like the deli and Italian place will not be seeing my patronage for a few weeks or more.

We eat out at restaurants with the family for dinner less than once a month. I think I like to cook too much!

I've always going out to dinner approximately 1-2 times a week, whether are my heaviest or my lightest. Currently, to save money, we've only been eating out about once a week or once every two weeks. We eat out mostly at fish and sushi restaurants though, which may make a difference (I couldn't even tell you the last time we went to a family-friendly chain like TGIF or Chili's).

My opinion is, if you try and care enough, you can special order anything at restaurants without sabotaging your weight. Most people simply don't bother though. They see the delicious entrees on the menu and don't think twice.

Meg, as to your observation about the large people eating large portions -- I do think there is a link there. But then again, I see large people everywhere! At the mall, the grocery store, even the gym. I think this country has just become full of large people! We live in an environment designed to maximize obesity. And it's succeeding.... The supersized restaurants are just one variable among many in the equation.

About 1 year ago I was sitting in IHOP. I was there not for a treat or a cheat meal. I was there to binge. A woman looked at me and those in the restaurant and said to her boyfriend, "I told you everyone who eats here is overweight." Well, she was right, and while I did continue on to have my binge she put a real twist of reality on it.

SO...

everything in moderation.

portions were what i can say helped me initially lose weight. once i took control of my portion sizes the weight dropped off. i coupled that with 5-6 days a week of an hour long cardio session and the weight melted off. i was in korea when i began to take weight loss seriously. i worked long days and really didn't feel like making my own food from the hit-or-miss korean market so eating out was the norm for me. chinese one day, indian the next, and throw in the outback once a week and there you go. i ate great during the day, but would let myself enjoy the healthier choices at the restaurant in moderation.

i do the best i can when i go out to eat knowing full well that i'm not going to get it exactly how i want it unless i prepare it myself at home. i take a hit and enjoy my meal in proper portions and stop when i'm full.

until i can mangle some form of enjoyment from preparing all these wonderful meals i read about all the time, i will definitely continue to eat at restaurants. it hasn't slowed me down yet!