Okay so my friend suggested on going out to eat tonight, but I said no. For future references what are some good tips on going out to eat at a restaurant? I'm afraid of going because I'm not sure really what to look for in eating out and it scares me to all high **** because I have a feeling i'll crack.

Again, any tips on going out to eat?

All it takes is planning. Figure out where you are going and then look up their menus online. Many restaurants have online calorie counts and if they don't , many calorie counting apps and sites do. This way you can plan your meal and feel good about it.

Well I often cave at restaurants and am disappointed in myself.

However, times when I do well and am proud of myself I do these things:

-I try to plan in advance what I will eat. If I'm been there before, I know of the menu and can think it through. If I haven't been, I will try to look the menu up online and pick a healthyish choice.
-Drink water like crazy before the meal. I won't be as hungry.
-If I want to "treat" myself or can't find anything crazy healthy, I try to ask them to do things to make the dish better for my diet. For instance, if I REALLY want a burger, I'll get it with no cheese or mayo...and then eat it with a fork and only eat half the bun....or I'll ask for the veggies to be served with no butter...or light sauce on the pasta...Most places will accomodate these small changes.
-If I REALLY can't find anything suitable (this has happened twice in my dieting life) I order a small salad and side veggie and call it a day. I'll get to eat again... I don't have to gorge myself on food I will only regret later.

I will say also to avoid appetizers. Even at Mexican places, sometimes (if my hubs is ok with it) I ask for no chips and salsa. If he wants them, I don't get a salsa bowl. No salsa= no chips.

I am working on being better while eating out...and remembering that I'll get to eat again. I don't have to have the most indulgent thing. Or if I get it, to only eat half of it and be done. A little bit of hunger never killed anyone.

I agree with the planning! There's a lot of great apps on phones that are for restaurant nutrition! A lot of restaurants now even have light menu's - Applebee's, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday to name a few! If I go to restaurants, it's out to ones that I can plan, and have nutrition available on their site, not little diners or local restaurants where I'm not aware of what I'm eating! A lot of times eating out is tricky, because you think your getting something healthy, like a salad, but it's loaded with fat and calories from the dressing

I agree if youve been there before you know their menu somewhat so plan ahead what you want.... looked for healthy choice section on the menu... ask questions of the waiter to be sure your getting what it is you actually want.... if all else fails spring for the large salad, get dressing on the side... if you can maybe get like grilled chicken in the salad if your too scared it'll be a lot of calories get half order of chicken in the salad...

I've done the applebees 550 calorie menu before and those are pretty delicious. I usually get the steak with shrimp and veggies. But at sushi places and thai foods (which my best friends love going to) that is harsh considering i'm staying away from bread and pastas.
But great ideas. I will definitely check the menus ahead of time to make sure i'm getting the right stuff.
My friends and boyfriend can be difficult on the eating out area, but i'm doing my best to still spend time with them out regardless.
If it comes down to it I may just eat before hand, go with them and just have water and a small salad when I go, I guess.

I am terrible with appetizers. I love those. And then also just the bread bowls and stuff. I will do the best I can to stay away from those or restaurants that don't have low-calorie menus.

Is it a chain restaurant or a place where you can look up the nutritional information? If so, you can look that up, decide what you're going to order and work it into your plan.

Usually though if you eat half the meal you're probably ok (restaurant portions are crazy!). Ask for a take out box at the beginning of the meal and put half away before you even start eating.

When I was losing I went out just about every weekend and had 2-3 meals at restaurants. I didn't really stall or plateau because I worked everything into my plan.

We're young! We like going out! We should enjoy ourselves!

1. Remember that you don't have to be perfect. Nobody is. One "bad" choice (or one "bad" meal) isn't going to magically cause you to regain 30 lbs. It would take a lot of "bad" choices to do that. Try to make decisions that are in keeping with your long-term goals, but if you make a decision that isn't in keeping with your long-term goals, accept the results of your actions, use it as a learning experience, and move on. Unless you never, ever intend to eat food that you don't have control over (e.g., restaurant food) again, you'll be doing yourself a favor by practicing dealing with unknown quantities, temptation, and choice as you lose. It will give you the knowledge and flexibility to handle eating out, and flexible people don't crack (although sometimes they bend).

2. Go in with a plan if you can. Look at the nutritional information for the restaurant (if it's available) and pick something that seems to fit reasonably well with your plan. Better yet, pick restaurants that have healthy options that you like when you can. If you can't choose the restaurant or access nutritional info, just do you best to estimate how much you're eating.

4. Know what an appropriate portion size is and be aware of how much you're eating. If you know the place you're going serves enormous portions ask for a 1/2 portion. If you are served more than you want to eat, separate the extra portion from what you want by moving it to the side of the plate or a to-go box (which you could "forget" to take with you if you wanted to).

5. Ask that sauces/dressing be served on the side - this can cut down on calories since most people eat less of them that way.

6. Look for items that are prepared in a way that won't add a lot of calories. If the menu isn't clear or if you want more information about the use of butter or salt or whatever, ask your server.

7. Don't forget about the little stuff. A salad can be a healthy, low-cal meal, but if it's stuffed with bready bits, meat, cheese, and drenched in dressing, it might have just as many calories as a regular entree. If you can fit something like that into your plan and you want it, then get it. Just know what you're eating.

8. Don't forget about drinks. Many types of beverages, including soda and alcohol, have a lot of calories. If it's important to you to have a caloric beverage, plan for it. If it's not, consider ordering water, hot tea, or another low-cal beverage.

8. Make the meal about the people you're eating with, not the food. It might help you eat less than you would have otherwise, make the experience more relaxing and enjoyable for you, and make the experience more enjoyable for the other diners. Eating with somebody who's agonizing about every last calorie is annoying.

9. If you see a temporary gain from eating out, remember that it's probably mostly or entirely water weight, and that if you return to your normal, sensible diet it will disappear within a week.

Thanks for the tips! It was really helpful and I actually called up my friend and told her i'll go out with her tonight. Turns out thai food has some alternative choices to pasta and they have veggie lovers foods. Though I know they use a lot of olive oil and that can be fatty in it's own way so i'll just ask them if they can cut it low on that for me and just try to saute with just water or something light.
Hopefully they have alternatives. If not i've been eating light all day so I should be able to take a little extra calories. Just gotta stick to it again tomorrow. =)

Thanks a lot you all.
If anyone has any other tips keep them coming! I'm sure we all could use it. =D

Thanks for the support!
~Liz

In regards to Thai and Sushi places there are tons of alternative menu items.

-Soup made from broth is almost always a safe bet. Miso is a wonderful option!
-Veggie dishes are available at most Thai places just be careful and try to avoid things with sauces made from peanuts and coconut milk. They are LOADED with fat and calories!

I am so there with you girl, I LOVE to eat out and cutting down on doing so is hard sometimes. I don't have much advice when it comes to mom and pop restaurants (like ones that aren't corporate or a national chain) All I can really say there is study the menu hard and pick what the absolute best is to suit your diet. But if you're going somewhere that is a chain and has a detailed website with a menu on it, look over it and search the calorie counts, fat, carbs or whatever it is that you are basing your diet around. I work at a Chili's (A large corporate chain) and we have a light menu that features things that are under 750 calories. I dont often eat their food on my shifts, but if I go there with my boyfriend I always order off that part of the menu.

Yeah I actually bought this broccoli thing that was sauteed in garlic with chicken. It was filling and I didn't feel bad about eating it either

True true. A lot on mom and pop restaurants have menus online from around where I live but most have not been updated in years hahaha. Oh well. So yesterday when I went to get Thai I was working on something that wasn't even on their actual menu anymore! Haha. I settled and figured out something though. Thank god for descriptions on menus, otherwise i'd be lost like in a french restaurant hahaha

Just a warning about eating out! I usually get a grilled chicken sandwich of some variety without the bun and I substitute fries for veggies. Make sure you check or ask about the price! This one place charged me $2.49 for like 3 florets of broccoli, 3 pepper strips, and a piece of cauliflower. I was disgusted! $1, sure, fine whatever, but $2.49?! Ugh.

I'm glad to hear it went well! I think a lot of people would be surprised by how often I eat in restaurants even while I'm losing weight (usually once a week, if not more). All of the advice above leads to making smart choices, and sometimes it's okay not to make smart choices too. The world doesn't end.

Once more piece of advice related to portion control at restaurants. One thing that makes it easier for me is to take a moment after my food arrives and try to picture it on the plates/bowls I use at home. It can be a real wake-up call as to how much food they actually served you. Then I portion off about what I think I would eat at home, and stick to that.