Hello Friends,

1st question) Here I am doing so well and we go out to dinner. I order a hamburger and instead of fries I get grilled onion, grilled in butter and lemon.

How bad was that? I should have had the broccoli, I know, but since we can have grilled onions in our breakfast eggs, why not at dinner? I'm worried about the butter really.

2nd question) It's hard going out to dinner. I can handle the bread, but it's hard just having oil and vinegar on my salad. The non-fat dressing probably has sugar. Is that accurate?

3rd question) Tomorrow we are going to a Caribbean restaurant. I'll probably have kebobs or a fish, but even then, it's a crap shoot if everything is on SBD. I'm trying as hard as I can. Is that good enough? Is most of the time normal?

I've been on Phase 2 for 3 days. No weight loss. Only a peach each day as my extra. But, I had lunch out (Chicken Caesar) and dinner, too.

4th question I take that back! I'm up one-half pound this a.m.! I'm thinking of taking Metamusil just to have slower digestion of my sugars. Should I?

Sorry this is so long, but I need some support.

Hugs, Carol, I have found that if I eat out too much I gain even if I am being as careful as possible in choosing my restaurant and my food. Often there are hidden items that make it harder to stay OP. I can gain just from the extra salt and I take a diuretic! That said, make sure you drink lots of water when you are going to be eating out to help counteract the salt. Often the portion sizes are larger than you would eat at home.

You already know the butter in the onions were a problem. If you are tempted to order them next time ask what they saute them in and stay away from the saturated and transfats.

Most of the dressings are going to have sugar. Stick a small container in your purse with your favorite OP dressing. THen you can have the flavor you like. Just make sure to ask for no dressing or dressing on the side (and then pitch theirs).

Enjoy yourself at the Caribbean restaurant but try to make healthy choices. Ask questions. Check if they have a website with information on their menu. If you've never been there, call ahead and ask what they serve. I know when I am in a group I hate to delay the ordering by trying to find something to eat that is OP so I try to have some idea ahead of time. I try not to eat out for both lunch and dinner but sometimes that isn't possible. Sometimes I will try to get a little extra exercise when I've eaten out.

I do take Metamucil twice a day (breakfast and dinner). It really helps me stay regular. And it seems to do a lot to help me eat a more reasonably sized portion.

Thanks Barb for your reply. Now that I'm on Phase 2, it's harder to know exactly what is OP. So many people have said that on SB "You can eat anything," but that is inaccurate. This is a learning process. I learned Phase 1 nicely by Day 8. I have to give myself time to understand Phase 2 and pardon myself when I choose unwisely.

It sure is a learning process! I think I have actually started to lose a little faster as I have learned more about how to stay OP when I eat at restaurants.

I went to Chili's last week and they have a new diet menu. I got grilled salmon with mixed veggies. It was pretty good and it doesn't come with a salad or anything, so dressing wasn't a problem. I don't think the veggies were cooked in butter, but they were definitely seasoned with something. They had great flavor, kind of garliciky. Anyway, the menu has carb, fat, and fiber information for most of the items printed right on the menu. If I have to eat out...that is probably where I will go.

Ruby Tuesday's also has a new menu with lots of healthful choices. They provide most of the nutritional information as well.