I havent really stayed on the wagon so to speak, yesterday I went to a house warming party and ate some chilli (It was loaded with alot of things)
Last weekend i really over ate in calories too...

See on my days off, my bf and I got places to eat...usually like sub way or fast food. When I can I get salads with Light dressing, or stick to the subs that are low cal. But can any one suggest other thing, like sandwitches, that arnt that bad? Or find a place that I can get the calorie counts on foods?

I know the obivous answer would be eat before you go, but I sleep at day and dont get enough as it is, and so I sleep until he comes over and than I go out... Its really important to him that we eat together....and we dont live together and we dont have seperate house we both live at home still...

If any one has any suggestions, please let me know, thanks sooo much!!!

~Heather~

I feel your pain. Going out to eat is very hard! This is what I do, no granted we only go out to eat one night a week but I think that these things could work for you.

- Sometimes I eat what I want but I get a to go box right away (before you eat) and put half of everything in the box and set the box on the chair or booth beside me where I won't be tempted to pick at it. I try to always choose grilled over fried. I make sure what I want is what I get, I make sure my vegis are steamed without butter, I ask for no oil if possible, always put my dressing on the side (a trick to using salad dressing is dip your FORK into the dressing and then into your salad you will use hardly any dressing when it is done), drink water or tea. A lot of resturants have websites with their nutritional information on there. If you don't see it email them and more than likely they can send you something. And lastly, I enjoy going out to eat when we do I try not to stress and do the very best I can when we go.

I hope this helps! Keep your chin up!

I have found that I do my emotional eating at work and on the weekends we go out alot. I too try sticking with salads (no dressing) but with kids it hard not to sneak a fry. I do the to go box thing too - it does work - otherwise try drinking alot of water on the way out (i keep a 6 pack in my car that way I never have an excuse not to drink it)


I am stuggling too we were in Vegas over the weekend and I did alot of drinking and now I am craving sugar like mad again. I have lost 8 pounds so far - but have a long way to go - it seams that when I say I am going to diet I gain wt...so from now on I am just trying to improve my health...

Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.

Pam

http://www.3fatchicks.com/fast-food-nutrition/index.php

Try going here and picking out in advance the best food choices you can from places you eat at often. Most fast food places offer nutritional info, you just have to search or ask.

When I give into my kids and go to Burger King, I get a veggie burger without the mayo, side salad, low fat dressing and diet coke. Under 500 calories and a decent amount of iron and protein even if the sodium is on high side.

Other ideas are:

A lot of places are offering wraps these days, so opt for a sandwhich in a wrap rather than on a bun. Go with the grilled chicken or turkey club without the bacon...stick to the leaner meat choices. Many places have broiled/grilled fish selections. Choose the veggie over the fries. There are so many items to choose from at just about any restaurant these days, but many of them have menus especially catered to those watching their weight. Applebees, Ruby Tuesdays, and as you mentioned Subway, are ones I visit. You can even get a grilled chicken sandwhich at most of the fast food places if in a pinch. Just ask for mustard rather than the special sauce or mayonnaise and toss half the bun if they don't have wraps. Boston Market is another place I go to on occasion. I pick the steamed veggies and don't eat the skin on the chicken.

In addition to the excellent tips above, here's some that also help me:

Pick a healthier restaurant over a less healthy one. While there are no forbidden foods on my plan, I'd much rather have choices available that I feel good about than something I will only be able to eat a tiny amount of and feel guilty about. I try to avoid places where everything is deep-fried, sauced, mayonnaise-coated, bacon-sprinkled, etc. Some restaurants, like Applebees, promenently feature "healthy" food, others simply offer a wide enough variety to give you good choices.

Don't be shy about telling the waiter EXACTLY how you want your meal: dressing on the side, no butter/oil, no cheese/bacon/croutons/egg on the salad, leave off the sauce, sour cream, etc. If they bring bread or chips to the table, ask them to bring only as much as your partner will eat.

Here's my number one tip that I use most of the time: Order off the appetizer menu. Most good restaurants, especially upscale ones, will have interesting appetizers that will not be fried and which are actually appropriate dinner portions. Ordering a full entree now seems like an enormous waste to me, and I rarely do it. If nothing on the appetizer menu looks appropriate, ask if you can order off the children's menu or if you can order a half portion. Even if they don't say so on the menu, many restaurants will let you do this.

If you don't think it's reasonable that you eat something beforehand, how about keeping a stash of low-sugar protein drinks (like EAS AdvantEdge) in the fridge? You could gulp one down on the way to the restaurant and that will blunt your hunger.

Most fast food and chain restaurants put their menu online. Many offer nutritional info; some just the menu. At least you can decide ahead of time what you want to order and avoid last-minute temptation.

Finally ... if eating together is important (and I think that's a good policy), who says it has to be out? Why not prepare something at home? Doesn't have to be fancy, and the two of you can divide the chores. But, preparing meals at home is a great way to eat healthy, save money, and spend time together. I know that many people never learned their way around the kitchen and think that cooking is some arcane art they could never master. But, honestly, learning to feed yourself reasonably tasty food out of your own fridge is one of the best things you can do for yourself.