Well I love eating out but it's hard for nutrition and hard on the wallet.
I was thinking about going out tonight - it's been a long week - and stumbled upon this article which reminded me just how careful we have to be when eating out. When one dessert is more calories than I eat in a day it's no wonder why it's easier than ever to gain weight.
Wow, that's a lot of calories.... In everything... (or almost everything). Luckily I never liked their cheesecakes (an entire days worth of calories ahhhh)!
I have a hard time ordering healthy options when out. We don't go to resturants that often so I usually want to eat something I used to eat. I can see how easily calories add up though. A few weekends ago my friend was over for the weekend Nd had been asking serveral ?'s about healthier options, we had actually gotten fast food twice that day. I gave tons of suggestions and at the end of the day he asked me to help input his food in mfp. I had about 1200 cals for the day and his were about 3600 cals. I guess my suggestions went in one ear out the other.
Today I was so proud. I was out most of the day with my kids and they were begging for Wendy's. I took them and noticed the calorie count on my usual choices and opted to just let the kids eat. I figured it wasn't really worth it.
I can't believe the amount of cals I used to ingest, and always wondered why I kept gaining.
I do love how fast food places in King County (Seattle) have to post calories on their menu boards. It makes it so much easier to make a healthier choice. Even if that choice is driving away.
I went to Ivars a few weeks ago while waiting for a movie to start. I found the oysters were around 450 calories. Without it posted on the sign I would have ended up with something twice the calories and never known the difference.
I hate eating out. My husbands so healthy all the time that when we do eat out he eats some serious carbs and cals. And i say to him, I think i'm going to eat a chicken salad, Or a Grilled Sandwich, He says, WHAT!? Don't eat that, eat something GOOD. Ugh. The yumminess of the photos of food and deserts in the menus get me every time!
I do love how fast food places in King County (Seattle) have to post calories on their menu boards. It makes it so much easier to make a healthier choice. Even if that choice is driving away.
I went to Ivars a few weeks ago while waiting for a movie to start. I found the oysters were around 450 calories. Without it posted on the sign I would have ended up with something twice the calories and never known the difference.
Hey, another King County chick here! Hi neighbor.
And I have learned in most restaurants to order just a plain salad or sometimes a chicken breast and steamed veggies. Most will serve it even if it is not on the menu.
Eating out is just part of our lives. I have a book club I facilitate twice a month. We go gaming in Virginia twice a month, and eat on the way there. We have "movie and pizza' nights twice a month, and pizza after church a couple times a month.
My plan HAS to be flexible enough to accommodate this. This is my life, and I'm not going to force my family to make major life-style changes.
So I've become pretty deft at knowing what I can choose from almost any menu that fits my plan. It's a lot of work at first. I look at menus online for all kinds of restaurants (Chinese, Tex-Mex, Thai, Greek, American, Pizza/Subs, etc.) and say "what would I pick from this menu?". Sometimes I have to look things up to figure out the calories and carbs. Sometimes I figure out what I'd combine on the menu into something I could eat (like a Greek salad with Gyro meat, which may not be on the menu per se, but they have the pieces on the menu and can put it together for me). But after a while, it's much easier because you can look at the menu and pick out two or three things that you already KNOW are on-plan for you. It's a matter of knowledge, planning, and experience.
I think it is SO nice to have menus and nutrition information at our fingertips. I remember pouring through nutrition books we bought when I was younger and that was the only way to get the info.
Eating out is a challenge for sure. But it is do-able even on almost any plan with some planning and pre-thought. (and some flexibility in your plan to allow for the occasional off-plan choice)
Eating Out
The Cheesecake Factory is not on my list of restaurants. 
