i saw a few people talking about having chinese. i love chinese so what would be the best options when eating there? obviously youd want to steer clear of breaded chicken so no seasame chicken or s&s chicken. But what about mo sho pork? just curious of others thoughts on it so i can make the best choice a few of my friends really want to go but i keep saying i really can't. glad they are respecting my choices but i really want to go.

I try to avoid it. I think there is a lot of sugar added to a lot of the foods. When I can't avoid it, I just have meat and protein and nothing with a sweet sauce or fried. No egg rolls or dumplings I have eaten moo shu without the wrapper. But I will be honest and say that Chinese usually sets me up for cravings. That's just me.

Oh - edamame! If it is just steamed.

and sadly even sauces that aren't sweet contain quite a bit of corn starch as a thickener

** Sigh ** I am salivating just reading this. Chinese food is my addiction and I gain 3-4 pounds every time I eat it. It's a good thing the restaurants are a half hour drive over snowy roads or I'd be outta here.
No more FOOD PORN!!

Fluffy, I don't know if this is an available option for you as I don't know where you're located, but one thing that helps me with Chinese cravings is a great local Mongolian grill restaurant. Ours is well stocked with tons of lean meats, vegetables and sauces with no sugar or fat. I get the flavors I want without all the extra junk in.

Every Mongolian grill is different, but the premise is substantially the same. You go through a line like a buffet and pick out the things you want in your bowl, then add your choice of sauces (I like a water-with-garlic and soy sauce mixture), then hand it over to the grillers to cook it. I pass on the rice and noodles. My bowl is usually cabbage, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, celery, mushrooms and a mixture of lean chicken, beef and pork. Great way to go out with friends and stay on my plan!

Hope this is helpful to you!

fluffy it was a planned cheat meal for me to have Chinese :-(. I couldn't include it within the regular confines of South Beach because of all the sugar and thickeners.

You may want to check if the restaurant can make you a simple stir-fry in an unthickened sauce. Several Chinese restaurants near me advertise making an entree "weight watchers style", meaning no thickeners in the sauce. Or, you can order your meal with no sauce at all. A lot of restaurants are beginning to offer brown rice as an option, too, but you have to ask.

yes it definatly would be a planned cheat. but this helps out a lot i live in a small town in Michigan so not a lot of choices for food if going out. and ours has such big portions im really hoping that they can make something in a light sauce and not give me rice (im okay with not craving food until its in front of me) and spread it over a few days, before i started SBD i use to make one dinner last 3-4 meals....

My hubby and I ordered delivery for dinner. We were both feeling sick, and not in the mood to move, much less cook. I ordered a small Egg Drop Soup and small Pepper Steak, no rice (beef with onions and bell peppers). I'm sure it wasn't the healthiest meal possible, but it was a nice meal that stayed somewhat on plan. The biggest problem for me is all the salt. I was up a little today on the scale and I'm sure it's all the salt that was in dinner. But, it was worth it =)

My family is half chineese so i often end up in restaurants that don't quite fit with south beach.

Can you look at the menu before you make up your mind?

Some possible options: a whole steamed fish with green onion and ginger (very traditional)

bokchoy with mushrooms, or chineese mushroom with veggies

soft tofu and stir fried veggies.

stirfried seafood with vegetables

some of the clear soups like pork and watercress soup.

Yes most dishes will have some cornstarch in it (but not the whole steamed fish or something like pork and watercress soup). Your weight will be up because of the sodium content of the food. You may end up with cravings - i know i sometimes do.

good luck!

I just saw Joy Bauer talk about this on the Today Show. Not SB, but for dieters in general.

She suggested:

• Order "steamed" foods
• Get the sauce on the side (which I never thought to ask) and just use a little bit
• Add soy sauce for flavor

If I wanted steamed vegetables and meat with soy sauce I'd make it at home!

I don't know if you have a panda express around you but they show you which entrees are under 200 calories.
I go for steamed vegetable and the mushroom chicken, or the broccoli and chicken. All of these are phase 1 approved!!
I don't do this often because it is high in sodium, but its a nice little treat once and awhile.

Hey there, I love chinese food as well and have been eating it all throughout phase 1 and 2 of south beach. I get steamed chicken and broccoli with garlic sauce on the side (no or little cornstartch) please and I have lost 13 lbs since January 18th. Just stick with steamed and sauce on the side!

Be very careful about chinese prepared vegetables. Many times they are fried in oil-lots of oil. You don't notice it when it's served with other veggies and meat.

And just about everything has sugar added. Many times you wouldn't think the food is sweet, but somehow it counters the salt in the food and sort of just evens it out.

I've been part of a Chinese family for 20 years, I've learned. I have no clue why my husband isn't as big as a house. I'd try to trim the fat from the pork-"what are you doing? That's all the flavor, leave the fat on." Veggies have to be fried in oil-not steamed. He eats 4 + cups of white rice a day, each and every day! It is so not fair.