Where do you go to eat out on SBD? What do you order? Let's share so others can benefit from our experiences!

I have been to Ruby Tuesday, Panera bread, Arby's, Hardee's and also to TGI Friday's. I'm planning on going to Applebee's tonight.

Ruby Tuesday and TGI Friday's have a lot of info on their websites. I have tried several things at Ruby Tuesday, but I love the Broccoli Cheese soup, also the WW quesadilla, and of course, the salad bar. I bring my own dressing with me, but they do have a balsamic vinegar dressing that appears SBD friendly. Their sauteed zucchini is fantastic. I had the chicken and steak fajitas at Friday's, brought my own WW tortilla with me, and asked for no tortillas or rice. It was a good and satisfying meal and made me feel "normal"!

At Arby's DH and I both had their salads, but took things off that weren't SBD friendly. Both salads were good.

Panera has a great handout with extensive nutritional info and there is a lot of SBD friendly food there! I had the black bean soup and confess to eating the sourdough bread roll that came with it. I also had a great salad with a ton of yummy veggies in it along with balsamic vinagrette. All was very good!

At Hardee's, I got the Low Carb Thickburger with no ketchup. It was good, but not worth the fat, in my opinion. It was a last minute, unplanned choice when we got to WI for DH's grandfather's funeral and everyone was having pizza. Wouldn't do it again.

I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences eating out on SBD...I'm a bit ready to venture into the unknown (places with no posted nutritional info) and would love some guidance!

I don't go out to eat lol. I try and stay far far away!! But damn it all you got me craving some applebees now!! Laurie how exciting it must be getting healthy to conceive a baby!! I applaude you!! It brings tears to my eyes that you are thinking of both you and that babys health before bringing it into the world. Such a loving, nurturing person you must be!!

Michelle

Hey there-

Ok I eat out a lot with work but most to non-chains. If I do go to a chain that's not Ruby Tuesday's, I always order fajitas and tell them not to even bother to bring out the tortilla. I also ask them not to make them sizzle by adding extra oil to the pan. I ask for more lettuce and make a side salad with the fixings that come with it or order one on it's own.

I've eaten at Greek restaurants and ususally order the filet mingon kabob or chicken or shrimp as and my sides, the hummus and tabouleh.

The bistro down the street offers baked chicken breast with a fennel salad, broccoli and couscous. I substitute the couscous for double veggies. Even the great non-chain burger joints in town have veggies now - so I might get a burger with swiss and mushrooms, no bun and veggies -- I know they at least have celery -- they serve it with their wings!

All in all, I have not been to one place yet at which I could not find something and have been even given options!

We rarely eat out, so when we do I'm not as strict about it as I would be at home. In the 2 months that we've been on SB we've gone out once to LoneStar Steakhouse. I had a big steak with a tiny but of steaksauce, a salad with blue cheese dressing, a baked sweet potatoe with a bit of butter, and for dessert (it was my 40th birthday) I passed on the cake and had an Irish Cream coffee instead (this satisfied my craving for sweets and my craving for a drink).

These are great ideas!

Jenn, I envy your proximity to great restaurants! The hummus and tabouleh sound amazing!

Michelle, Thanks!!! I was never really motivated to lose the weight for any other reason. But knowing that if I lose it, we can start trying...that is a major motivation for me! My mom gained weight with both her pregnancies and never lost it, so I really want to make sure that I am as healthy as I can be before getting pregnant and set myself up for health afterwards, too! Like others on the board, I want to make sure that I can run around with my kids and enjoy time with them without being totally tired all the time. You know? But thanks for the wonderful compliments. You are really inspiring! :

Now, you mentioned before, Michelle, that you have two kiddos, but in your avatar, there are three? Who is who? I love hearing about kids!

Lol I get that question alot laurie!! The two that are sitting on my lap are mine the one standing next to me is my niece Zoe. You are doing the best thing you can for a healthy pregnancy by getting healthy before conception!! When we are unhealthy and then get pregnant we can bring a whole host of terrible complications that can threaten both your life and the life of an unborn child. I am one who should have heard that before I got preg with my second. I never lost the weight from my first and just gained a lot of weight due to some health problems I was unaware of until recently. Well, because I wasn't healthy, I had pre-eclampsia and spent my whole pregnancy in bed!! I was constantly in the hospital for dehydration and blood pressure problems. I wish i had taken the initiative before I decided to get pregnant but I didn't but I got lucky and had a beautiful BIG baby girl 7 lbs 15 oz!! My first was only 6lbs 6oz! I also ended up with a csection the second time, and I'm willing to bet my recovery would have been a **** of a lot easier had I taken care of myself! Girl you are doing the BEST thing you can for you and your future child!! Stand up and take a bow!! I'm giving you a standing ovation!!
Michelle

I ordered machaca at a couple of Mexican restaurants. It's shredded beef with scrambled eggs, onions, spices.... At coffee shops I usually get salads and maybe soups. Then there are steak houses where I get steak (duh!), veggies and salad. I avoid chips, potatoes, breads, pastas, noodles.... Will be heading to New Orleans where I plan to eat a lot of seafood! & maybe the red beans, but no rice. It will be my first visit to the Cafe du Monde for a cafe au lait but no beignets (donuts).

Cheers!

Thai can be great, too! Many of the soups are chicked-broth-based. The Thai salads are very healthy as well.

I discovered fajitas last weekend at Dennys (the worse place in the world when you are trying to lose weight). I was ordering main course salads when I ate out or sometimes when meals come with chips (fries) and salad I would order double salad and no chips but it is getting cold down here so I want hot food and its pretty tempting to go off plan. I hadn't thought to ask for no tortilla (when ordering a fajita) and must remember about the oil. Most of my meals out just lately are take away food so usually kebabs, chinese (meat and veges only), thai (just don't eat the rice) or subway wraps. I am meant to be on phase 2 so allow myself a tortilla but the weight loss seems to slow down a lot when I do eat carbs.

You guys have great ideas! Michelle, I am so glad that both you and your darling baby are healthy and well now! How scary that must have been for you! But you know, lots of people have those same issues, but are completely healthy, so please do not blame yourself! Just focus on your seriously rosy future! :

And thanks for the wonderful ovation! How very nice!

Chick on the Beach, sounds like you are Australian, eh? You guys are making me drool with all the Thai food references! Does anyone have any good Thai recipes? Also, great tip about the fajitas at Denny's. Never would have thought they would have them!

Chickpea, I think you deserve much praise for your intention to stay away from beignets!

I think I would have to have them just for the cultural background in them. But I would probably feel sick afterwards from all that grease! Good for you!

To be honest, I think most restaurants offer some measure of chicken breast and salad -- it's not as fun as ordering regular menu items, but I'm hoping I don't want to be strict forever. I find keeping it off FAR easier than losing.

Anyone in Canada here? At Moxies, they have a delicious Chicken Taco Salad -- minus the taco shell and banana bread on the side. (Damn them.) Lettuce base, diced tomatos, chicken breast, cheddar cheese (not l/f unfortunately), and a thick salasa. It comes with a spicy ranch dressing. Mmmm.

Otherwise, it's fajitas minus tortilla (I don't think I'd plan ahead enough to bring my own! But you girls who do, that's thinkin'!) God, I LOVE steak fajitas. Mmmm.

Kim, I'm such a planner. *sigh* I do plan ahead and bring a tortilla with me. I was happy to find that Friday's gives you a spicy (tingly in your mouth...yum!) black bean soup with their fajitas. Very good!

We do Fridays a lot b/c it's easy. However they use a meat tenderizer on their Chicken, so normally I have to stop at the ladies before we leave (sorry, I have to mention in case anyone else has this sensitivity)

Mexican is really great, we get fajitas or taco salad no shell no chips, extra side of black beans.

As far as soups we've avoided these mostly b/c if you've worked in restraunts you know most soups are premade and possibly have tons of non-SBD stuff on them.

We really try to limit going out b/c you have so much less control. Fridays is really tough for me b/c I love their oriental chicken salad. Fried chicken strips and S&S dressing both bad. We have managed to get French Onion a number of places w/o the crouton.