Wow this is such an interesting thread.

I usually do OK in restaurants - I see it as a real challenge, and usually do well. I pretty much know what I'm going to have if I'm in a fast food restaurant (Turkey Breast sub on Wheat bread in Subway, Zinger salad in KFC, chicken mcnugget happy meal in McDonalds), but proper sit-down restaurants can be a bit more challenging.

I have never liked mayonnaise or dressings, even when I wasn't watching what I was eating, so I always ask for salads or sandwiches without dressing, and they're usually more than happy to comply, although I have had to send meals back a couple of times.

Italian restaurants are the hardest ones, especially because I LOVE pizza. There's this amazing Italian right by where I live, and they have a 'Meta Meta' deal for two people, where you order one pizza and one pasta dish, and they split them between two plates, so you get half a pizza and half a pasta dish. Whenever my dad comes to visit me, he wants to go there and get the Meta Meta, which is tough, because you really can't do it without consuming about 1909820009018020 calories.

I tend to go for a grilled chicken salad, no dressing, if I'm being extra good at a restaurant.

Although my family and I went out for a carvery the other day, and I thought I'd done amazingly. I just ordered turkey, and I got loads of vegetables and no potatoes (had to get yorkshire puddings though, they're too good!). But halfway through, I noticed that the veg tasted really strange. I figure they must have drowned the veg in butter, because the 'strange' taste was butter. Ick! Why do vegetables need to be cooked in butter?! Make it healthy fjkrewj!

I've always wondered how easy it would be to order something off the menu, such as a plain grilled chicken salad or a fruit salad? I used to be a waitress and we'd occasionally get this, but not very often.

I don't trust restaurants to truly bring me lowfat or reduced calorie dressings. I carry the salad spritzers in my purse. We eat out rarely so it's not a big deal really.

Schumeany, I adore capers on fish.

We had guests last night for dinner and I made lasagna the healthy way. I used far less cheese and then replaced the beef with turkey. It was hardly rocket science but in the past I usually seriously load whatever I am making when we have guests with all the bad stuff. I was so relieved to see so many (especially the men) go back for 2nds.

This interests me greatly. Logically, if people can't afford to go out to restaurants any more you'd think they might get thinner. But there's so much cheap high calorie food, it may be the opposite. People can't afford restaurants, so now they'll go to Taco Bell. They can't afford fresh produce, so they buy frozen french fries. Etc.

It is true though that if you "vote with your wallet" restaurants like the one you went to would have to change. If enough people demanded healthier options, restaurants would offer them. Unfortunately people are satisfied with the nutritionally poor choices that are so ubiquitous nowadays.

I don't think Americans will get thin as a whole again unless we see some extreme changes in this country in all areas of life.

I've never had a snotty waiter and I customize probably more than anyone.

One of our favorite places we used to go to was a pizza place. They prided themselves on nongreasy pizza and their sauce/dough had no fat in them. (You wouldn't believe how much oil/fat some places add to both their dough and sauce). They also used a light cheese on their pizza. We stopped going shortly after we gave up cheese because it became a bit too expensive for a cheeseless pizza especially when we can get our fix for $4 from a frozen cheeseless pizza.

There are certain places that I won't go anymore because they failed to customize more than once. There is this middle-eastern chain I love that has a wonderful veggie sandwich but it comes with cheese/mayo. At one location, I tried ordering a sandwich without mayo or cheese on 2 separate occasions and they failed both times. So I won't go back to that location and I'm unsure if I'd go to other locations.

If someone else chooses a restaurant (ie parents/inlaws), sometimes there isn't anything actually on the menu that I could eat so I order off the menu. I've also called ahead to restaurants to ask what they can do and often they will have options.

Oh and as for salad dressing, I don't eat it in restaurants. If they have salsa, I'll ask for that. Otherwise I don't eat dressing. It doesn't bother me to eat a salad without dressing though.

As for eating healthy, I had a wonderful lunch eating out yesterday at Chipotle. I had a healthy salad, around 300 calories and very filling. Of course I saw other people getting big burritos with lots of cheese, sour cream and even a ton of guacamole. I've seen others get the salad and get cheese, sour cream, guacamole and then use the entire tub of dressing. My husband likes going out to eat on the weekend but I told him that even though our normal chinese restaurant is a good option, Chipotle is the best so we went with that.

I loooove Chipotle. I don't eat at many "fast food" places and Chipotle is my go-to, quick meal destination of choice. I always get the Burrito Bol (no tortilla) with chicken, rice, lots of lettuce (I usually have to ask a couple of times until they get as much lettuce as I want!), 2 scoops of pico de gallo and a 1/2 serving of guacamole. Mine is about 500 calories (which is a big meal for me) but it's not too bad for eating out, plus I *love* it.

going to restaurants is extremely difficult... I will never forget when I asked for oil and vinegar on THE SIDE and the waitress gave me italian...ON THE SALAD and said "i thought this was close enough" needless to say I gave her an earfull about how I usually tip 20-25 percent but 12-15 percent will be "close enough"

I treat the server with respect and expect the same. If I don't get it, I complain and give them the chance to fix it before I decide to not tip. And I expect to get what I ordered, if I don't I send it back. I figure I'm paying and I don't worry about what anyone thinks.

I'm in England and not that I go out much but when I do go out I find it more the norm to not have a dressing on a salad than to have a dressing. I prefer the taste of salads minus the dressing anyway

I've moved away from "salad as meal" when eating out most of the time. I'll have the side salad and dip the tines or just put a little on, but for a main course I just find most restaurant salads dont cut it. By the time I remove all the "goodies" I am down to a bed of usually blah iceberg or at best romaine and a little probably not that lean protein (what they marinate grilled chicken in to yank the calories that high amazes me). Where are the VEGGIES? Lettuce is just not food.

I find for the same or maybe just a little more calories I can order something soooo much more satisfying and it makes a nice break from my salad lunch (that I eat at home almost every day)

I just hate ordering special in January with all the "resolution" people. You definitely get a different reaction in January than in June. Understandably so, can you imagine hearing "dressing on the side, double veggies no starch" for probably the 300th time the first week in January when you know 295 of those people will be ordering extra cheese and supersize by March? They dont know we are the 5

I think the poor waitress at one restaurant I go to frequently is so confused by me. 9/10 times I am "dressing on the side...etc." And then she gets me on my way home after a half-marathon or the meal after a 20 miler. "Hi I am Ennay, meet my twin sister Eat-ay"

We were talking about that in another board. Eating healthily on a budget is tough, it takes planning and some trial and error. Also, a lot of people turn to food in times of stress. I catch myself often at the end of a really hard day wanting to go out to eat just to not be cooking.

And then you have this:
McDonalds locally - For $4.69 you could get a grilled chicken salad

or

you could get a double cheeseburger, fries, large coke, and 2 apple pies. (and change)

In the grocery for $1.69
1 head lettuce

or

3 boxes Kraft Mac n Cheese (6 on special)

or

10 packages top ramen.

I think in for quite awhile as the economy worsens people will get fatter. People will take awhile to shift their habits purely in the economy and a lot of people who are USED to eating out a lot will "cut back" initially to either eating at cheaper places or buying convenience foods at the grocery - all of which probably is as bad or worse.

Plus a lot of people already are cutting down on fresh fruits and veggies and going for the cheaper starches and fats. Or going from an expensive lean cut of meat to a cheaper fattier cut.

An extended down turn will probably level some of it out, but it takes awhile for people to make changes and economic pressure alone will drive people the wrong way nutritionally unless they are actively aware of it.

When we go out for breakfast I like to get scrambled eggs and toast, no butter on the toast, or butter on the side so I know how much I put on. No potatoes. Two pieces of bacon with that aren't too bad either.

Jay

The last page of the IHOP menu is aimed at calorie-conscious customers, and I believe the nutritional stats are listed. As I remember, there were dinner and breakfast items on the page.

I usually have a similar breakfast as Jay does when I go out: 2 eggs, toast no butter, 2 slices bacon.

Some places will do egg white only meals, as well.
One of our favorite places even serves a meal of steel cut oatmeal! I recently had that and a 1/2 grapefruit, and it was very filling.

I didn't think about salad spritzers. I'm going to take one of those on my next trips and I might sneak them in restaurants too.