Dining Out

Beautiful Cheese wrote:
I have most of the eating thing down pat. Hope so after a year. Lots of
filling veggies, watch the calories, eat healthy blah blah blah. But I
still can't seem to figure out what to do when I go out to eat.
Admittedly this only happens about once or twice every few months but I
find myself just staring at the menu obsessing. Plus portion sizes are
out of control in restaurants.

Constantly weighing calories in my mind. I end up frozen and end up
ordering something like a boring salad. And even that is too big.

Say you went to a restaurant that served seafood what would you get? or
a mexican place, or a steak house?

Guess I'm just looking for basic rules in eating out.

~BC~
318/262/200

Once a month or less? Order something that you wouldn't cook at home
and throw half of it away.

--

Cheese

http://cheesensweets.com/contacts/cheese.php

"Cheese" wrote in message
...
Beautiful Cheese wrote:
I have most of the eating thing down pat. Hope so after a year. Lots of
filling veggies, watch the calories, eat healthy blah blah blah. But I
still can't seem to figure out what to do when I go out to eat.
Admittedly this only happens about once or twice every few months but I
find myself just staring at the menu obsessing. Plus portion sizes are
out of control in restaurants.

Constantly weighing calories in my mind. I end up frozen and end up
ordering something like a boring salad. And even that is too big.

Say you went to a restaurant that served seafood what would you get? or
a mexican place, or a steak house?

Guess I'm just looking for basic rules in eating out.

~BC~
318/262/200

Once a month or less? Order something that you wouldn't cook at home and
throw half of it away.

You know, if it's only once a month, and you haven't "splurged" outside of
this one dining experience for the entire month, call it a refeed and eat
what you want. Unless you are a total binge eater... It shouldn't cause
you to stop losing if you refeed once in awhile. There are even studies
that show replenishing like that can actually jump start weight loss again
after a plateau.

"Beautiful Cheese" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have most of the eating thing down pat. Hope so after a year. Lots of
filling veggies, watch the calories, eat healthy blah blah blah. But I
still can't seem to figure out what to do when I go out to eat.
Admittedly this only happens about once or twice every few months but I
find myself just staring at the menu obsessing. Plus portion sizes are
out of control in restaurants.

Constantly weighing calories in my mind. I end up frozen and end up
ordering something like a boring salad. And even that is too big.

Say you went to a restaurant that served seafood what would you get? or
a mexican place, or a steak house?

Guess I'm just looking for basic rules in eating out.

Avoid anything fried and anything described as "crispy", "smothered".
"cheesy", or "creamy". If it's a chain restaurant, you can find nutrition
info for many of them online. Look it up and make your decision before you
go out. If there's a dish that seems like it's mostly a good choice but has
some bad elements, ask to have them left off or subbed with something
better. Substitute steamed veggies for starchy sides.

For portion control, there's the obvious doggie bag but you could also order
an appetizer instead of an entree for your meal, assuming there are decent
appetizer selections. Split a meal with someone else.


--
Liz
HW:268 CW: 150.6 GW: 142-147

wrote:

Say you went to a restaurant that served seafood what would you get? or
a mexican place, or a steak house?

Guess I'm just looking for basic rules in eating out.

I put together some notes on eating out at a Mexican restaurant. This is
based on info from Hope Warshaw's "Guide To Healthy Restaurant Eating."
http://tinyurl.com/y4u43u

Tips on eating at a Mexican restaurant:

* Skip the appetizer and desert. But watch that you don't leave yourself
too hungry for the main course. Multiple courses can be a good thing, but
if you are trying to manage your weight, be aware of the calorie count.

* Many restaurants have large portion sizes. Splitting appetizers or
desserts with friends is a great way to sample the menu without
overeating.

* Stay away from heavy main courses laden with fat from cream-based
sauces, sour cream, butter, and oils.

* Look for dishes with fresh vegetables. They're out there!

* Beans can be good. Most Mexican dishes come with beans, which are a
healthy source of protien. Just beware of refried beans wich are usually
prepared with bacon or extra cheese.

* Try to avoid foods that come with fried tortillas. Yes, that includes
the basket of tortilla chips that sits on your table before your meal
arrives.

* Stick with soft tortillas.

* Use salsa as a condiment in place of high fat sour cream.

* If choosing a "taco salad," limit or avoid the taco shell salad bowl.
Ask for the salad to be served on a plate.

--------------
APPETIZERS:
--------------
Super Nachos: High in fat and calories. Not the healthiest way to start
your meal! Make it healthier by eliminating altoether or just have a few
dippped in salsa or guacamole

Gazpacho: This is one of the healthiest items on the menu.

--------------
MAIN COURSE
--------------
Tacos: Regular tacos have fried shells. Make it healther by ordering the
soft taco instead.

Soft Tacos: Since the shell isn't fried, it's a better choice than the
hard shelled taco. Make it healthier by ordering the chicken or been
variety.

Enchiladas: The tortillas are usually softened in oil. Make it healthier
by having them hold the sour cream and cheese on top and choose an
enchilada filled with chicken or beans.

Burritos: Probably one of the top three healthy options on the menu - if
you order smart! Make it healthier by having them hold the sour cream
and ask your server to go easy on the cheese; choose veggies, chicken,
or beans as the filling.

Chimichangas: The entire shell, filling and all, is deep fried. There's
no such thing as a healthy chimichanga! Look for something with less
fat.

Fajitas: Usually a great option as long as you don't go overboard with
toppings and keep your portion size in check. Make it healthier by
choosing vegetables, chicken or shrimp as your filling.

--------------
DESSERTS:
--------------
Flan: Many Mexican restaurants don't offer healthy dessert choices. This
is probably the best option you'll find with only about 4 grams of fat
ber 1/2 cup portion. Ask your server if it can be prepared with nonfat
milk.

Sopapilla: "Deep fried" is usually a warning sign to steer clear; many
Mexican food restaurants don't offer healthy dessert options. Better to
avoid this one and grab some fruit on the way home.

--
Phil M.

Phil M. wrote:
wrote:

Say you went to a restaurant that served seafood what would you get? or
a mexican place, or a steak house?

Guess I'm just looking for basic rules in eating out.

I put together some notes on eating out at a Mexican restaurant. This is
based on info from Hope Warshaw's "Guide To Healthy Restaurant Eating."
http://tinyurl.com/y4u43u

Tips on eating at a Mexican restaurant:

* Skip the appetizer and desert. But watch that you don't leave yourself
too hungry for the main course. Multiple courses can be a good thing, but
if you are trying to manage your weight, be aware of the calorie count.

* Many restaurants have large portion sizes. Splitting appetizers or
desserts with friends is a great way to sample the menu without
overeating.

snip

Wow. That is going to be so useful. A friend always wants to do Mexican
when its her choice for dinner. [we alternate choices monthly] Having a
guideline will help a lot in my choice.

I never did master dining out. I was raised to clean my plate, and I'm a
sucker for "good value."

"Beautiful Cheese" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have most of the eating thing down pat. Hope so after a year. Lots of
filling veggies, watch the calories, eat healthy blah blah blah. But I
still can't seem to figure out what to do when I go out to eat.
Admittedly this only happens about once or twice every few months but I
find myself just staring at the menu obsessing. Plus portion sizes are
out of control in restaurants.

Constantly weighing calories in my mind. I end up frozen and end up
ordering something like a boring salad. And even that is too big.

Say you went to a restaurant that served seafood what would you get? or
a mexican place, or a steak house?

Guess I'm just looking for basic rules in eating out.

~BC~
318/262/200

I think this thread helped me out yesterday. I was thinking about it
when my beloved and I went out to the local Mexican place for lunch. Oh
sure, I wanted to get a couple of crunchy tacos and a cheese enchilada,
along with an order of guacamole to wash down the fried tortilla chips
they bring for free. But I thought about the guide that someone
(thanks, someone!) posted, and instead got a lunch order of shrimp
fajitas. Basically I made soft tacos out of them, and they were pretty
tasty. Oh, I probably ate too many calories what with the dollops of
guacamole and sour cream that came with them, along with cheese on the
side of beans. But a whole lot less than if I had gone with my old
standby favorites. I did eat a few of the free tortilla chips, though.
But maybe a half dozen, not half a basket like I used too. And ya, I
washed it down with a beer.

Overall, I'm calling it a fairly good success, and I didn't feel
deprived or let down in the least as I left.

--
Annie

As of 11-16-06: 258/182/140 Standing at 5 foot 4.

76 pounds lost. 42 left to go. Started February/07/05

Come visit my weight-loss web site, Annie Takes Off.
http://webpages.charter.net/lenny13/DietFrontPage.html