May I Take Your Order?

At some point (or maybe at a lot of points) during the challenge, you will be eating out at a restaurant. I, myself, will be eating out 6 or 7 times between now and next Tuesday’s weigh in. While I don’t usually eat out THAT much, my family does tend to eat out once or twice a week, whether it be fast food or a sit down restaurant (or more accurately, carry out from a sit down restaurant. My kids don’t do the whole “sit” part so well). So, what steps can you take to enjoy your food but not sabotage all your hard work? Here are some tips:

1. Plan ahead – I know, I know. I went on and on last week about planning, but I can’t stress this point enough. If you know where you are going to eat beforehand, check out that restaurants website for a menu and nutritional info or maybe talk to a friend that has been to the restaurant before to get an idea of what to expect. One website I like is www.dietfacts.com. It has info on a lot of restaurants and what they have to offer.
   
   
2. Order first – If you are with a group of people, try to be the first person to order. This will help you not be tempted by someone else’s (possibly poor) choice.
   
   
3. Be picky – Remember, you are paying for the meal that you order. Just because the dish you want is loaded with cheese, doesn’t mean you have to get it that way. Have them prepare the dish the way you want! Ask how they prepare the vegetables so you can avoid butter if necessary. Ask for your salad dressing on the side. Ask for half the cheese that a dish normally comes with. Ask      that the bun on your sandwich not be buttered before they grill or toast it. If you are feeling really      adventurous, order off the menu (remember, they have a kitchen full of ingredients back there). This is YOUR food. Take control!
   
   
4. Be careful of salads – Not all salads are created equal. Just because you order a salad does not      mean that it is necessarily a good choice. Be wary of what comes on it and have them take off anything you don’t want. Some things that can sabotage a salad are eggs, bacon, cheese, fried bacon, croutons and cream dressings. I agree that they are SOO good, but they are also SOO high in calories. Be careful!
5. Ask for a to go box as soon as you sit down – If you are going to a sit down restaurant, ask for a to go box as soon as you order. When your food comes, put half in the box and enjoy the other half. If you want, you can even ask the server to put it in the box before they bring it out. Anyway to avoid temptation.
   
   
6. Drink your water – Some of the hunger you are feeling might be dehydration. Promise yourself to drink a whole glass of water before the food comes. This well help you to NOT overeat. If you are indulging in an adult beverage (or 2, or 3), have glasses of water in between. Trust me, this one will serve you well!
   
   
7. Skip dessert – This is an especially tough one for me! I have a tendency to look at the dessert      menu BEFORE I look at the food menu. If you order, share it with someone. If they don’t want to share anything (my husband is not a sweet eater. I don’t get it either), then don’t order it. Keep good dessert choices on hand at your house (pudding, jello, RF ice cream, etc) so that you can indulge your sweet tooth after you get home.
   
   
8. Forgive yourself – O.K. So you had every intention of making great choices, and you just didn’t. You know what? It’s O.K.!! Enjoy the food that you’ve eaten and pick up where you left off when you eat your next meal. Don’t beat yourself up about it!

Do you have some great tips for eating out? Is there a restaurant that you just can’t live without? How do you take control of your order? Leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you!

Comments

[Laura]

These are a great list of tips - that water tip is an essential one for me. And I'm normally tempted to sip on my wine instead. Today I've got a list of reason that I want to lose weight (for Thursday Thirteen meme), and it's a great way to stay motivated in our weight loss goals!

[Lauri]

for those with kids, I have a new idea that is really working when we go out. The kids rotate who "share a meal with mom" ... they love it because they get to order off the "adult menu" and I usually end up sharing more than half the meal - getting the veggies and giving up the potato/starch. So far (we have been doing this for about three months) it is a great solution to those big portions, I don't feel like I am missing out and the kids think it is great!!!

[Michelle]

That's a great idea, Lauri! I try to limit/skip the "free bread" (is it really free when you end up having to buy new pants because of too many breadsticks??) A website with restuarant lisitings that I love is Dotti's Weight Loss Zone. It's got everything under the sun!

[Michele]

Applebees! They have a fantastic Weight Watchers menu. I like to check Dottie's Weight Loss Zone before I go out and pick what I am going to eat. Another thing is you can do pretty good with a small steak and vegetables.

[Emma]

One of my favourite places to eat has similar meals available in both regular and snack sizes. I always get a "snack" and usually request that they replace the fries with something else. Or I ask for a child size portion.

[Kristina Brooke]

Great tips, but I would modify your no dessert policy. It is OK to have desert, but instead of eating the oversized dessert that restaurants often serve, try sharing your desert with others. Or, have frozen yogurt or sherbet. Depriving yourself of food is a sure fire way to eat too much of it.

[Overwhelmed!]

I really appreciated these tips. We eat out far too much in our household and it certainly makes eating healthy a challenge!

[Kelly]

Hey Thea. I just ran across your blog and knew I had to add it to my subscription list.

In particular I love your tips for healthy restaurant dining -- and not just because you mentioned my website, DietFacts.com... LOL! (Thanks by the way. You made my day!!) You listed a lot of really useful tips. "Order First" never occurred to me before but makes so much sense.

One problem I run into is family members who to want to order an unhealthy appetizer to share, in addition to our meals themselves. I hate to say No when I know they really want it. But I hate to say Yes and then make excuses why I'm not eating my share. My solution is to agree upon the appetizer as long as it comes at the same time as our meals (not before). This way I can claim I'm already full -- and simply take my portion of the appetizer home, where someone else will eat it. No one's feeling are hurt and I don't get guilted into wrecking my waistline.