Eating out

My husband and I were out doing errands the other night and didn't get done until about 8:30. The thought of going home and starting to cook dinner was totally unappealing to me, so I said, "Let's just eat out," knowing full well we haven't eaten out for dinner since we started dieting last April and this was probably just inviting trouble.

There was an Outback steak house on the way home, so we stopped there and we thought we could get salads, order a steak and tell them to leave everything else off the plate. But we were pleasantly surprised! They had sides to choose from that were actually pretty healthy like broccoli & green beans and of course salad. I got my own steak, trimmed off all the fat & ate only the lean parts and got 2 servings of veggies. We both got out of there not feeling like we stuffed ourselves or blew our diet! And we both posted a weight loss the next morning! I'm psyched!

Now I want to know where else we can eat out! Anyone have any other suggestions??? I have really missed eating out, so this is great but steak alone can get old pretty fast. I live in the Boston area but are there any other national chains with healthy choices? I'm not a big fan of Fridays and McDonalds and other fast food places are not an option. Some place I can order a glass of wine with dinner. I really like Mexican. Are there any mexican dishes that aren't too bad?

olive garden had a garden fare menu thats pretty much amazing. you should totally give it a try <3 all the nutritional info for the gargen fare menu can be found online.

I don't know about Mexican, but if you have an Applebee's around, they have some pretty healthy choices.  They have about 10 dishes (maybe) that follow the weight watchers points system.  I don't do weight watchers, but these meals also have the calories printed right in the menu.  I think the biggest calorie meal is like 450 calories or something like that.  They even have dessert options!  I really like the steak and shrimp teriyaki skewers.  They lay the meat on a bed of rice and give you steamed veggies and a side of teryiaki sauce.  It's really yummy and all for 350ish calories.  It's a lot of food, too.  I was very surprised that it filled me up.  Ooooohh...now I have a craving : )  Oh yeah, and I think they have wine.

I like the idea of the calories being posted in the menu! That's great! Thank you both!

Chili's and Ruby Tuesday have nutrition info for all of their menu items listed on their websites.

Chili's has their Guiltless Grill items which lists all the info on the menu.  They're all around the 400-500 calories mark.

Red Lobster has limited nutrition info for their Lighthouse Menu in the drink/dessert menu on their tables -- it's also on their website.

Another trick is to ask your server if you can order a lunch portion. 

I usually have meetings twice each week that result in me eating out since I don't have time (or gas money) to drive home, cook dinner, return for the meeting.  I've continued losing weight eating out at these and the others listed above.

You can pretty much eat out anywhere, even if you don't have the nutritional info, if you just come prepared in advance with some tips and tricks.  The main thing is just to avoid things that have been fried or prepared with oil or butter, or with added cream sauces, mayonnaise, etc.  Grilled lean meats such as lean beef, chicken breast, fish, and shrimp are always healthy bets.  I always make a point to tell the waiter that I want my meat prepared without any oil, whether it's being grilled, broiled, pan-seared, or whatever.  Most sit-down restaurants will accommodate you.  Also, skip things like breadsticks and rolls.  They just pack on extra calories and have no nutritional value.  Finally, when it comes to sides, always go with steamed veggies, or veggies somehow prepared without added fat.  You can't go wrong with lean meat and vegetables.  And, if the meal comes with rice, just make sure you only take a small amount, like 1/2 a cup, or switch the rice out for vegetables instead.  If you follow these guidelines, you can pretty much eat out anywhere.

For mexican that is sort of fast food, Moe's Southwestern Grill is hard to beat.  Their nutrition info section on the web lets you try different options to figure out which options are easiest on your diet.  Also, anything they offer (pretty much)can be ordered without a tortilla (they call it "streaker" style)...it is a pretty casual place though; they have beer but I don't think they serve wine.

T.G.I.Fridays has a new smaller portions menu that has some not-too-naughty options...

Also, Logan's Roadhouse is one of my personal favorites.  If you get the steamed veggies and the Veggie skewer as a side dish (or choose a salad as a side dish) you don't feel deprived and still get to enjoy eating out! 

Olive gardens apricot chicken dish is amazing. It has just over 400 calories for the whole plate. MMMM. That was last nights dinner :)

Just gotta check around to see who has what information available for you. TGI Fridays has some decent dishes for around 500 cals, and I've yet to do the chilis menu but I hear there are good things there. Applebees tells you right on the menu so that's always a good choice.

Cant think of anywhere else. I do subway a lot but thats not 'out to dinner'

When you mentioned outback I kinda shuddered. I remember a post way back saying that everything has a ton of butter on it. But my gawd how I miss their chicken caesar salad. That would SO kill me now LoL. 

I'll have to keep an eye out for Moe's. I checked their web site and there are some in Mass. but not all that close. But it looks like they're growing so maybe sometime soon. Alas, no Logan's Roadhouses in Mass.... I do like Olive Garden & Chili's but they don't seem to be in places I frequent much.

ratinhat88, do you have much luck going off-menu? I would hate to go just anywhere and be a picky order-er. What are the odds that they're going to get the order right if you ask for something out of the ordinary? Yeah, I'm eating low carb so bread & rice are completely out for me anyway. Also, when ordering salads, I always get the dressing on the side. Restaurants typically give you a salad swimming in dressing (& tons of calories). I could never stand that even when I wasn't dieting....

I love Panera bread for lunch...get a pick two with salad and soup and an apple (instead of bread).  Their chicken poppyseed salad has fat-free dressing and several of their soups are low-fat or vegetarian.  Just stay away from their breads.  While they are delicious, they are not low calorie.

Max and Erma's and P.F. Chang's also have some good choices.

do u have a ruby tuesdays or max and ermas. they have alot of great dishes.

eating out can always be healthy. as long as you stay away from mcdonalds, carls jr, taco bell, and go to an actual restaurant where they cook the food normally.

I did the You Pick Two at Panera yesterday and got the southwest tomato and roasted corn soup and a half a turkey sandwich. Add in the apple and it was still less than 400 calories (395), even with Sourdough bread and the mayo. Very tasty and a bit of spice in the soup to boost the metabolism. :)

watch out for the veggies at outback, they toss them with melted butter! (if i'm remembering correctly), but congrats on your weight loss!

There are always options at any restaurant.  Outback doesn't carry light dressing so I have them bring me balsamic vinegar for it instead (will bring my own dressing if I know I'm going ahead of time).  Grilled fish or chicken is an option, as is crab or grilled shrimp (just watch butter, use lemon or ask for seansoning instead).  Steak can be pretty high in calories and fat, even lean cuts, so if you try to limit it to 3-4 oz (split with hubby) that would really help and get a salad or extra side of veggies.  It is true that most restuarants prepare veggies in oil/butter, ask them to be steamed.  Most servers are know the menu really well and can tell you how things are prepared.  I always just tell them that I am on a low fat/calorie diet and ask for recommendations, while using what I know too.  I have a restaurant guide book, there are also web sites that list calories for numerous restaurants.  Good luck!

I just have to say that the Dragonfire Chicken dish at TGI Friday's is to die for!