WW Girls - Eating out?

Hi!

I REALLY need to get on track. I've ganed a lot of weight back since the wedding.

I find we've been eating out a lot after going to shows and to see friends, and I have a hard time. I usually just eat what I want, which isn't bad once in awhile, but it's too much.

What are your go to restaurants, types of food, or meals when eating out?

Also,re there any faster food places (like subway, panera) where you find there is a low point gem?

Also, how do you count pizza? I see a lot of different listings for pizza, but a NY slice iof pizza is bigger than pizza from other places. I never know how many points it is.

Thanks!

Re: WW Girls - Eating out?

I found eating out while on WW nearly impossible except for the Applebees WW and under 550 calories menu choices. If you look at each restaurants' nutritional info page online, it is not a surprise why people are overweight. Some of the salads I used to think were healthy were worse than getting a burger! As far as pizza, not sure of the points but the grandma slices were the "best"

Re: WW Girls - Eating out?

I find eating out to be one of the hardest things when I'm trying to lose or just be healthy in general.

Some tricks are to go to restaurants that I know have healthy options. Sushi or seafood in general, chicken, salads, etc. I won't eat bread and dessert, one or the other. I generally will have a drink or some wine b/c hey, I'm going out to dinner and want to enjoy and splurge a bit.

Also, if I know there's something coming up like a nice dinner out or a party, I try to eat pretty well the rest of the week so I know I can eat/drink more for the event.

Finally, I try to find a couple of places near home where I can get a couple of healthy options for those days I absolutely can't cook or am so tired from work that I don't want to deal. There's a deli/pizza place near me where my go to is chicken kabob, hummus, pita, etc. Even though it's takeout, I know it's not too bad and on standby when I need it.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Re: WW Girls - Eating out?

Eating out on WW can be difficult.

Honestly, I found its actually easier to do Simply Filling on the days when I eat out! I just choose power foods (ex: I would get whole wheat pasta with chicken or shrimp and veggies) and then take off extra points for things like oil.

Panera I don't find to be a healthy option at all. I've calculated most of their meals and they are very high in points. Applebees is good. Also, the diner! You can pretty much get anything you want there- think egg white omlette with veggies. Or a broth based soup with a side salad.

Pizza I tend to count on the higher side (esp. NY slices). Depending on the size anywhere from 7-10 points. The bigger the slice, the higher I count it. You'll never get an exact number.

Re: WW Girls - Eating out?

i don't find eating out hard. i'll ask the restaurant to alter the dish to make it healthy

Re: WW Girls - Eating out?

As long as I know the points, I feel comfortable eating there. So for me, Panera is a good choice, because I know the points (my go-to these days is the You-Pick-2 ham & cheese for 7 pts and broccoli & cheddar soup for 5 pts).

As previously stated, diners are a good option as well. Egg whites, salads, etc.

Italian & French restaurants are the hardest (for me)!

As for pizza, I'd say an average NY slice is 8-9 pts.

ETA: I also like chinese - 1 c. chicken & broccoli for 3 pts, 1/2 c. rice for 3 points, and 1 egg roll for 6 pts.

Message edited 1/4/2012 9:08:20 PM.

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Re: WW Girls - Eating out?

i usually saved a lot of my points for the weekends.
also when we ordered pizza out i always got a slice called "pizza lite" which is so good-whole wheat crust, tomato sauce and sliced zucchini and a garden salad sans dressing and used a lighter dressing from home or used minimal dressing from the restaurant.
@ panera i found a few WW friendly items-their veg. soup and chicken noodle are light. i also ordered half of mediterranean vegetable sandwich with no pesto dressing.
at nicer restuarants i ordered salads (no dressing) and soups and then less "loaded" meals. i always worked out extra on those mornings too knowing i was going out. or just splurged and got back on the wagon the next day.
i lost 15 lbs on WW and do recall being able to still eat out frequently.

Re: WW Girls - Eating out?

A gem I believe I found is Chipotle.

I get a salad, with grilled chicken, red tomato salsa, with dressing and sour cream on the side. Then I get a side of black beans. It is alot of food, and only about 10 pts if you only use sparing amts of the dressing. LOVE it.

I have been counting regular pizzeria pizza slices as 12, ever since I found out online that a SBARRO slice is 12 pts (and I feel it's pretty comparable to our pizzeria slices).

Chinese...I like steamed chick and broccoli, sauce on the side. Small amt of white rice and wonton soup. Even an eggroll isnt too many pts.

In the AM, a Dunkin Donuts egg sandwich isnt a bad deal IMO (I think 8 pts).

If I go to a bagel store, I get a mini bagel and then cut up fruit.

I even eat at McDonalds, etc. I REALLY have to control myself and not eat a large fry like I want to...but at least getting less but still eating it satisfies my cravings.

When I did WW In the past, I ate fast food at least once a week and lost 20 lbs. When I just started recently, I still have been eating FF about once a week and lost 14 lbs so far. I just eat a LOT LOT less than I normally would. I try to control myself.

Message edited 1/6/2012 1:11:54 AM.