The Eating Out Game and Restaurant Strategies

Jan 28, 2013

My family loves to eat out. I don't mean McDonalds and Taco Bell, unfortunately for my wallet my family likes good food. I can't remember the last time I didn't have a dinner tab that could feed a small 3rd world nation. But for people with WLS eating out can be a nightmare. I have learned to take it as a challenge and it has actually become something of a game for me. I like the challenge of looking at a menu and in a few minutes coming up with something I can order (that doesn't make the chef jump through hoops) and is not a special order.

So what are the strategies that you can use to go to practically any restaurant and find something to eat so that you can enjoy your evening out and not eat something that doesn't fit into your plan?

First we can't eat much so the first place I look is the appetizer menu. Occasionally you will find something that is not fried and breaded and doesn't include some sort of nacho chips that works on your plan. Things like shrimp cocktail, steamed clams/oysters/mussels, chicken wings (grilled would be best), or a meatball appetizer (don't go crazy here most include some sort of breadcrumbs so will be higher in carbs). A really great choice here is a seared tuna appetizer. It is usually the perfect amount of food.

Next up the salad menu. Look for salads that you can include some shrimp, fish, or meat with, that way you can get your protein in and some veggies too. Make sure to pick a dressing that fits in your plan (no French or Russian, look to blue cheese, oil and vinegar or vinaigrette) and always ask for the dressing on the side. You don't need a ton of dressing to get a ton of flavor and most restaurants over dress their salads.

The sandwich menu in most restaurants offer some sort of burger (beef or turkey), get it with all the fixings and when it arrives take it off the bun. Order it with the vegetables of the day (or broccoli if that is an option) instead of fries. Or a small side salad should be an option too. If you get a burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a pickle you probably do not need much of anything else as you will not be able (or should not be able) to finish that.

Entree menu. Most restaurants offer grilled or broiled fish, chicken, or steak. You should be able to find something from the entree menu. The problem with entree menus is that they are the most expensive and largest portions. If you opt for this menu, see if someone at your table would like to share.

So what about the restaurants that are more difficult like Asian restaurants that are more difficult to tell what is in the food. Well first you need to know a little bit about the cuisine to figure out what is in the food. In Asian restaurants obviously you want to avoid the white rice and/or any kind of noodle. If you feel like you have to have rice, get some brown rice. Most Asian restaurants these days offer that as an option and I have found it adds a new dimension to the flavor of Asian foods that makes the much better. So anything with a thick sauce in a Chinese restaurant will most likely have corn starch in it which is big time carbs, avoid thick sauce dishes. If you really want to do it right look for stir fries (ask them to use soy sauce instead of stir fry sauce as stirfry sauce is loaded with sugar or get the steamed chicken and broccoli. If you really feel like you have to have the sauce or gravy ask for it on the side so you can get the flavor with much fewer carbs and calories. Here are some of the things I like to order at Asian Restaurants:

Thai: Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nua), Fried Tofu Green Curry (only do this when you have carbs to spare, this is really good with brown rice), Tom Yum Soup, Chicken (or beef/shrimp) with Chili Paste (or basil or ginger paste). Curries usually have coconut milk in them so they will increase fat.

Chinese: Chinese is a bit tougher because they use corn starch in most of their dishes. Most of the dishes you see on a typical US Chinese menu are what the Chinese people eat during special occasions, it is not their daily type of food. If you can get hot pot that is a great choice for our type of eating but you will need people to share it with as they are usually intended for two very hungry people. Egg Drop Soup is a good choice. Beef with Broccoli. Any kind of stir fry with soy sauce instead of stir fry sauce or hoisin (both have lots of sugar). Steamed Veggies are always a good Choice.

Japanese: Sashimi is the best choice here (best off with salmon, 3 pieces should do the trick). I also usually order some edamame. Clear soup and Miso Soup both fit into our plan nicely. If you have to have sushi or a roll ask for it to be made with brown rice. Many sushi joints offer that as an option now.

Vietnamese: Pho is your best bet. Its a very tasty soup loaded with meat. Ask for it without noodles. There are many other options with Vietnamese cuisine, just read through the menu. I love Pho so much that I have not had many other Vietnamese foods because I would be remiss to miss an opportunity to eat Pho (pronounced Fah btw). I love Vietnamese summer rolls but they are made of a bunch of rice paper and noodles, but are surprising low in carbs. If I eat them I eat a half of one.

Another restaurant that is tough to find something to eat in is Italian. Salads are great choices here, they usually offer some sort of meat to add to any salad. Meatball appetizer is a good choice. Steamed clams or mussels are typically on the menu. Just remember here most red sauces have sugar in them, especially if they are made in the restaurant which any decent Italian restaurant would make its own sauce. So be careful in what you eat.

Seafood restaurants are your friend. Just make sure to stay away from anything breaded or battered and you will be golden. On the health scale go for Salmon if that is an option. There are tons of articles about the healthiness of fish and Salmon is almost always on top. Sardines and Halibut are good choices too.

Mexican (or any Latin) restaurants are GREAT choices for us. Fajitas are great (beef, chicken, shrimp), Guacamole is really good for you (high in fat, but good fats so don't go overboard). Carne Asada, Pork Chunks, Palomilla Steak, Chicken, Shrimp are all available at these types of restaruants. Pico de Gallo, Salsa are all good things to throw on top. Refried beans (a bit high in fat but great fiber), Black Beans. Stay away from rice, chips, tortillas.

Don't be afraid to ask what is in something, if it is breaded or fried. It is important for you to know. It is also important for you to know what constitutes a carb. If you don't know all the things that are carbs, look it up or contact me directly I will give you a list of things to avoid.

For those of use that track our food religiously, My Fitness Pal has many of the major chains food items in their database. So you can see quickly what you are about to get and just be honest about how much of it you ate so you can stay on track. For restaurants who are not in the MFP database, look up similar recipes and use them for tracking. Just adjust your amount to get closer to the calories you think you consumed.

I have fun with it. Don't be afraid to taste other peoples food either (obviously not from other peoples table). If something tastes sweet then it is not for you. Make sure vegetables are part of your strategy they are good for you and you need the fiber. Also remember the #1 rule when your food arrives. Protein first. There are a number of rules such as a piece of meat about the size of the palm of your hand (not including your fingers) is about all you should eat (probably less, but certainly no more). When you order a steak, make sure it is rare or medium rare, you probably need the iron the red meat will provide you. Make sure to include raw veggies too like from a salad or a vegetable plate, you need the enzymes from the raw veggies.

Happy Dining!

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