What do you order when you go out to eat?

Hi Larry,
What scale do you take with you to restaurants? I'd be interested in purchasing one to take with me :)

Ahelen

 Good idea with the scale Larry I never know how much anything is. I have only been out a few times. Once we stopped at a Dennys on a road trip for dinner I was 1 month out and on reg foods. I ordered fish. I have went to Marie Callenders and ate  half my toddlers ham and cheese sandwich minus the bread and a few bites of my hubbys soup. We have went to chinese and I had cashew chicken the chicken was very tender and thigh meat.

I go to the restaurants website and check the nutritional values before I order!

I normally share - but tend to order the protein and veggies combo or an omelete....soup is always good! I have trained all my friends and family to let me pick off their plates....hahahaha!!!!!

meat. and a cooler to take home the leftovers.

Salad with grilled chicken, shrimp or salmon, dressing on the side. I just dip my fork in the dressing to get some flavor and never pour it on my salad. Love cobb, apple walnut, ... I usually don't eat a lot of the nuts or dried cranberries I get in some of the salads, but I eat a few.

Grilled meat with steamed veggies and baked potato, fixings on the side.

Turkey/avocado/tomato melt, remove the bread

 I'm glad to read these reports. My out to eat program was all buffet, all the time. Now I never go out because I just don't know where to go...as if this town weren't stuffed full of restaurants. It's like somebody moved my food dish.  

On the upside, I am not spending money on restaurants. I think I'll put a little in my savings account. Not to give TM financial I, but it has $5 in it. I'm not doing any traveling on that!

 I eat out a lot. Here are a few tips:

Plan for leftovers. Your "dining out dollars" will go much further!

Hardest restaurants to handle: Italian and Chinese.
I avoid these. Otherwise...

Mexican - lunch portion fajitas. Skip the rice and tortillas. No chips. Or order bean soup or whole beans. Refried ofen contains lard. Be very careful here. I almost put it on the "hardest" list. Even a restaurant I know well can have varying amounts of fat in the fajitas, depending on who is cooking that day. 

Seafood - the easiest, and my favorite. Shrimp or a white fish or salmon, grilled or broiled. Nothing fried. Skip the potatoes, or get baked and have a bite or two. Substitute veggies. 

Steak house - a tender cut such as a filet. Dense protein will fill you up very quickly! Veggies on the side. 

Fast food...

Wendy's - chili, a half size salad with grilled chicken. Watch the dressing - read the packet to be sure it's not laden with sugar even if it is fat free. 

Burger King - will do a "low carb" whopper, which is basically the flame broiled meat on a bed of lettuce.

Subway - salad with chicken breast. Probably one of my favorites for a quick stop. For breakfast, get an egg white on flatbread with veggies, then peel the flatbread away. The egg itself becomes your "wrap."

McD's - nothing much. I stick with a coffee or iced tea and that's about it.

Pizza - I didn't go there for a year or so. Now I have a single slice (from Costco) - once a month or so. It takes 10 napkins to drain the grease from it. Then eat the toppings and about 2 bites of crust. 

Last week I traveled for business. Here are some of the things I ate at restaurants or in the airports:
Applebee's Chili Lime Shrimp (no rice)
Chicken breast & sauteed spinach
Chicken salad sandwich (ate the salad with a fork and discarded the bread)
Asian beef skewers
Black beans and cheese
Carnitas pork taco (ate one with the flour tortilla, the second was just meat).

This was my first experience traveling post-op without access to my own food. It wasn't too bad, but I was annoyed with server comments like - "Is this all you want?" or "Are you sure nothing was wrong with the food. I'll have my manager comp your meal or make you something different." I felt like I had to explain why I couldn't eat regular portions.

I like Cracker Barrel - I get veggie plate, a salad or eggs with sausage and grits.

Chilpote Grill- salad with cheese, beans, corn, salsa, cheese & guacamole.

Panera - soup and a half salad (no bread)

Mexican - taco salad or refried beans & chips.

Steak house - ground beef steak (Road Kill or whatever they call it) and baked sweet potato.  Roasted veggie if available.

I have to eat gluten free in addition to chronic nausea - so, I tend to just eat at home.  It is easier and safer.  I also don't do any fast food.  I often take my next meal with me in a cooler and always have a protein bar with me - just in case.