Going out to dinner...

Sundaylou

I am going out to dinner for my dads birthday tomorrow to Longhorn Steakhouse and I don't know what to do about eating. I looked on their website and so much of it is high in calories. What does everyone else normally do when faced with going out to dinner?

choagie42

i usually try out one of the old standbys: eating a little before then having something lighter like a soup; getting half boxed up right away; splitting a meal with someone else.  Plus, I'll be more mindful of what I eat the rest of the day or maybe build in an extra walk or workout somewhere along the line.

I also keep in mind that it's important to be able to go out and celebrate events, which often involve food.  We can't be perfect all the time, so occassional splurges can be ok, you just might have to be willing to work a little harder the next few days to get back on track.

Hope you have a great time celebrating with your family!

J&K10910

When I go out to eat, it's a fairly rare occasion, so I eat what I like, but I'm reasonable about it.  At a steakhouse, I'd get the smallest sirloin on the menu (will likely be a 6 or 8oz) and eat about half of it, a salad with dressing on the side, and a baked potato.  Really not so bad.  If they have garlic mashed potatoes, I get them, even though they're terrible nutrition-wise, but I eat restaurant garlic mashed potatoes about once every 4 months, so I enjoy them.

It's important to remember that one meal does not have to make or break you.  It will make the numbers on the scale go up: that's bloat.  You'd have to consume 3500 calories more than normal to actually gain a pound.