Re: A restaurant concern

[Guest guest]

I have been eating steak and shrimp once or twice a week on my food plan.....and broccoli with it, topped with a touch of grated parmeson. Or a spinach salad. I can usually get this eating out as well. I enjoy it.

Jane

[Guest guest]

" bandgb " wrote:

> I am going out to eat at a restaurant I have never been to in a week

> or so. I have researched it online to see if they have a nutrition

> guide, but can't locate anything. Its Bubba Gumps. I would like to

be

> prepared before I walk in. I could really go crazy if I am not

> prepared. I have been doing so well on keeping my calories down. I

> love shrimp and about any kind of seafood, so I plan on enjoying it,

> but don't want to go overboard. I also don't want to feel too

> contrained, but I want to make good choices. Any advice? I haven't

> been out to eat since I started this phase of my weightloss and I

> don't want a setback now.

> Also, I am getting tired of fixing the same type of " safe " stuff for

> me to eat. Any tips on varying meals? Sometimes I think if I see

> another lettuce leaf I am going to scream. Thanks.

Do you really need nutritional information to make wise choices from

a restaurant menu? Don't be afraid of your food.

They have their menu online, but from the looks of it, there's

probably a good reason that they don't publish any nutritional

information. A lot of fried foods and a lot of butter sauces.

Still, you should be able to make some good choices just from the

menu, as not everything is breaded and fried or sauteed in butter.

Avoid the sides - french fries, coleslaw (mayo or other oils), and if

you're diabetic, say no to the mashed potatoes.

Beyond that... Enjoy yourself while making smart choices. If you've

been good, treat yourself every once in a while. Walk a couple extra

miles if you think you over did it a little.

[Guest guest]

I try to stay away from restaurants, but when I must eat out, here's

what I do. First, make sure you are not extra hungry when you

arrive. Eat fruit and drink water or diet drink before you get

there. Order your diet drink (water, soda, or iced tea) right away

so you can keep yourself busy sipping on it. Look at the salads (I

know, I know, you are tired of salads!) But they might have a very

nice big seafood salad. Get the dressing on the side. Some places

don't have lo-cal, but if you go easy, you won't do too much

damage. You can also BYO dressing. Also look at the soups. Any

non-cream soup would be great. Maybe they'll have a soup & salad

combo. Maybe they'll have some non-fried seafood on a bed of rice,

with veggies. That would be good too. Avoid the bread, or whatever

they put out for snacking while you wait for the meal. That is hard

to do, but maybe you can put a couple of pieces of dried fruit in

you handbag to substitute. I satisfy my craving for the bad stuff

by having a taste of what the other people order. In some circles

that may not be polite, but my friends are fine with it!

If something looks great but comes with fries, ask what you can get

in place of the fries. One place gave me a cup of vegetable barley

soup that tasted great. Skip dessert. Have a small taste of someone

else's.

Have fun! I'll think about meal variation and post more later.

Alice

>

> I am going out to eat at a restaurant I have never been to in a

week

> or so. I have researched it online to see if they have a nutrition

> guide, but can't locate anything. Its Bubba Gumps. I would like to

be

> prepared before I walk in. I could really go crazy if I am not

> prepared. I have been doing so well on keeping my calories down. I

> love shrimp and about any kind of seafood, so I plan on enjoying

it,

> but don't want to go overboard. I also don't want to feel too

> contrained, but I want to make good choices. Any advice? I haven't

> been out to eat since I started this phase of my weightloss and I

> don't want a setback now.

> Also, I am getting tired of fixing the same type of " safe " stuff

for

> me to eat. Any tips on varying meals? Sometimes I think if I see

> another lettuce leaf I am going to scream. Thanks.

>

> ~~

>

[Guest guest]

Dear

absolutely restaurants are tough.

You can try this two ways.

1. Food is Fuel! Let go of the idea that food is fun. Get into food

as power fuel so you look at it as healthy, pleasant, but that's it.

This would be an important thing to consider in depth for everyday

eating anyway. This way you don't get bored because you don't expect

fun.

However that doesn't have to mean endless lettuce! There are so many

other vegetables - we serve about 4 or 5 veg for supper - and in this

season very varied fruits - soft berry and peach type fruits yummy

With venison, rabbit, turkey, chicken, lamb, trout, white fish -

grill/ bake in microwave for cooking w/o adding fat (chicken remove

skin to eat) it's not to bad.

SPLOT SAUCE for meats: tinned tomatoes, crushed garlic, chopped onion,

ground black pepper, some grains of sea salt. For variation add chunks

of mushrooms or scatter with parmesan cheese. Can also go well with

rice.

2. Graceful Eating. Use tricks to reduce the amount you eat,

especially dairy, wheat, fat foods.

Drink water before during and at the end of meals. (Balance a coffee

with a glass of water while it is cooling as apart from all else it is

very easy to get caffeine poisoning on a reduced quanity diet. Also

caffeine dehydrates and it's water that flows the fat out of the body.)

Use a smaller plate, and small knife and fork.

Cut small mouthfuls, think ladylike!

Make sure eating is done sl-o-w-ly never a rushed activity. Treat it

as important, a time for you to be special.

Graceful Eating counters the brain's stupid habit of sighalling " full "

at 20 minutes regardless how much we eat in that time. So eating fast

is a common habit for weighties like us.

IN A RESTAURANT

Make sure there is water (American restaurants are good at this.) Pour

water as soon as you sit and start drinking it. It'll reduce how much

you want to eat.

Push the bread basket to the other side of the table.

Try a soup starter - no bread or cracker - tell them firmly not to

bring any. You'll feel less hungry and eat less other stuff

afterwards, but you'll enjoy the smaller amount.

Look for as plain a meat or fish choice as you can and ask to have any

sauce not served unless it's tomato, onion, mushroom, parmesan.

Nothing with butter cream or cheese.

Ask about having several extra vegetables but beware of heavily

buttered or sauced ones.

If anything arrives that isn't as you asked, send it back asking for

it to be stripped of sauce, or the bread taken away. Say firmly " I'm

so sorry I am on a MEDICAL diet. " People respect this where a weight

diet is not taken seriously. But it's the truth you are on a medical

diet!

For treats go ahead order something " forbidden. "

Transfer half or a third of it to a side plate.

Give the rest to someone else. Alternatively if that is not possible

ask the waiter to wait while you divide it- and give them the original

plate to take away!

Now take weeeny weeny mouthfuls. You can make this modest helping last

as long as the whole thing would have taken. The secret is that we

only really taste fully the first couple of mouthfuls, the rest is not

much more than filler - which WE don't need. And the effect of a small

amount is a taste explosion in the mouth as powerful as a normal or

large mouthful.

If you get good at this a single dessertspooonful of cheesecake or

chocolate pud can become heaven (a whole helping!).

Once you really increase your diet into lots of different vegetables,

fruits, and plain meats & fish, you'll find your taste will become far

more sensitised and you won't want large amounts of heavy cheese sauce

or sticky desserts any more. That will become gluey and start to taste

yuck - honestly!

Oh and a couple of apples in your handbag or left in the car make you

feel safe. You'll prob not need them but better safe than sorry.

[Guest guest]

Fun to see similar advice Alice! I forgot having a mouthful of someone

else's for the taste - I do that too - see my point re small amount

creates taste explosion.

I also forgot you CAN have a dessert. Most restaurants have melon as a

starter, so have that as an alternative to sneaking one or two

(maximumum) bits off someone else, or my Graceful Eating method. Also

ask about a fresh fruit salad - sprinkled with cinnamon or elderflower

cordial.

[Guest guest]

Yes! We have similar restaurant coping skills. You are so right

about the first bite or two being the ones we taste, and the rest we

eat because it is there.

Onward and downward with our bodyfat percentages!

Alice

>

> Fun to see similar advice Alice! I forgot having a mouthful of

someone

> else's for the taste - I do that too - see my point re small amount

> creates taste explosion.

> I also forgot you CAN have a dessert. Most restaurants have melon as

a

> starter, so have that as an alternative to sneaking one or two

> (maximumum) bits off someone else, or my Graceful Eating method.

Also

> ask about a fresh fruit salad - sprinkled with cinnamon or

elderflower

> cordial.

>

[Guest guest]

All the things I have learned about healthier eating; yet this is one I didn't know. Thank you for sharing!!!!Alice wrote: Yes! We have similar restaurant coping skills. You are so right about the first bite or two being the ones we taste, and the rest we eat because it is there.Onward and downward with our bodyfat percentages!Alice>> Fun to see similar

advice Alice! I forgot having a mouthful of someone > else's for the taste - I do that too - see my point re small amount > creates taste explosion.> I also forgot you CAN have a dessert. Most restaurants have melon as a > starter, so have that as an alternative to sneaking one or two > (maximumum) bits off someone else, or my Graceful Eating method. Also > ask about a fresh fruit salad - sprinkled with cinnamon or elderflower > cordial.>

[Guest guest]

All the things I have learned about healthier eating; yet this is one I didn't know. Thank you for sharing!!!!Alice wrote: Yes! We have similar restaurant coping skills. You are so right about the first bite or two being the ones we taste, and the rest we eat because it is there.Onward and downward with our bodyfat percentages!Alice>> Fun to see similar

advice Alice! I forgot having a mouthful of someone > else's for the taste - I do that too - see my point re small amount > creates taste explosion.> I also forgot you CAN have a dessert. Most restaurants have melon as a > starter, so have that as an alternative to sneaking one or two > (maximumum) bits off someone else, or my Graceful Eating method. Also > ask about a fresh fruit salad - sprinkled with cinnamon or elderflower > cordial.>

[Guest guest]

Sorry, gals, If I were having melon and everyone else is having cheesecake and Key lime pie, I am going to feel very deprived!! Better to count the calories and have a 500 calorie day the next day, at least for me.

The rest I agree with completely. Did I just give away my weakness?

It used to be said of me that I could make a permanent diet of BLT's and brownies. That was back when I was thin (and active).

W.

Re: A restaurant concern

Fun to see similar advice Alice! I forgot having a mouthful of someone else's for the taste - I do that too - see my point re small amount creates taste explosion.I also forgot you CAN have a dessert. Most restaurants have melon as a starter, so have that as an alternative to sneaking one or two (maximumum) bits off someone else, or my Graceful Eating method. Also ask about a fresh fruit salad - sprinkled with cinnamon or elderflower cordial.

[Guest guest]

I've been to Bubba Gumps in Monterey. We had a ball there. They had a Tom Hanks impersonator sitting on the bench with his box of chocolates and talking to all the passersby. It was great. I don't think I saw any low cal items in the whole place...mostly deep fried seafood. My son and I went crazy because we don't get much fresh fish around here. We had lobster...but of course we had to dip it in drawn butter. We ended up waddling out of there with a gen-u-ine Forrest Gump box of chocolates under our arms. We weren't really looking for diet items. Anything can be low cal as long as you only eat part of it...or don't eat it with sauce. Good luck with your dinner. The decor it so great you may be able to keep your mind off of being deprived by checking it all out.

Maggie

>> I am going out to eat at a restaurant I have never been to in a week> or so. I have researched it online to see if they have a nutrition> guide, but can't locate anything. Its Bubba Gumps. I would like to be> prepared before I walk in.

[Guest guest]

See if someone else will split a dessert with you. My

friends and I have been known order one dish of some

thing rich, gooey, and sugar-laden, put it in the

middle of the table and each attack (one desert and

four spoons, please). It's kind of cozy and we each

get a few bites of dessert without anyone feeling

really guilty.

Mona

--- Shan wrote:

> Fun to see similar advice Alice! I forgot having a

> mouthful of someone

> else's for the taste - I do that too - see my point

> re small amount

> creates taste explosion.

> I also forgot you CAN have a dessert. Most

> restaurants have melon as a

> starter, so have that as an alternative to sneaking

> one or two

> (maximumum) bits off someone else, or my Graceful

> Eating method. Also

> ask about a fresh fruit salad - sprinkled with

> cinnamon or elderflower

> cordial.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Here is a salad trick that works well for me and my

daughter:

Ask for your salad dressing on the side. Then dip the

ends of your fork tines into the dressing before you

fork a bite of salad. This way you get the flavor of

the dressing in every bite while only eating a small

amount.

When I first heard this, I was skeptical, but it

really works very well. I now use less than half of

my favorite blue cheese dressing, but feel as

satisfied as if I had eaten the whole serving.

Mona

--- Alice wrote:

> Some places

> don't have lo-cal, but if you go easy, you won't do

> too much

> damage. You can also BYO dressing.

[Guest guest]

> Anything can be low cal as long as you only eat part of it ...

Sorry Maggie I don't agree.

Not long ago I looked up the pretty strict menu I eat and the calorie

count is quite varied. Different kinds of meat for example are very

high or quite low. The low ones I know are venison, rabbit, turkey,

prawns, trout, other fish (those are the best) then chicken, lamb.

Pork is medium calorie but the fat is striped all through it unlike

other red meat.

Then fruits/ veg - avocado is sky high calorie.

And calorie is not the whole story. Carbohydrate needs to be the ones

that don't digest quickly - best is oats based stuff but deefinitely

no white stuff so wholemeal brown bread and rice, no pastry (fat).

For going out to a restaurant celebration evening exceptions can be

manageable using some of the suggestions already made. But for

example even a small amount of ice cream or cheesecake (two spoonfuls

eaten a la Graceful Eating) is still a wodge of calories.

So everyday eating is a different story. Graceful Eating still helps

a lot but the tiny portion of what you find irresistible is treat

stuff not everyday life.

[Guest guest]

Love that tip. My daughter a big salad fan will too. Thank you for sharing that. Come on guys share your other tricks. One I know is to drink something warm before going some place tempting. The warm fluid makes you feel fuller than a cold one. Try it. LeenaMona wrote: Here is a salad trick that works well for me and mydaughter:Ask for your salad dressing on the side. Then dip theends of your fork tines into the dressing before youfork a bite of salad. This way you get the flavor ofthe dressing in every bite while only eating a

smallamount.When I first heard this, I was skeptical, but itreally works very well. I now use less than half ofmy favorite blue cheese dressing, but feel assatisfied as if I had eaten the whole serving.Mona--- Alice <moondustsavy2k (DOT) net> wrote:> Some places > don't have lo-cal, but if you go easy, you won't do> too much > damage. You can also BYO dressing.

[Guest guest]

:

If you don't see exactly what you want on the menu, don't hesitate

to ask the server. Most restaurants are glad to accomodate a

customer's request to make some changes. Others will happily create

something special for you. I frequently ask that something be

served just a little differently, and am getting the feeling that

it's quite routine.

Also, about getting bored, I understand. What I do is make fresh

salsa, and or use various kinds of pepper sauce to spice it up! So,

if you like & can tolerate spicey foods, there are lots of low-fat &

low-cal options available. Also, fresh lemon and/or lime juice work

wonders on lots of foods and I usually add lime juice to my salsa.

Have a good time at the dinner. Remember that it's not just about

the food, but the good company. Enjoy!

Best wishes,

Jane

[Guest guest]

When I simply 'must' have dessert I ask if anyone would like to split

something. Usually there is someone else who is watching their diet

and who sees this as a great option.

Jane

> Sorry, gals, If I were having melon and everyone else is having

cheesecake

> and Key lime pie, I am going to feel very deprived!! > W.

[Guest guest]

What a wonderful idea. You get a bit and don't feel deprived, but for half the calories than if you had had a whole dessert.

W

Re: A restaurant concern

When I simply 'must' have dessert I ask if anyone would like to split something. Usually there is someone else who is watching their diet and who sees this as a great option. Jane> Sorry, gals, If I were having melon and everyone else is having cheesecake> and Key lime pie, I am going to feel very deprived!! > W.

[Guest guest]

ok you guys are driving me nuts with this, i missed crab this week at

my husbands parents restaurant and now i'm really craving it.

Have any of you ever had Chinese Pork Fried Crab? It's pure dietary

sabotage adn so very good. I've never liked dipping my seafood in

butter, so i was amazed by the pork sauce.

now i have to get my mind off food. i guess i should go for a walk

in the heat, that does it every time!

laurie

> >

> > I am going out to eat at a restaurant I have never been to in a

> week

> > or so. I have researched it online to see if they have a nutrition

> > guide, but can't locate anything. Its Bubba Gumps. I would like to

> be

> > prepared before I walk in.

>

[Guest guest]

Damned!!!!! What a time for me to read this post. ;-)

I just came from eating at my favorite seafood restaurant, logged on and

commenced reading the e-mails.

I had at that restaurant Dunges Crabs (a full body & a half of that variety of

crabs) although I prefer Snow Crabs and have consumed King Crabs. I have never

tired the " Chinese Pork Fried Crab " . I have never heard nor obviously tried that

menu item. Do you know what variety of crabs is used, Laurie?

I have tended to eat seafoods more than I eat meat & have now intentionally made

an effort to eat more meats to round out my diet.

Gerard

>

>

> Date: 2006/06/24 Sat PM 07:23:02 EDT

> To: thefatmanwalking_group

> Subject: Re: A restaurant concern

>

> ok you guys are driving me nuts with this, i missed crab this week at

> my husbands parents restaurant and now i'm really craving it.

>

> Have any of you ever had Chinese Pork Fried Crab? It's pure dietary

> sabotage and so very good. I've never liked dipping my seafood in

> butter, so i was amazed by the pork sauce.

>

> now i have to get my mind off food. i guess i should go for a walk

> in the heat, that does it every time!

>

> laurie