Eating out

This morning, I was supposed to make more mini fritattas, but that didn't happen. Instead, we went to Shari's. In the past, I've always gotten a huge meal when we've gone out for breakfast. If we go to IHOP, I get the sampler platter which has eggs, bacon, sausage (but I switch that for bacon), ham, pancakes and hashbrowns (but I swap that for the seasoned red potatoes). I'll put butter on the pancakes, but no syrup. I don't like the potatoes at Shari's, so I usually go with an omellete and swap the potatoes for pancakes. I've also always been annoyed by the calorie counts on the menu. I never wanted to be reminded of how many calories I would be consuming in one meal. However, today was different. I actually looked over the menu looking for the best way to get what I wanted and still keep the calorie count as low as possible.

When I looked at the sampler platter, I nearly died. I knew I wouldn't be getting that. It's important to note, that you have to be careful while looking over restaurant menus. For example, the menu today had just the main dish calorie count listed with the main dish. You then had to add in the sides that you selected. I got the Applewood Bacon and Eggs breakfast, which was 310 calories for just the bacon and the two eggs. That sounded like a pretty low calorie meal to me! However, I had the option of having pancakes, French toast, or hashbrowns and toast. The calorie count for the pancakes, French toast, and hashbrowns and toast was listed at the top of the section, and they were way more than my bacon and eggs!

When eating out at restaurants, it's important to know that you can change just about anything you want. Sometimes, you'll have to pay a little more, but sometimes, you don't. Don't be afraid to ask. When the server came to take the order, I asked if I could change the hashbrowns out for some fruit. She said that I could. I asked what type of fruit they had. She said that they had grapes and some sort of melon. I don't like melon, but I love grapes, so I asked if I could have just the grapes. She said that I could. I ended up with a meal that actually had less calories than the "healthy" omellete they had listed.

The menu is there to make things easier for people, but it's not written in stone. As long as they have it, you can get it. This is easier for some people than it is for others. I was a spoiled rotten child, so this comes easy to me. When I was a kid, I hated spaghetti sauce, but I loved spaghetti. When we went out to restaurants, my mother would ask them to make my pasta with butter instead of sauce, so I learned at a young age that I could make changes and it was okay. I've been asking for changes since I can remember. I always order my cheeseburgers plain and dry. I used to drive the Taco Bell employees insane! I'd order a chicken quesadilla without the sauce, rice without the sauce and the onions and soft tacos without the lettuce. You're spending your hard earned money in their restaurant, and you deserve to get what you want. There will be times when you can't get what you want though, because it's just not something they can do. I don't like nuts on my desserts, but many restaurants don't make the desserts in house, so they can't skip the nuts since they come with them already on it.

Going out to eat isn't taboo while you're trying to lose weight. You don't even have to order from the "healthy" portion of the menu. Just make sure that you understand how the menu is set up so you can make an informed decision. Once you understand how the calorie counts are listed, just make some substitutions to get what you want without going crazy on the calories. You don't have to eat oatmeal or egg whites while everyone around you is eating bacon and eggs.