How do you deal with restaurants?

[mary]

I'm on Day 10 of Induction. I've been doing well - no cheating, no desire to cheat. Tonight I'm going to a big birthday party that's being held at an Italian restaurant. The dinner is pre-ordered, so I won't have a choice as to what to order. I've heard it's a pasta dish. I'm hoping it's pasta with some meat or vegetables in it, but even if it is, I'm sure there will be a sauce involved. How have you dealt with this? I'm banking my carbs (I've only had 3.5 in breakfast and lunch) in case there's something I feel comfortable eating, but I have a feeling I'm just going to end up eating nothing. The woman who is throwing this party for her husband is running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to make everything perfect, so there's no way I'm asking her for a special meal or even mentioning anything about it. Any advice?

[Grant]

Does the restaurant have a website where you could look up the ingredients? If not, I'd eat a small meal ahead of time. Likely you'll get a salad and some veggies with your entree so at least you will be able to get something there.

[not2late]

Eat a meal before you go.

If this is an authentic Italian restaurant and your hostess ordered an authentic Italian meal, the meal would start with antipasto, move onto a pasta dish, then onto the meat and veg, and then a light dessert. The antipasto is usually cured meats and marinated vegetables, which would be legal to eat--more or less. The pasta dish wouldn't of course, but in an authentic Italian restaurant the pasta dish is a small portion, maybe 2-4 ounces so you'd be able to push it around your plate and eat the legal additives like veggies and meat from it. The meat and veg course is usually legal too. And the dessert, you could skip.

However, if this is an McPasta Italian restaurant, you'll probably get a green salad with breadsticks, the entree will be pasta with bread, and the dessert will be some heavy rich tort or tart.

So eat before you go. Not eating will only invite the temptation to eat off plan because you will be famished when you get there and you'll eat everything in sight.

[Evermind]

Eating out is hard.

I tend to stay away from Italian restaurants. Heck, I stay away from nice restaurants.

My idea of a fine meal out is either going to Souplantation, or going to Dennys or Ihop for eggs and a salad with dressing on the side.

I'm a cheap date - what can I say?

[SunnySmile501]

I don't trust any restaurant! They put sugar in almost everything, where it doesn't even belong--including steak and veggies. Eat before you go and nibble salad.

Sunny!

[dreamof145]

I ALWAYS call ahead and find out what they have. I request to speak to the chef whenever I can. I tell them that I am on a restricted diet and ask if they can accomodate me. They have always said yes. I think they know if you call and talk to them that you are serious. I've had them special make my meals and I offer to pay extra but they've never charged me extra before.

[fatty mcfatison]

We eat out about 2-4 times a week due to our schedules. I look through the menu, ask questions, and tell the staff about my restrictions. If I can not seem to find something I am comfortable with I go with a salad topped with meat or a bunless burger topped with grilled onions and mushrooms that I dip in mayo. Maybe you could arrive early and speak to the staff? that way you wont have to bother the hostess.

[ThinSoon]

Mary - I'm wondering how it went for you.


Tracey

[mary]

The party actually went really well. I didn't eat ahead of time because I was running around and didn't have time, so I was really hopeful they'd have something I could eat, and they did. I drank club soda during cocktail hour and passed on all the hors d'oevres and the bread. The dinner was served family style, which I love and which allowed me to take only what I wanted without it being obvious I wasn't eating certain things. They had caesar salad, two pasta dishes, grilled salmon with spinach, chicken marsala and asparagus spears. I had caesar salad without the croutons, salmon and spinach, a tiny piece of the chicken from the chicken marsala and asparagus. I passed on the pasta and had unsweetened decaf coffee instead of the dessert (chocolate cake, vanilla bean ice cream and cream puffs). I have a big question mark in my food journal for the meal because I have no clue how many calories and carbs I ate, but I don't think I strayed too far. The good thing was it was not difficult and I was quite satisfied with what I ate.

[lesszmore]

Wow i think u did pretty good!