Eating out while trying to stick to macros may seem simple, but it tends to be more difficult than you think. Restaurants tend to cook with more fat, more sugar, and all the things that make the food more delicious. While this is good for restaurant business and getting return customers, it is not necessarily helpful when trying to reach our goals. Some basic guidelines to follow when ordering out include sticking to the basics, always basing your meal around a protein, getting all the veggies, and drinking plenty of water throughout the meal.
Stick to the Basics
Keep your meal simple, order a protein, a veggie, and maybe a carb if you have carbs left in your day; steakhouses are great for this. You can always ask the restaurant not to cook with oil and more often than not they will comply with this request.
Base the Meal Around Protein
Going to a restaurant and ordering a pasta meal with chicken means you are getting a carb with some protein, not a protein with a side of carbs. Choosing a protein-based meal, will help fill you up and make you feel satisfied after the meal.
Veggies
If you are not finding any good carb options, the best thing to do is order a double side of veggies, you can never go wrong getting some extra micronutrients!
Drinking Water
Aim to drink at LEAST two full glasses of water throughout the course of the meal. This will help fill your stomach and let you know if you are truly still hungry, rather than just reaching for the bread on the table just because it’s there.
“Macro-Friendly” Restaurants
When it comes to eating out, some restaurants are better than others. Looking at nutrition info online prior to going to the restaurant and choosing your meal will help guarantee you stay closer to your macros and keep you from making a last-minute decision.
Fast Food
1. Chipotle: burrito bowl, all the veggies and a protein
2. Chick-fil-a: grilled nuggets, kale side salad
3. Panera Bread: you can customize your order online
Sit-Down Restaurants
4. Steakhouses (Outback, Texas Roadhouse, etc.): order a protein and double sides of veggies if you are not sure how to track the carb options
5. Breakfast (First Watch, Diners, etc.): replace eggs with egg whites if you want to decrease fats, omelets are great option. You can replace toast with a side of fruit if you are unsure on how to track the bread
6. Chains that post nutrition info online (Chili’s, Applebee’s, Red Robin, Red Lobster)
When eating at local restaurants that may not have the nutrition info online, find the food item from a generic or chain restaurant that is similar and use that to track. Always err on the side of ‘it’s higher in macros that’s I think.’ Most restaurants cook with excess oils and top their meals with high fat, high sugar sauces so even if we think we are staying on track the meal tends to be more macro-dense than we plan for.
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