BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Weight Loss Restaurant portions still big

We went out to eat yesterday and I noticed that restaurant portions seem to be shrinking BUT they are still too big so I think people have this idea that they are getting less than before and it's o.k. to eat the whole portion but it's really not.

We had dinner at Mimi's Cafe which is a national chain and it was packed last night. I eat there like once a year (if that). I ordered the Hibachi Salmon which looks like 6 oz of Salmon on about 1 1/2 cup of wild rice (you can get white if you prefer) with a few small pieces of broccoli, onion, and red pepper and a very yummy sweet and sour sauce. I ate half the portion. I've been doing this at restaurants for years now and if you want to lose weight faster AND maintain your weight loss for life the easy way you should do this too.

Total calories for this dish according to 3 different sites are: 767, 846, or 923. Not sure who's right but either way it averages to 845 calories for 1 meal. I also had iced tea, 3 bites of a mini roll with butter, and 4 bites of pumpkin cheesecake (small bites not huge fork fulls either).

I'm certain I was somewhere in the 550 calorie zone yesterday for dinner which is normal for me when I eat out. Most Americans will just eat the entire thing plus half the basket of bread and 1 entire dessert each. Are you one of these people? If you eat out a lot and you struggle with your weight then consider sharing your food, boxing half at the start of your meal or if this is too hard then stop eating out until you get the hang of portions.

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A "normal" restaurant meal will typically cost your diet bank account around 1200-1500 calories. Unless you want to starve the rest of the day then cut back : )

I never have enough room for dessert - because I eat too much of the entree.

Boxing half at the start sounds like a good idea... since that "one more bite" problem tends to be 5-6 more bites, when it's sitting there in front of me.

I grew up in one of those clean plate club homes and with 2 grandmothers who were always trying to fatten us up so I know what it's like to struggle with portion control.

The best secret I learned was to always ask "will 5 more bites really make it taste better?" The answer is always no and there's research that backs this up too.

I made that question part of my eating out ritual and eventually I just stopped asking it and instead just stopped eating more.

I prefer sharing bcz then you have no choice but that doesn't always work if your partner/friend wants different entree.

I've been consciously cutting my portions for about a year and find I can't eat an entire restaurant meal anymore. I tend to order salads too, which don't save that well when you box them.

Still, I do box up about half and take it home. I've noticed though that some restaurants will offer "small" or "large" when it comes to salad or other items. You can get a half portion or something.

Restaurant food is usually loaded with excess ingredients like salt, unhealthy oils, sugars and other things that add to calorie totals.

Yes I noticed that too. I've seen mini meals and petite portions. I think restaurants are starting to realize that not everybody wants to stuff themselves to the point of obesity.

I really don't eat out that much but when I do I notice that I have more trouble digesting bcz of all the extra ingredients you just mentioned too. If I keep the portion small there is minimal bloating but there is always bloating.

I went to a locavore restaurant a while back and figured this wouldn't happen but it still happened. I wonder why that is?

It is rare that I can finish a meal serving large portions. I prefer a portion for the next day, it doubles the treat-factor to have it as a leftover anyway.

I've been out to eat with people who can hork down 1500 calories in 10 minutes and it never ceases to amaze me. I think a lot of people don't even bother enjoying their food or the restaurant experience.

Slowing down is also a great way to control portions and enjoy the food more and make the whole going out to eat experience more fun. It's not just about the food even when you're at home.