A few years ago my husband Dan and I established a Monday night date night. For years I resisted the idea: too much money, not enough time, didn’t want to be away from the kids, didn’t want to clean the house for the babysitter (!!). But as our family grew, so did the need to spend time together where we could actually complete a sentence and not have food wiped on us. So Mondays became our night; we would eat out and then do some errands. We quickly found our favorite spots and our favorite dishes.
After my “aha moment” in January, those favorite dishes weren’t going to cut it anymore, and the date night meal became quite depressing agonizing. I started to look at menus differently and began to see how the calories added up: the bread before the meal, REAL sour cream and butter, cream sauces, breaded mushrooms (but I digress), etc. Everything really added up! I also realized how little restaurants have to offer that is truly healthy. When you really look at the details and ingredients, not much is low-calorie or heart healthy.
My date nights changed. Here are some of the things that I have done to make the meal part a little less agonizing and little better for the scale:
1. Checked menus on-line before I went to the restaurant. Some have great nutritional tools that let you add and subtract certain ingredients from the meal, and they will give you all the nutritional information. It is shocking to see some of the numbers.
2. Cut out the bread before the meal and in the entree. I no longer ordered sandwiches and carb-heavy items. I looked for fresh salads, fruits, etc. Some restuarants allow you to get a taco or sandwich as a salad instead.
3. Got salad dressing on the side. I found that I really only needed half what they gave me.
4. Asked my server to hold items I didn’t want like bacon, cheese, rice, croutons, etc. That can really keep your calorie count down.
5. Drank water or a diet soda instead of soda or tea.
6. Skipped dessert. Not always easy with those dessert menus right in front of you!! Dan and I would just get a little chocolate later and split it (peanut M&Ms became a favorite!).
7. Chose items that were grilled, steamed, baked, etc. instead of fried or breaded. Not always fun, but so much better for you!
8. Stayed away from all-you-can-eat and buffets. Ooh, boy! That can be bad for a girl that likes to get her money’s worth!
9. Saved certain restaurants and meals for special occasions.
10. Focused on the conversation not the food!
These are just some of the things that I have done. Not every date is perfect, but I’m better than I was a year ago. It’s just another reminder that food is not the celebration and that it’s the company I am with that is important (and the fingerprint-free pants!).
How has eating out changed for you? What are some tips that you have?
