Yesterday, my sister and I were shopping. Panda Express was the only eating place in that little mall to stop for a "nosh". To my delight, each item available, right on the tag identifying the item, was the calories and Protein count per serving! We got one plate of two Entrees and one side...got a chicken entree and a beef entree, then the veggie side. We split the meal and it was 210 calories and 18 protein each! And so tasty!

I've also discovered Mimi's Restaurant has a healthy eating menu that has good low calorie/high protein choices.

Anyone else found good dining places for us lap banders?

I ate out for the first time this weekend since being banded 7 weeks ago. I went to Ruby Tuesdays, they had a great salmon filet with grilled shrimp on it (asked for the asian peanut sauce on the side) and they have a ton of new sides being offered. I got roasted spaghetti squash and sliced tomatoes. Put half the meal in a take out box as soon as it came to the table and still wasn't even able to finish the half left on my plate!

Restaurants are like a whole new ball game to me now since I can no longer order all the junk I am used to having!

I ate out for the first time this weekend since being banded 7 weeks ago. I went to Ruby Tuesdays, they had a great salmon filet with grilled shrimp on it (asked for the asian peanut sauce on the side) and they have a ton of new sides being offered. I got roasted spaghetti squash and sliced tomatoes. Put half the meal in a take out box as soon as it came to the table and still wasn't even able to finish the half left on my plate!

Restaurants are like a whole new ball game to me now since I can no longer order all the junk I am used to having!

Salmon (or almost any fish entree) is such a good choice at restaurants! I too have taken half or more of my meal home. I agree with you about eating out being a whole new adventure, now looking at the menu through lapbander eyes! A friend and I actually left one restaurant cause there was absolutely nothing I could eat on the menu (a sandwich shop). We went next door to a pizza place of all things and I had a delicious spinish salad! We sure got the lap band at the right time...restaurants (at least the chain ones) are mandated to now show the nutritional info.

Thanks for the Ruby Tuesday suggestion. And congrats on your amazing weight loss in so short a time! Keep up the good work!

I love Chipotle (I know, not really a sit down restaurant) because i can get a burrito bowl with steak, beans, guacamole, salsa, and cheese and it's high protein, low carb (and it feeds me for 3 meals!).

I love Chipotle (I know, not really a sit down restaurant) because i can get a burrito bowl with steak, Beans, guacamole, salsa, and cheese and it's high Protein, low carb (and it feeds me for 3 meals!).

What a cool idea! There are Chipotle restaurants all over town here. I had forgotten about them. And I agree, one of their bowls would last 3 meals!

I like to go to sit down restaurants. I usually get either a steak or fish, plain baked potato and steamed veggies.

If I do fast food I get a salad with grilled chicken. Sometimes we go to Taco Bueno and I'll get a soft chicken taco with a side of Beans.

Yesterday, my sister and I were shopping. Panda Express was the only eating place in that little mall to stop for a "nosh". To my delight, each item available, right on the tag identifying the item, was the calories and Protein count per serving! We got one plate of two entrees and one side...got a chicken entree and a beef entree, then the veggie side. We split the meal and it was 210 calories and 18 protein each! And so tasty!

I've also discovered Mimi's Restaurant has a healthy eating menu that has good low calorie/high protein choices.

Anyone else found good dining places for us lap banders?

I just want to say thank you so much for this post. It is so nice to know that one can still go out and eat with friends and not just eat Soup.

Mary

I 2nd Chipotle. I get the burrito bowl, no rice (sometimes get a weird look when I say that, black Beans, lettuce, and carnita (shredded pork). Sometimes I get guac on the side. Also, I bring a 1/4 cup of nonfat plain greek yogurt to use as sour cream. It totally works as a substitute for sour cream. The bowl is two meals for me and wonderful.

Longhorn Steakhouse has an amazing Salmon with grilled veggies, and I've been able to get the lunch size portion for dinner. A lot of times I just look for a great spinach salad where I can add chicken or salmon to it and ask for dressing on the side. I love places that have smaller sizes of their salads too.

Denny's now has a "healthy options" menue; as well as egg whites (no extra charge) and turkey bacon.

Wendy's is a personal favorite of mine. Two of my favorite items on their menu is their chili (small cup is 210 calories, 21g of carbs, and 17g protein) and their new berry Almond chicken salad. (The half-size portion is 270 calories, 23g carbs, and 21g Protein.)

Applebees has an Asiago Peppercorn Steak that's excellent. Order it with steamed vegetables instead of the potatoes. 380 calories, 25g carbs, and 44g protein. I split it into two meals.

Olive Garden has a Steak Toscano. Order it with steamed vegetables instead of the potatoes. It's a 12 ounce steak that has 400 calories, 15g carbs and 20g protein. I split that one into three meals.

Dave

Wendy's is a personal favorite of mine. Two of my favorite items on their menu is their chili (small cup is 210 calories, 21g of carbs, and 17g protein) and their new Berry Almond Chicken Salad. (The half-size portion is 270 calories, 23g carbs, and 21g protein.)

Applebees has an Asiago Peppercorn Steak that's excellent. Order it with steamed vegetables instead of the potatoes. 380 calories, 25g carbs, and 44g protein. I split it into two meals.

Olive Garden has a Steak Toscano. Order it with steamed vegetables instead of the potatoes. It's a 12 ounce steak that has 400 calories, 15g carbs and 20g protein. I split that one into three meals.

Dave

Great stuff! Thanks for breaking down the nutritional info! And congrats on your wonderful weight loss!

I second Applebees as having great choices and they have a Weight Watcher menu with low- calorie selections. I don't know if anyone lives near a Panera Bread but they have everything listed (NUT content) and their food is so yummy!

Most Chinese places have a "Dieters" section to their menus.

I personally find that no matter where I go to eat I can find something. The secret is to stay away from the bread basket, order sauces on the side, and replace carb sides with steamed veggies.

I haven't tried Boston Market lately, buttheir food is super moist which I would imagine would be band-friendly and I believe they steam everything.

When I order out for brakfast I get the egg beaters instead of eggs. Usually a garden omlette and instead of home fires I ask if I can have a fruit cup.

I could hug all of you! lol thanks for posting because I eat out with my friends a lot and am nervous about what to order. I went to applebees two days ago and got the Shrimp and Island Rice (mashed potatoes instead of rice) and it came with veggies. I only ate about a 1/3 of the plate, but it was so good!

Great stuff! Thanks for breaking down the nutritional info! And congrats on your wonderful weight loss!

Thanks! Glad to help. I eat out in restaurants a lot, (even though I love to eat, I'm not much of a cook), so I'm always looking for something that works for me and my band. I can usually find a great option in most restaurants. The printed restaurant menu is not the last word in how the meal has to be served to you, and it never hurts to ask to substitute one item for something that works better. Knowing I don't have to eat everything on the plate, and asking to substitute steamed vegetables for a potato or rice side dish helps a lot. I can usually put together a band-friendly meal that lets me share the social time with my family or friends, and still stay reasonably close to my eating plan.

I'm following a modified South Beach Diet kind of eating plan, (higher protein, lower glycemic carbs, avoiding excess surgar and fats), but I realize and accepted early on that I live in the real world, and I eat real world food. (Diet food is only useful as long as it's available - but what happens when it's meal time and diet food is NOT there?) I refuse to be a slave to a super-strict diet that forces me to live on rabbit food while life goes on around me. I spent too many years as an obese spectator in my life, and I don't intend to do that anymore. Meal quantity may be smaller now, but nothing says it has to be boring food. I think eating boring food leads to cheating, grazing, binge eating, and diet failure. Eating a variety of tasty food keeps me interested in mealtimes, and prevents me from having cravings for something I shouldn't be eating.

If I eat over my plan one time, I can usually compensate and get back on track later on. And if the whole day goes to hell, eating-wise, I know tomorrow I can re-focus and start over again. It's about getting back on the horse, not beating myself up over one meal. Given how little I eat as a bandster, I will not feel bad if one meal doesn't fit the larger plan I'm following. It was MUCH worse before I was banded. Instead of a few hundred extra calories now, it would have been a few thousand extra calories back then. These days it's much easier to stay on track, or get back to it if things go astray now and then. In the larger picture, it's a non-event, and not worth causing myself any emotional anxiety.

As to the nutritional content in food, I spend time browsing the websites of fast food places and sit-down restaurants in my area. Most of them have a Nutritional page that lists the content of their menus. By checking things ahead of time for the foods I enjoy eating, I have an idea of what works for me, and what sort of things to avoid. And even if the restaurant doesn't have a formal nutritional menu page, I find if I Google the restaurant name and the word "nutrition" there is often a page that lists the popular items. Livestrong has a lot of that sort of thing. It's not always dead-on, but it's close enough to get an idea of what's up.

And sometimes it's just a matter of common sense. I know cream sauces, breading, and sweet foods tend to have crazy calories attached. Steamed, grilled, or baked items are usually easier to work with. Eating a protein source that's closer to what it started out as is a good choice. (A grilled steak or chicken breast is probably going to have fewer calories than meatloaf or a chicken salad made with mayo.) In Mexican restaurants I like to order a taco salad made with chicken, with the sour cream and guacamole on the side. Add a splash of salsa, and it's an awesome meal. Usually more than I can eat, so that to-go box comes home with me, and I have lunch the next day.

I keep saying we need to work the band so it works for us, and the same goes for eating. With a bit of imagination, it's easy to come up with choices that work well. And at the end of the day, our weight loss is a journey, and the band is very forgiving. It's a great tool.

Dave

I think that's great for everyone, not only bandsters! I like to know what I'm eating. I will eat things that are not on anyone's diet plan occasionally, but I always like to know what I'm ingesting. I dont count calories per se, but I do keep a rough tote in my head most days, its a lifetime habit. I hate hate hate eating a meal that looks as if it might be only 300 calories, but knowing that in reality, it might be 1000.! I have a pretty good idea of the calorie count of most things, but restaurant meals are impossible to guage.

I do the Outback. They have a great online calories calculator that will keep you honest. Half a sirloin, steamed veggies and half a salad is a nice meal, and my inner cheapskate loves ordering an entree that lasts across 2 meals!