Need Help Choosing What To Eat At A Restaurant - Specific Examples

[GonnaLoseIt 33]

On the 18th I am walking in my first 5k for charity out of town. So my husband and I are staying in a hotel on the 17th. He wants to take me to dinner that night to Celebrate how far I have come. I think I know what I want to get but am seeking opinions. Here are the four lowest calorie items they have. It is very limited its a Pasta joint.

Appetizer - Toasted Beef Ravioli - 110g - 200 cal - 4.5 g fat - 540 mg sodium - 30 g carbs - 10 g Protein

Kids - Spinach and cheese Ravioli - 187g - 310 cals - 12 g fat - 700 mg sodium - 38 g carbs - 14 g Protein

Soup - Minestrone - 9 oz - 60 cal - 1.5 g fat - 660 mg sodium - 10 g carbs - 2 g protein

salad - House with FF Hone Mustard - 128g - 120 cal - 3 g fat - 280 mg sodium - 21 g carbs (9 sugar) - 3 g protein

I am seriously torn, none are an awesome choice and I will be doing low cal high protein rest of the day. I also am not 100% sure I could order kids either. I have not had Pasta since surgery so part of me thinks I should splurge and get the toasted beef ravioli, and it also has a fair amount of protein. Then I see the carbs (I don't count carbs, but I try to stay reasonable). The Soup is loaded with sodium but low cal, I wouldn't enjoy it as much likely though, but it wouldn't throw my day off. Then there is the salad, decent calories, but good bit of sugar.

Any help or opinions on what you would choose are appreciated!

[iegal 460]

Wow, congrats on the weight lost so far!

I would choose none and look further. Stop with the low calorie and focus on Protein with lower carbs than 38 per serving, that tells me it is mostly cheese. Try to get at least 15-20 grams of Protein per MEAL. How about a chicken primavera.or meatballs? Ah - go for the beef ravioli if you can pick meat out of Pasta shells.

salad gives you NO nutrition. You are no longer eating for volume but for health. So choose protien 1st, vegtables 2nd, Pasta last. Good for you for staying away from pasta this far along. YEAH.

Good luck.

[Amanda 3.0 140]

Are you sure they don't offer a beef or chicken entree? If it were me, and I were celebrating a 5k (and I do have one scheduled), I would do a steak!

I haven't tried Pasta yet, so not sure what to say about the ravioli. Maybe eat the filling from the spinach and cheese?

[GonnaLoseIt 33]

This is why I am so torn, the only have a chicken entree, but my sleeve does not let me eat chicken at all. If they had steak or meatballs, that is most definitely what I would be going for. Everything there is mostly Pasta, pasta or something similar to pasta.

[GonnaLoseIt 33]

Found a better menu online... Heres something else I have found... Seems like the healthiest option of them all.

Entrée

Calories

Calories

from Fat

Total Fat

Cholesterol

Sodium

Carbohydrate

Protein

Calamari 303 111 11.7g 12.8mg 265mg 8.2g 33.9g

[GonnaLoseIt 33]

Arg they don't have calamari at the one I am going to.

[LoserMama 37]

That is really the only restaurant available? That's hard. I couldn't do the primary Pasta stuff. When I go to someplace that has pasta, I get a Protein entree, and maybe have a couple of bites of hubby's pasta. Shoot. But if you can't tolerate chicken, bummer. I would definitely ask if I could get some meatballs or sausage, what italian place doesn't have those? Boo if not! I'd just get some minestrone and a side of meatballs or an italian sausage.

[GonnaLoseIt 33]

I am pretty sure I am just gonna tell my sleeve to suck it up and try the chicken parmigiana. It has a lot of calories, but loads of Protein. And we can be honest, I won't be anywhere near finishing it. Id rather try to make the right choice and have my sleeve reject it then make a wrong decision.

Thanks so much for everyones advice.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

chicken is hard to eat if it's dry. That doesn't sound like it will be dry.There should be sauce. Just make sure to cut it up small and chew like crazy and you should be able to eat it. I hope you enjoy it and that it does work for you! It sounds delicious.

Congratulations! a 5 K is a real accomplishment!

[Lissa 2,631]

If you're going to make yourself eat chicken, why not try a chicken alfredo dish? You wont even be able to finish the chicken portion, so the calories in the sauce aren't that big a deal. This is supposed to be a special dinner, so I think you should order something that sounds delicious and filling even if it's not technically a high Protein choice. If you REALLY want Pasta, load up on the Protein earlier in the day and have Pasta.< /p>

Besides, I just read a thread several days ago between MassIndex and PDXMan where they discussed carb-loading before races as being an important consideration. You may actually have a better race if you DO add some extra carbs in your system.

BTW, congratulations on your first 5K!!!

[GonnaLoseIt 33]

Thanks everyone

[Catracks 865]

I know the thread is pretty much over, but I did want to comment. This took me aback:

"He wants to take me to dinner that night to Celebrate how far I have come."

That's a very sweet gesture, but kind of counter to what your journey has been about, i.e., My life is not about food and maybe not best as a "reward." How about new clothes, a pretty Bracelet, a horseback ride, a spa day, a trip to an amusement park, etc.?

A lot of new folks on the board concern themselves with calories so much. We eat so little that it should be Protein first. The calorie count that comes from that can be pretty low, but not rock bottom. If you go for the lowest calorie choice you may be eating huge amounts of carbs or nutritionally devoid things and not be getting your Protein at all.

At a restaurant, I would eat like I do at home: Protein first, fruits/vegetable second and maybe a bite of carb food if at all. Even the carbs I eat have to have a significant amount of protein like whole grain Pasta or quinoa.

[Catracks 865]

One more nosy bit of advice. I realize that it's not you running the show all the time, but I have had to education my family because they simply do not think about it. At most restaurants i can find things to eat, but there are some place where everything seems all pizza (which I only eat the top off and it's a real bummer) and all fried.

For instance, I'm going to Disneyland when some relatives. They are happy to eat corn dogs, hamburgers and french fries all day long. I can't do it. Disney has TONS of restaurants full of cool food. What I have been eyeing is a Spanish restaurant called Catal that has tapas like Mediterranean meats and cheese and paella (I would eat the seafood and Spanish chorizo out of the rice). Another place has ahi poke (raw tuna and avocado) and Asian spiced chicken wings.

Frankly they are not adventurous eaters and to my joy, I can be now. I can order Jamón ibérico at $75 a pound because I will only eat an oz. of it. So my daughter who is a foodie too and I will go out after they go home and eat more healthy.

My point? Oh yeah, sometimes you have to let people in on what it is you can eat. It's not all about us, but it certainly can be at times. If it is YOUR celebratory dinner, go to a place that is more sleeve friendly.

[mynewbegining2 31]

Have a good nite out with your husband and good luck on the 5k.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

That's great on your first 5K!!!

Just an alternate point of view... for myself I really had to learn to get out of the "Eating out to celebrate" mentality. It was just an excuse to eat things I shouldn't otherwise, especially during weight loss mode. I'm not saying we never go out to eat because we do, it's not meant in the reward capacity.

Perhaps you can Celebrate without it being revolving around food? Perhaps you two can spend the night in a lovely Hotel or maybe go to a spa together?

All the best either way!