Need Advice About Counting Calories Outside the Home

[browneyes08]

I've just started lifting, and I'm trying to be good about counting calories and macros. My problem is I get frustrated when I eat out or eat at someone else's house. If I eat at home, or eat something at a chain it's much easier to track those calories. But how do you guys track what you eat when you eat at a restaurant or at a friend/family member's house? I want to try to be accurate but it's hard! Any advice or tips are appreciated :D Thank you!

[Sanne84]

I have the same problem... After weighing my stuff for a while now, I have an idea of how much 3oz of meat/56 gram of rice, etc. are. Just from looking at a my plate I can guesstimate how much I eat. Since I rarely (almost never) eat out though, I don't have to worry about it too much and the days I do eat out, I can live with a guesstimation :)

[acrawlingchaos]

1. Don't eat at other peoples homes.

2. Don't eat at restuarants where counting may be difficult.

I count my calories, and people understand that. If they don't understand, that's their problem.

[WariorGoddess]

Be conscious....what are your goals...cutting/bulking/maintaining...preparing for a show? Choose healthy foods and estimate....maybe eat a bit less during the day that way you don't have to be as anal when it comes to eating out...do you eat out frequently? If not don't worry to much aboout it as long as you are conscious about your food choices and amounts. If you are just going to a family members house and eating their food is going to drive you nuts than bring your own food...as long as your able to deal with the judging :rolleyes:

I sometimes go in to a panic when I have to eat out-side of my comfort zone, but as long as I know in advance I am able to be pro-active and plan if need be. If I know there will not be no healthy choices to choose from, if at a family members house, I will bring my own food. And most restaurants have at least 1 or 2 healthy choices..or at least can be modified.

Again if your not prepping for a show don't be to hard on yourself....go and enjoy yourself!

[dreahere]

Again if your not prepping for a show don't be to hard on yourself....go and enjoy yourself!

This. Don't turn into one of those people who are afraid to live a normal life, socialize, go out with friends and family. Unless you are in the last stages of cutting to go on stage, it's not worth it.

Once you've weighed and measured your food for awhile, you'll get pretty good at guesstimating calories of the stuff you can't weigh. And if you are worried about, say, meeting your protein macros, have a high protein snack before you go out (or eat protein-heavy earlier in the day) and then feel free to eat small portions of whatever you feel like when you're out without worry.

[thepowerwithin]

This. Don't turn into one of those people who are afraid to live a normal life, socialize, go out with friends and family. Unless you are in the last stages of cutting to go on stage, it's not worth it.

Once you've weighed and measured your food for awhile, you'll get pretty good at guesstimating calories of the stuff you can't weigh. And if you are worried about, say, meeting your protein macros, have a high protein snack before you go out (or eat protein-heavy earlier in the day) and then feel free to eat small portions of whatever you feel like when you're out without worry.

^all of this.

I never track when eating out. Nope, not going to live that way. When I am serious about weight loss, I handle these situations by purposely cutting back during my other meals, so that I have more calories to splurge on, but still make choices that won't destroy my deficit for the day or week.

[toodlepip]

This. Don't turn into one of those people who are afraid to live a normal life, socialize, go out with friends and family. Unless you are in the last stages of cutting to go on stage, it's not worth it.


This x 1000. It's way too easy to tip into the obsessive...

[browneyes08]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) I can't be one of those people that never eats outside the house. I need to be able to go out with friends or go to someone else's apartment for a party or dinner. My goal isn't to compete or anything like that. I just want to look better, be healthier, get stronger. Basically build muscle and lose fat.

I will just try to be extra good those days, and pick healthier choices while I'm not at home!

[rockangel]

I typically will schedule my "cheats" to coincide with events in my life, wether that is going out with friends or movie nights with my family.
I dont agree with the "never go out" philosophy. This is a lifestyle, not a prison sentence, and you have to learn how to deal with events that pop up in life. Make smart choices when you are out, request your friends to make reasonable accomidations (like at a bbq maybe ask for no sauce on the meat) bring a veggie/fruit tray or something diet friendly to a cook out.
As the others said, cut yourself some slack and with a little planning ahead it can be done quite easily. Even in contest prep i can still hang with friends without resorting to stuffing my face and bingeing.

[wakechica]

^all of this.

I never track when eating out. Nope, not going to live that way. When I am serious about weight loss, I handle these situations by purposely cutting back during my other meals, so that I have more calories to splurge on, but still make choices that won't destroy my deficit for the day or week.

This. I if I'm really bothered and want a pizza for dinner from a restaurant I'll make sure I leave 1200 cals free. That usually covers pizza plus a couple of drinks. Otherwise I'll just do it because I rarely eat out.

[The Ambernator]

I usually plan my whole day out on myfitnesspal.com (or the app) and if I know I'm going to go eat out or eat at someone else's house, there is a high likely hood that the food is going to have high fat and carbs, so I will make sure my protein is high through out the rest of the day to counter balance my high fat/carb dinner. No matter what, I still track with a guestimation based on what other people have reported with a similar meal on myfitnesspal.com. Or if I have a pretty good idea what was in the meal, or feel comfortable asking a friend what they used and their measurements, I will create my own recipe in myfitnesspal.com which breaks out the calories per serving. It just depends on how much time I want to spend on that meal. :)