Estimating portion sizes when eating out

If you are going to be grabbing food on the go, ordering takeout, or having a meal that someone else prepares, no need to worry!

MAKE A PLAN:

Start by reviewing the menu online before or asking the host what’s being served and plan what you are going to eat and drink.

Estimate and log your meal. To be the most accurate, eat separates rather than casserole/lasagna type dishes. You can also pull a similar dish from MFP and log that as an estimate.

Estimate high to give yourself a "buffer."

WORK THE REST OF YOUR DAY AROUND THAT MEAL:

After logging your dinner/dessert OR drink, plan your breakfast and lunch.

Focus on having a high protein breakfast (think egg whites, greek yogurt, 2% cottage cheese).

For lunch eat a salad for a low carb/high volume meal with a good portion of protein added.

Plan to eat a high protein snack before you head out to avoid getting hangry and making impulsive choices.

DO NOT HOARD YOUR MACROS! This ALWAYS backfires. That first drink will go to your head and then it's all downhill from there.

PROTEIN is super important earlier in the day. It will help to keep you feeling satiated and keep you from over indulging.

CDA/SPOKANE AREA PEEPS: If you want to order out and support local, Cosmic Cowboy has an AIM menu with macros listed (their menu recently changed, so a few items listed are no longer available). The Wellness Bar has a mini açaí bowl with macros, and EatFit has all nutrition info listed on their menu for customizable entrees and total macros listed on your receipt! Jitterz and Jacobs Java (Spokane) both have AIM-approved drinks with macros listed on special menus in their drive-thru windows! Make sure to post a pic on social media and tag us @takeaimnutrition if you grab food from any of these businesses!

Panera and Cafe Rio both have their menus listed online and are in MFP. Pokeworks also has their info listed and it’s super easy to build a bowl there around your macro needs! Local Deli also has nutritional information listed for a few of their menu items posted. Chain restaurants all have nutritional information listed on their website and/or MyFitnessPal.

Although eating out is convenient, even with nutritional information provided, there is a large margin for over/under-eating. If you have weight loss goals, then make it a priority to prepare MOST of your own meals so that you have full control over portion sizes and ingredients used.