Weight Loss Support

Did You Know…

The average value meal at a fast food restaurant has 1500 calories?
When eating at a sit down restaurant, you may be given 2000 calories on your plate (not including salads and appetizers)?
Meals are high in fat, calories and sodium?
Studies show when people are given larger portion sizes, they eat more?
The more often you eat out, the higher amount of calories you will consume. You can’t eat how you used to and lose weight!

Quick Tips…

Plan ahead so you’ll know what you’re going to order before you get there.
Remember to go slow and chew your food. Restaurants are fast paced.
Order water and set it aside.
Immediately order a “to go” container so you’ll be able to box up the amount of food you don’t eat.
Don’t be afraid to ask the restaurant to leave off items on your order to make them lower fat and calorie (i.e. Dressing on the side, trim the visible fat from the meat, leave the butter, gravy or sauce off the dish)
Don’t sit for over an hour or so munching on your menu. Ask the waiter to take the food away!
Split an entrée with a friend.
Look for the following words on the menu: steamed, garden fresh, broiled, baked, roasted, poached, lightly sautéed or stir fried to denote a healthier entrée.
Don’t arrive at the restaurant while “starving”. You may over eat.
Don’t assume appetizers and kids menus are low in calorie. Most contain fried chicken nuggets, French fries, and macaroni and cheese
Try to minimize eating out. The calories can add up quickly and it’s easy to get in too many calories without even realizing it!

Thursday, June 18, 2009 by janet mobley:: so can anyone tell me how many calories I should take in a day along with my 60-80 grams of protein?
Thursday, June 18, 2009 by Sarah:: That’s a great question, Janet. The calorie amount that you take in varies depending on where you are in the program. Typically, new post op patients take in less than 600 calories per day. As your diet progresses, at a year, the average caloric amount is 1000 calories per day. This is just an estimate and can be used as a guide, but every patient is different. When us at follow up appointments we can give you a more accurate amount based on where you are in the program.

Finding Nutritious Foods When Eating Out