Since I moved to California a couple of years ago I have missed my favorite restaurant. Living in Portland, Oregon, I may have been subjected to cloudy skies ten and a half months out of the year, but at least the city has some good restaurants. Where I live now seems to only have mass-produced chains.
There is some benefit to being surrounded by mediocre restaurants—it means I don’t go out very often! I’d much rather attempt to make my favorite Thai dish at home than eat deep-fried cholesterol soaked in msg.
Eating out has huge pitfalls. I don’t usually know what I’m eating exactly, how much fat it contains, or what chemicals have been added. Even when they give me the nutrition information, multiple studies have shown that the numbers are not accurate most of the time.
Who wants to go to a restaurant for chewy chicken breast anyway? If I’m out, chances are I’m going to choose the fattening stuff—and make that a side of fries please.
Some cheaper restaurants encourage more sales by giving lots more food for a fraction more of the price. It might be tempting to buy the bigger portion just because it’s such a good deal. Even the regular portions in most restaurants are too big. Yet, it’s hard to stop when I should.
When my husband and I were first married, we usually ordered one meal and split it when we ate at restaurants. Yes, even those meals when someone else was footing the bill. Unless we can get back to being that disciplined, I don’t think I should even step inside a restaurant more than once every couple of months.
The other day we were in a restaurant where the smart meals were 750 calories or less. That is scary. 750 calories is HIGH for a meal! Makes you wonder what the "unsmart" meals would be. I agree -- eating out very often is not good for losing weight!
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