Is eating out on SW relatively impossible?

[lardylady]

I met with a friend last night and had already had a healthy dinner at home in the day so I decided to look for a healthy options of the bar menu for tea.

OMG is all I can say!!!. Almost every single item on the very long menu was either creamy, crispy, deep fried etc. I was so angry when I ordered what I thought was the healthiest option...... open grilled spicy chicken marie rose sandwich on soda bread to find that they had buttered all the slices of bread!!. I had specifically asked for the sauce on the side, no dressing on the salad and then they butter all the bloody soda bread. I never take butter at all and I had to eat who know how many syns and not even enjoy it!!

Why is it such a chore to ask for food cooked with no oil/butter, no dressing etc?. It really does seem next to impossible to get real healthy food eating out as you don't even know what they are really using in the kitchen to cook/season your meal, so it can also be very deceptive!

I would have sent it back and asked for it without butter!

 

[morshield]

I'm finding it really tough eating out atm.. Even in Italians, a plain tomato sauce will contain oil...

Where I live, there is so much going on surrounding food.. i'm going for a bbq tonight and kept my hex B so I could have a wholemeal bun with some steak instead of a burger as there will be no fat in it...

I feel like you can't even have a few drinks

Ditto!!

 

[Shangri-la]

I would have sent it back and asked for it without butter!

I was just so shocked and surprised that they would take it upon themselves to butter the bread instead of giving some butter portions if I wanted it. Believe me, I will talk up for myself in future, lol.

 

[Llamasoks]

I was just so shocked and surprised that they would take it upon themselves to butter the bread instead of giving some butter portions if I wanted it. Believe me, I will talk up for myself in future, lol.

Garden centers do that too, annoys me - and it's not even a little bit of butter, it's smothered, but I get what you mean about speaking up for yourself, I'm terrible with anything that might offend, so I just sit there and eat it (as if in some way the chefs will be horrible offended by my request for no butter!)
X

 

[HarryRu]

I've eaten out at Nandos and pubs mainly and find it easy.. Most meals on the menus are all free and superfree foods! I always give around 5 syns for the oils it's all cooked in.

Asking for tweaks to what's on the menu is key.. If it's served with chips.. Ask for a jacket or rice etc... I've even had Chinese and managed to lose at least 2 pound that week!

Keep trying, you'll figure out what you can and can't have sooner or later and it'll become easier!

 

[gsp5790]

I've eaten at Nando's recently and found that it was wonderful. Yummy food with a jacket and corn and I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything! Great!

 

[Berryred]

I've only eaten out once since starting sw this time This time brewers fair. I asked for no butter on everything! Meal was syn free! Purely as a money saving issue on the not going!!) But I would not put life on hold for sw. Yes enjoy your meal, but flexi syn. You must be making better choices than pre-sw think of that as a positive. As I have learnt this week as my ds had his birthday, I ate cake but for the rest of the time I was sooo good! I lost 0.5lb yeah not huge but I was pleased that I could still enjoy life!!

 

[Snozzberry]

I think it depends on where you're going. We went to the Harvester a couple of weeks ago, I pre-planned and had a 'free' meal.

Next week I have a works team bonding afternoon, including dinner at a nice restaurant in the evening. It is a set menu and nothing on it is SW friendly. I rarely go out for nice meals (especially where someone else is paying) so I'm just going to have the evening off and be as good as I can for the rest of the day. Luckily I was responsible for ordering our lunch so I know jacket spud and baked beans will be on offer and the afternoon is a physical activity, so fingers crossed for damage limitation there lol.

 

[Autumn500]

I'm glad I'm not the only person who struggles with eating out. Like someone else said, it's one meal in 21 so the whole thing doesn't have to be wrecked because you go over on one meal. Personally, I don't eat out much so when I do, I enjoy it and try and make sensible choices the rest of the time. I spent too long being antisocial because I was scared to eat out and sabotage my diet, but at the minute I feel more in control so I'm ok having a few meals off plan a week if certain things crop up

 

[Karenn W]

I just had a week in Cornwall, and was very worried how I'd manage lunch and dinner each day. Breakfast in the hotel was easy- two poached eggs, beans and grilled tomatoes, and I asked how everything had been cooked ( mushrooms sautéed in butter was a no no) I also became more fussy when ordering at lunch and dinner asking for no butter no dressing etc. but I think I managed to stay on track leaving my Syns for holiday wine!
But i do agree, eating out is not always that easy.

 

[Jael]

Of course most restaurants don't give syn values. If we didn't have a list for wagamamas, we'd think a lot of it was free or only a few syns. So I reckon most food out is higher than we think. I've found that as long as I've gone for a healthy option out, I still lose weight. Life's to short to never eat out.

 

[Saltwater]

I wish there was better information available on the SW website for eating out syns. I have been to Starbucks at lunch and searched for Starbucks food on the mobile website and got 30 results for coffee. Alternatively I would buy a handbag sized eating out guide.

 

[pandauk]

I find the harvester is my go to place if I want to eat our with my family without feeling like I'm missing out too much! Simply chicken with a jacket potato =free Then you can pick up a few extras from the salad bar to make up your superfree 1/3 and there I normally use my syns to treat myself to one bread roll!

 

[rm247]

It would be great if on the website they had a section dedicated to the main chain restaurants with syn values and superfree info for the items on the menu. The few articles they have are several years old and only list a handful of meals.