Eating out

 So when I meet with friends for happy hour (maybe 2 times a month) I am careful to choose protein items from the menu.  I thought wings was a good choice, all protein no carbs.  

Last night I was just looking up fat and calories of wings at the place where we go most often, and I was so shocked!  1150 calories and 140 grams of fat.  Wow.  How I didn't know that I'm not sure.  I need to search out some better choices.  I'm jut NOT ok with 140 grams of fat, not that I eat the whole serving, but still that is way too much fat.  

I just noticed that there are not many foods on the appetizer menu that are healthy choices, which is sad since they are smaller portions and cheaper on the happy hour menu.  

yeah, our nutritionist had us look up meals on restaurant menus for one of our classes - i was shocked!

hope you can find a better choice - maybe one of your friends would split a better entree with you? worth a shot!

The sauce got you! Before I go to a restaurant I look their menu up online. Many of them give calorie/fat info on their sites. But even if they don't, I choose the healthiest thing on the menu I can find and order that when I get there. The appetizers are rarely healthy choices. You even have to be careful with salads--some of them equal or surpass a Big Mac in calories!

There are several sites that give you tips on choosing things from a menu, and some even give you info on healthy dishes found in particular restaurants. There are even healthy choices to be made at fast food restaurants.

Most appetizers are fried and either dipped in or doused in a fat ladened sauce.  With wings, in addition to being fried and coated in hot sauce mixed w/ melted butter, they also have the skin on them which is all fat.  I steer away from appetizer menus.  If I really want buffalo wing flavor I order a grilled chicken breast w/ a side of buffalo sauce and skip the blue cheese.  I then use the sauce sparingly.

 I went out for girls night the other night at Chili's and order the chicken fajita's. I was able to put exactly what I wanted on about half a tortilla...mostly chicken and a little green pepper. It was fantastic. My dietician aproved  and  I had a ton left over for extra meals. :)

Sometimes it is really hard to find healthy stuff but rarely do I find it on the appetizer menue unless it is shrimp ****tail.  Sometime I order a crab cake, knowing it has fillers and is fried but plan ahead for that.  Mexican places will always leave off the rice, torilla, ect when I ask.  Sometimes steak is the best because they don't flour and fry it.  I love leftovers so I am alway happy when I leave because I usually have at least 2 more meals, even with just the healthy stuff.

Try getting the wings with out the sauce. 

Wings are chicken skin and deep fried.  Even without the sauce they are high in calories and fat.