Eating out

Sigh. Going out to eat. Always a challenge for someone trying to stay on the straight and narrow. I can't tell you the times I have been invited to events for my (other) blog, or Yelp Elite events, or even just out with friends and I say no because I worry that either 1. eating something out of the norm will trigger a binge or 2. even if it doesn't trigger a binge they won't have anything within a normal calorie range for me.

I always try to research places before I make a decision, or before I go, so I have an idea of what meals might be within reason for me. Just because something sounds light doesn't mean it is. Salads can be full of calories from croutons, dressing, cheese, breading on meat, etc. Burgers might be made with lean meat, but buns still have plenty of calories. I've got no issue ordering my burger without a bun, and I'll try to order veggies as my side instead of fries, but sometimes I just REALLY want sweet potato fries. I've never been a french fry fan, but I have a hard time saying no to sweet potato fries.

My biggest fear of the two I listed above is that it will trigger a binge. "Oh, I had a crappy dinner so why not just enjoy the rest of the night with everything in the fridge and pantry". "I'm already eating bad, so what's going to make it worse"?

My new challenge is to make smart choices at restaurants. Instead of the sandwich and fries that sound great, how about the salad with dressing on the side, or substituting veggies for fries or bread. Just today I knew I didn't want anything heavy since it was 95 degrees outside and we were headed to a ball game, but I wasn't in the mood for my usual lobster caprese salad. Spinach artichoke dip sounded awesome, so instead of getting it with the normal baguette, I chose to get carrots. It was perfect because while the dip wasn't super low cal, the carrots kept it manageable and light.

But I need to work on this with my therapist. There are times that I do hold back and get something lighter, or something I might not want as much, and then feel like I'm depriving myself - which can then lead to a binge. I also have problems with eating half and taking the rest home. I usually end up eating the other half as soon as I get home.

I still have many things to work on, this being a big one since I can't keep myself out of social eating situations forever. I'm hoping with time it becomes much easier.