One of the best things about flexible dieting and IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) is that it gives you the freedom to eat what you want and where you want! No longer do you have to avoid certain restaurants because all their food is full of carbs, or avoid social situations that involve eating out with friends. I want you to participate in life!
You can absolutely eat anything and anywhere as long as it fits your macros. However, where the challenge often lies is with tracking the macros of what you are eating.
Tracking Your Macros When Eating at Restaurants
Tips for Chain Restaurants:
If you frequent larger chain restaurants then the process of tracking pretty easy since most publish their nutritional information on their various websites and/or it can be found in tracking apps such as MyFitnesspal. You simply search for the meal that you are eating and enter its details into your log and trust that the person making your food followed the company’s recipe portion guidelines.
Even at chain restaurants, it can be difficult to find something on the menu that fits your remaining macros. So when you know you are eating out plan ahead.
I usually try to save a hefty portion of each macro when I know I’ll be eating out. Especially fat since restaurant food tends to be high in this macro.
Tips for Independent Restaurants:
This is where tracking your macros when eating out gets pretty tricky. Independent restaurants, or those with just a couple of locations, aren’t required by law to post their nutritional information.
You can just avoid these establishments, but then you’d be missing out on some of the really great food they offer.
Here’s what I do when eating at such places.
- As I’m scanning the menu, I keep in mind the macros I have left for the day and find a few choices that probably fit pretty well.
- When the meal comes, I note the ingredients used and I search for them in MyFitnessPal. If you’re unsure of something ask your server to ask the chef.
- Estimate the quantities served on the generous side as it’s better to overestimate than underestimate from a calorie perspective.
- I sometimes search on MyFitnessPal for a similar item (i.e. If I order a California burrito from a taco shop, I can find a similar item in MFP). I just have to make sure it’s a comparable size. Again, to be safe, if I have 3 choices with the lowest being 600 calories and the highest being 800 calories, I usually go with the highest.
This gets easier with time and the more time you spend measuring portions at home, the better eye you’ll have for estimating the portions found in restaurant meals.
I think planning ahead is important with eating at independent restaurants as well. I almost always eat out on Friday nights, so I plan throughout the day to have a lot of calories and macros left for that. By doing this I can pretty much choose whatever I want within reason.
Take It Easy on The Drinks
Drinking is often a big part of the social aspect of eating out, but a few beers or wines later and you could be at 500 calories in liquid alone, which is all carbs or fat depending on how you log it.
Alcohol calories get classified as carbs, so be aware of this when eating out and perhaps limit yourself to one alcoholic drink.
Avoid sugary sodas and go with water or no-calorie beverages instead.
Will Eating Out Too Often Ruin My Flexible Diet?
If you’re diligent about tracking what you eat, there’s no reason eating out will hinder your overall progress, but it does make flexible dieting a bit more complicated than it needs to be.
However, I do see a couple of issues with eating out too much that could interfere with your progress or your overall good health.
- With eating out there is so much that is out of your control (i.e. quality of ingredients, exact quantities, types of fat, salt, etc.). This can make it challenging to correctly track your macros.
- Most restaurant food isn’t as healthy as food you can prepare yourself. Most restaurants have healthier options, but I find it difficult to not get drawn into choosing something not as healthy featured on the menu.
I think people tend to underestimate the calories they think something contains as a way to not feel as guilty about eating it. If you eat out a lot and underestimate much of what you are eating, this can put you consistently over your total daily energy expenditure (the average number of calories you burn per day), and thus hinder your results.
Eating out in moderation is probably the best. The majority of what you eat should be within your control, but also give yourself the freedom and fun of eating out and trying new restaurants with family and friends.
How to Track Alcohol While Counting Macros
