Restaurants = My New Fun Game!!!

matingara · #1 (**permalink**) 06-01-2008, 11:46 PM

Restaurant eating when on a low carb diet is a challenge and I am enjoying it immensely!

so far, i have managed very well and have yet to either:

- cause a BG spike (Winning the Game) or
- not be able to order anything on the menu (Losing the Game).

Though I have had some close calls!

I am a pre-sales technical IT Architect by trade. so i do eat lunch out at work a couple of times a week. plus there are the usual family restaurant outings etc. here are some of my "Restaurant Moments" from last week.

Tuesday: we do a big sales pres in the AM. finishes about 1PM. one dude suggests a brilliant noodle shop he loves for lunch. my spirit sinks. THAT could be quite a challenge! fortunately another guy suggests a classy Italian bistro. There are two suitable items on the menu. Rare Beef Salad or chicken caesar (with fresh home-made anchovies!). i go with the caesar and eat only 1 of the croutons! I win!

Wednesday: the lads want to go to the $10 special joint. uh oh. i read all of the $10 specials. every one of them is a carbohydrate festival! foccacia, pasta, risotto etc. fortunately, there is a $15 special section as well. in there there is a grilled chicken salad with all sorts of yummy vegies (capsicums etc). I win again! but this was the ONLY choice i could go for on the whole menu. so a close call.

Yesterday: Sunday lunch a a classy local joint in the Dandenongs. There was nothing on the menu or the special board that was remotely low carb. uh oh. do i lose and go hungry? well there is a burger. i could have that and not eat the bun? there is also a yummy sounding lamb on an open pita. i could do that and just skip the pita? Then one last look at the menu and i discover the "Grazing Plate"!!! this promises olives, dips, smoked salmon, salami, squid, haloumi, roasted peppers and mushrooms, ham! i win again. this was delicious and low carb and very satisfying!

i am really enjoying this game! i dread what i will do if i end up in a noodle joint someday!

any one else have anything similar to share?

-- Joel.

Evermont · #2 (**permalink**) 06-02-2008, 06:04 AM

Being vegetarian for so many years - and living in the midst of 'civilization' as it were, I'm an old pro at this game. Since I'm still in my first year as T2, I'm still working out the new playing field, but really it's not that different.

It's fairly common that I find myself at a place that only serves one or two dishes that suit me at all. Then there's always the special request which can be quite a cr@p shoot sometimes.

Sometimes a work function will drag me to a place that I know ain't my style like Long Horn's Steak House for example. They kinda pride themselves on not offering any "rabbit food". Even the salads are carcass laden.

Last time this happened I trumped all my coworkers by ordering the hot fudge brownie sundae for my main course. Oh man, they were all ranting about how they should have done that instead of whatever dead thing they had been inspired to order.

Now as a T2 I have to re-think even that option. Hmm... tricky. Water and cole-slaw?

art · #3 (**permalink**) 06-02-2008, 07:53 AM

you can usually find something on a menu.
I've only been at this for a year so I tend to experiment with food.
The worst case for me is, I dig out a needle and correct and remember not to eat that again.

Other than the obvious I'm pretty much eating quite well.

But I do miss Sweet and Sour Pork.

Art

BrianSCohen · #4 (**permalink**) 06-04-2008, 08:16 AM

I've learned to be quite agile in restaurants. Often, if you kindly tell your waitress that you have D, they will often work to make you a custom meal if needed. I routinely shop the menu, looking for any mention of meat and vegetable elements in random dishes. Almost always, a restaurant will let you substitute a carb side with a vegetable side. More of a challenge is a restaurant which is narrow and specialized, such as a pho shop or a pasta place. Even in these places you can be creative. Ask for no noodles and in their place ask for veggies. I love blanched spinach or brocolli with sauce and meatballs. The thing that is most difficult is finding stealth carbs, sugar in sauces, that even the chef is not aware of. You will just have to deal with this.

No for me the real challenge is going to a business meeting at a sequestered location where they will "provide" breakfast. When you get there, you have bagels, danish and donuts. Now what do you do? For me, I tend to have a backup snack. It is even worse for me as I also avoid fruit.

Mich · #5 (**permalink**) 06-04-2008, 01:06 PM

I'm a tuna fan. Prefer the real thing, grilled, but in a pinch, a great fast meal can be had at Subway (!) Sandwiches.

They sell a little salad and will put any of their meats on it with low-fat (good) Italian dressing. I have 'em put a couple of scoops of tuna (50 cents more I think) on it with extra olives and peppercinis. You can also order avocado or an extra dressing for a nominal fee. It's the perfect quick, relatively cheap healthy lunch for me and it's available everywhere!

Beats driving through you-know-where.

Mich

Kim_in_TN · #6 (**permalink**) 06-22-2008, 12:12 PM

I'm sort of "enjoying" it as well now! I love seeing things left untouched on my plate! It's wonderful to finish a meal, feel satisfied, not overstuffed and know that it was guilt-free!!!

Oh, and sometimes you can just order a side salad or a couple of side items and no entree.

ShottleBop · #7 (**permalink**) 06-28-2008, 09:36 AM

I have grown adept at (1) ordering the fish tacos without rice and simply not eating the tortillas (discovered the hard way that eatin the tortillas could take my blood sugar up 50 points in an hour), (2) ordering a carne asada salad in a fried flour tortilla bowl and not eating the bowl, (3) ordering fajitas (grilled chicken/shrimp/beef and veggies) and not eating the tortillas), and (4) ordering a burger and not eating the bun. At one catered dinner meeting I attended where I had ordered the veggie plate (you don't know until it's served what you'll get), I cut the ravioli open and ate the fillings.

We went to Outback the other night, where I ordered a filet mignon "Griller" plate. I gave the grilled pineapple to my son. The grilled veggies had a sugared glaze I had not expected (and would ask them not to do next time), but I ate them anyways, and four forkfuls of the whole grain and wild rice. No spike.

Favorite restaurants are ones that serve breakfast all day: I can order an omelette.

Penny · #8 (**permalink**) 06-29-2008, 02:43 PM

Today, I ate at Applebees with my red hat group. I had one of their smaller proportion meals...7 oz sirloin steak, a side salad with ranch dressing and steamed veggies. The meal came with mashed potatoes, but I asked to substitute the salad. (They make really nice salads) One of the ladies had a birthday and brought cupcakes, and I ate one. Two hours later, my BS was 122! I was very pleased, felt like I had won the game.

Scrabblechick · #9 (**permalink**) 06-30-2008, 09:22 AM

Would you believe Cracker Barrel? They do actually have a low-carb menu and their salads are great. And Shottle, I agree! When you can get breakfast, you can always do low-carb. (More points for CB. They have whole wheat toast and sugar-free fruit spread, with breakfast all day).

Quizno's also does a good salad, as does Zaxby's, if you stick with the blackened chicken and omit the onion rings. Wendy's also has a good Caesar side salad, and with the croutons in a separate package, you can ask for it without.

I try to go places that offer veggies as sides, and as was also mentioned, you can almost always get a side salad. Oil and vinegar dressing is my preferred choice, since I know exactly what's in it.

You can do it, but it does take some ingenuity.

slipperyelm · #10 (**permalink**) 06-30-2008, 05:06 PM

I ordered a very carby meal at a tavern today. It was hummus with pita bread. The hummus was topped with ground Calamata olives and roasted red peppers. I asked to substitute fresh red pepper pieces for the pita but they said they did not have any fresh peppers---which made me wonder how they could have roasted peppers.

Well, I usually do pretty well with hummus. It is pretty low on the glycemic index. I thought I could just ignore the pita, but I should have told them just not to bring it. I ate half more than half the pita and all the large serving of hummus.

My BG was not good. Lunch was six hours ago and BG is 126. (Didn't test until now.)

Pita is not my friend. And hummus should only be a friendly acquaintance!