Low Calorie Meals in Chain Restaurants

        While I was fully submersed in my disordered eating, I would not eat at restaurants. It was simply just to terrifying so I completely avoided it. Not eating out with friends and family took a big tole on my relationships. It isolated me making the whole issue ten times worse.One day I decided I could do it. I'd plan ahead so I would not have to worry so that when I got to the resturant I could just enjoy! And that is exactly wha happened. I did enjoy it! Surpringly there were a ton of ways to eat "safe" while I was out.

Here is a few of my favorite meals usually between 150-350 calories that I like to eat out. I include the origincal calories and for some of the options I show how I cut the calories back then include my calorie total.  I hope this helps anyone else who has food fears like me.


Cheesecake Factory


A restaurant known and lived for it's huge portions. Up until recently it was impossible to find a meal under 500 calories there. With their new skinnylicious menu that task has become much easier.


When I go I order the skinnylicious spicy chicken salad. It is 440 calories. Which I consider to be high for a meal so I get the rice and beans on the side and that easily cuts the calories down to 240 calories. I estimate the cup of rice at 100 and the beans at 100 calories. I also never can finish the large portion of chicken. I take around 20-40 calories off for that amount.


So the total amount of calories is 200 calories. Yummy and filling.


Bertuccis


I like to get soup and salad here. They have two low calorie soups and a great low calorie dressing.


Soup choices:


Sausage soup: 120 calories for a cup. This soup has a lot of protein and is very filling. *option to cut out more calories ask for no cheese in the soup. 100 calories


Tuscan Minestrone soup: 100 calories a cup. Very hearty and filling as well. 85 calories


The salads I always order with the lite-burgundy dressing which is 20 calories per 1 fluid ounce. I ask for it on the side and use only 1/2 cutting it down to 10 calories. 


I usually order the Insalata salad which is 150 calories or the Vivaldi which is 110 calories. *To cut a few calories out you can eliminate the olives from the salads.


For a minimum total of 230 or a maximum of 290 it is hard to go wrong with these selections.


Paneras


The "pick two"s have always been my favorite however keeping the calories low was always a challenge until I found my perfect pairing.


1/2 classic salad 80 calories
1/2 chicken noodle soup 80 calories
No bread, chips or apple for me.


A fabulously low 160 calorie total.

Outback

The Outback can be a tricky place to eat when on a diet, but with a plan in hand this restaurant is completely doable.

When I go to The Outback I get

The Outback special 6 oz steak with no butter for 230 calories and I get grilled asparagus for 55 calories and the fresh steamed French Green beans for another 55 calories.

The total for this is 340 calories if you eat every last bite. I myself can never finish a whole steak and typically eat about 2/3 of the steak, which I count as 154 calories. Which brings my total down to 263 calories.

Ihop

Eating at Ihop has become loads easier with their Simple and Fit menu. There are a few options to choose from here as well. Who doesn’t love Ihop?

Simple and Fit- Two Egg Breakfast it comes with scrambled egg substitute however I always opt for egg whites. I do not like egg substitute. Since egg substitue is mostly egg whites, I just don’t see there being much of a calorie difference so I don’t account for it. Two strips of turkey bacon, whole wheat toast and fresh fruit. A complete meal for 350 calories.

The Simple and Fit’s “Two X Two X Two” is 400 calories 

It is egg substitue (again I prefer the egg whites) two strips of turkey bacon and two buttermilk pancakes.

To break down the meal in its calorie content is the best way to strategically plan what to eat when ordering this feats.

The buttermilk pancakes are 110 calories each. Together equaling 220 calories.

The two strips of turkey bacon are 50 calories

Leaving the eggs to be 130 calories.

That’s a whole lot of food and for me too many calories for one meal. Especially because I like to add butter, or syrup to my pancakes. 

So here is my Ihop 2x2x2 plan:

I eat ½ the eggs- 65 calories

½ of one pancake - 55 calories I usually add butter or syrup (so I add another 25 calories)

both strips of turkey bacon (50 calories)

giving me a total of 195 calories including the butter or syrup. And I get to take the left over pancakes and eggs home and make another yummy meal out of them! For me that’s a win-win.

I also like to make my own combination of things at ihop.

Often I will order:

4 bacon strips 150 calories and egg whites 140 calories = 290 Calories I love bacon so occasionally that’s really all I want!

Their chicken noodle soup is only 170 calories. (I tend to leave some of the noodle behind to save a few calories).

The Simple and Fit Oat meal for 290 (usually only eat ½ = 145 calories)

House salad 90 caloires with the reduced fat Italian dressing 15 calories.

Applebees

In college this is the affordable late night place my friends all go. Often I was left with no choice but to eat here simply because my friends love the two for one drink specials.

If I am going to eat here this is what I order:

Asiago Peppercorn Steak with seasonal veggies- With sides this steak is only 380 calories. I however always ask for it to be prepared with no butter and no cheese. That cuts a good 50 calories out. 25 for the pat of butter and 25 for the tbsp of asagio cheese. Making the meal only 305 calories. 

Chicken noodle soup (as you may have guessed by now this is a common order for me) – 150 calories for a bowl

Chicken tortilla soup 160 calories a bowl.

Cajun Lime Talapia- 350 calories. This is served on a bed of rice (about one cup) which I opt out saving at least 100 calories. I also ask for no butter on the veggies. Very yummy. This is my favorite choice on their menu for only 250 calories.

If I am going for drinks:

I get Diet coke and rum. This can be order on the two for special. Diet coke and rum average about 60 calories a beverage. Totaling to 120 calories for two drinks.

Ruby Tuesday's

This resturant also hoped on board with the low calorie entrees options. I have not had the pleasure of trying any of their new Fit and Trim menu. The new menu boasts entrées under 700 calories (yikes). However there are much lower calorie menu options available.

In my browse through the nutrition section I found:

White Bean Chicken Chili is 227 calories

Creole Catch is 250 calories

Spaghetti Squash Marinara 257 calories

Berry Good Yogurt Parfait 162 calories

Side orders:

Grilled Zucchini 41 calories

Grilled Green beans 45 calories

Fridays

Another place many friends will suggest when going out to eat is Fridays. Its casual late night atmosphere is attractive for twenty something’s like myself. Finding “safe” food here has always been a challenge for me. Here is my limited list of what I order…

Oval salad- 40 calories. It is a side order and a small portion.

House Salad - 210 calories with out dressing my guestimate w/o cheese- 190 calories (I usually only use vinegar and oil. I measure out 1tsp of vinegar 1-5 calories and 1/3 tsp oil which is around 10 calories). So that brings the salad to 200 calories with dressing. Even their “low fat” balasamic vingertte is 130 calories. I completely avoid all of their dressings.

Tortilla soup- 250 calories- very rarely order this and if I do I ask for no tortilla chips in it which cuts out about 30 caloires. Making this soup 220 calories.

California Pizza Kitchen

I love the California Pizza Kitchen. It is also a place where you can have a little this, a little that and it still be ok. I love to share dishes with whoever I am dining with here. The portions are quite large and sharing easily minimizes that for me. It also allows me to sample a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.

So here is my little this and that at the California Pizza Kitchen:

Soups (all in a cup size)- If I am sharing a salad I usually get a soup.

Artichoke and Broccoli Soup- 101 calories

Dakota Smashed Pea and Barely Soup- 174 calories

Salads – The portions at CPK are huge so half of a salad to share as an appetizer is plenty for two people!

Roasted vegetable salad (half size) 298 calories- shared = 151 calories

Chinese Chicken Salad (half) 331 calories- if shared= 146 calories

Think Crust Pizza- I will share and usually only have a slice if I get soup or salad. But if this is all I order I will eat two slices. Most of the thin crust pizzas average around 1100 calories. When you split that by 8 slices you get 137 calories a slice. Not so bad after all.

Olive Garden

America loves Olive Garden. I do too! However you have to know how to navigate olive gardens menu to get the best of it!

The bowl of salad that comes to the table at Olive Garden averages 350 calories a serving! That’s a whole lot for just salad. A good way to cut the calories in the salad is eliminate the olives, cheese, croutons and dressing. Just with out the dressing the salad reduces its calories to 120. So with out the extras the salad ends up being a harmless 40-50 calories.

Ask for oil and vinegar and measure it out. Tsp of olive oil is 33 calories and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar is around 6 calories.

Those steps bring the salad down to around 90 calories.

If you are sharing the salad, just ask for all that stuff on the side. So the person you are dining with doesn’t feel obliged to give that stuff up for you.

Ok on to the menu

Musses de Nappoli – 180 calories. It is an appetizer but with salad and soup that’s a big meal to me!

Minestrone Soup- 100 calories

Pasta e Fagioli Soup- 130 calories

Venetian Apricot Chicken- 400 calories – I only eat half. 200 calories.

And I of course will update this as I go! <3 happy eating