Is it possible to eat out?

[SummerBreeze1980]

I've just started SW. I've calorie counted in the past and found eating out easy - I would check out the lower calorie items then make sure I saved enough calories. But looking at the Syn values of restaurant food it seems pretty hard to eat out as you don't have enough Syns to cover a meal. For example a Pizza Express Legerra Pandana pizza is 23 syns and a Nandos Beanie burger is 27.5!

Yes you can, you either enjoy it and draw a line or choose salads, or lean steak or fish

Make sure you ask for things like dressing/sauce/cheese on the side so you can portion things out yourself. Try and have a look at the menu online before you go so you have more time to make an informed decision, rather than getting carried away in the restaurant. One thing I do is have a diet soft drink rather than alcohol so I’m not consuming calories in both the food and the drink.

Alternatively, as Butternutsqoosh said, you could simply eat what you like, draw a line under it and carry on with SW from there. I lost over four stone doing that, but I never felt that any day/week/month was a write off simply because of one meal.

Just have a cheat day / day off and start again. If it’s a regular thing you’ll have to have salad and ask for sauces on the side etc.

Thanks for all the advice. Eating out/ takeaway isn't a regular thing so should be ok now and again.

@SummerBreeze1980

I've just started SW. I've calorie counted in the past and found eating out easy - I would check out the lower calorie items then make sure I saved enough calories. But looking at the Syn values of restaurant food it seems pretty hard to eat out as you don't have enough Syns to cover a meal. For example a Pizza Express Legerra Pandana pizza is 23 syns and a Nandos Beanie burger is 27.5!

You have to use your weekly syn allowance don't you?

Pizzas are quite high in syns, even for the leggera. When out at an Italian, I usually go for pasta with tomato sauce (stay clear of creamy dishes), ask for any dressing on the side. I would normally have a side salad with balsamic vinegar on.

In Nandos, the butterfly chicken with skin on is 2.5 syns, spicy rice (regular) 2.5, side salad or broccoli for speed food....leaving you enough syns for the naughty nata at 8.5....stay away from the carrot cake at 37!