Can I really eat out????

    So lets get real,is it really possible to go to a restaurant and get food is it??? Well yesterday this problem presented itself to me. A dear friend of ours took our kids for the day and my hubby and I were off to Williamsburg for a day of adventure. Sounds great right, well it was!!!! The problem arose though, where would we eat, and how could I get away with eating out without wrecking my new lifestyle changes????? Well, this is how it went.
   We decided to look at a menu and try to make a wise decision Now for those who do not know my regimen, I eat 12-1500 calories a day and try to make sure every bite counts, so looking at the menu was no easy task. We opened to the salad section, and thought this might be the best bet, a Santa Fe salad with black beans, chicken, mixed Greens, the usual salad stuff. Well, guess what we asked for the nutritional info and it was 1600 calories?!?!?!?!? A salad!!!!!! What??? How???? Well, this proves that salads are not always the answer, so we looked at the nutritional info sheet that gave us (most restaurants will give these to you if you ask) and settled on a  nacho,half the chips,400 calories tons of fiber and protein! Perfect and I assure you it was yummy!!!
   After walking around all day we decided to have a fast dinner, but you know what that means..... Fast Food!!!! Surely you can not eat fast food and stay under 1500 calories!!!! Well, the ever faithful Subway salad was unavailable, as there was no Subway to be found,so we walked into a Wendy's. Fries were out of the question, and fried was too, so what was left?? Did you know Wendy's posts the nutritional info on the wall. So after much deliberation, we settled on a small chili and a grilled snack wrap a total of 420 calories, and filling!! Not to shabby!!! Needless to say, later when we walked into the Candy Factory, I had enough calories left to have a small piece of chocolate at 75 calories. : )
    All this to say, just because a special day has arrived, and you find yourself in a restaurant, that does not mean you have to order a boring house salad. Research low calorie options by asking for nutritional info.Always substitute fries for veggies of a baked potato. Also do not base your decisions on what sounds healthy, find out what is really has in it and how many calories it will cost you. Salad dressings add major calories, and many other added things are just as bad. So salad does not me good for you! We had a nacho at under half the calories!!!! So do not avoid eating out, just be smart!! Happy healthy lifestyles to you all!!!!