Hello everyone,
I've spent a long time today on this website reading posts from different people. I started the Atkins induction plan last Thursday and have lost 3 lbs so far. However tomorrow I leave with hubby for the weekend and we will be away from home which means eating out. Can anyone help with ideas of what to eat at fast food places, or quick fixes... we are going to Madison, WI, so we can stop at grocery stores, just no home cooked meals. Also any meals in restaurants that are induction friendly.

thanks

Welcome!! Eating out is always a challange. One thing that helps me is to try to go to restaurants where I should have a several low carb options from which to choose. Since you will not have kitchen facilities on this trip, induction friendly breakfasts will probably be limited to eggs & meat of some kind. The Cracker Barrel Restaurant has a good low carb menu for all meals. At McDonalds, I have had sausage Mcmuffins w/egg but no muffin for breakfast and for lunch, or dinner the Big n Tasty or the double cheeseburger w/o ketchup or bun and a side salad with a little of the Balsamic vinagrette works well. You will also be able to eat on plan at any number of steakhouses like Golden Corral, Ponderosa, Ryans etc, if you limit yourself to the plain meats and the low carb friendly selections from the salad bar and the low carb friendly hot vegetable selections. Any restaurant where you will have a choice of a plain (no breading or sauce) meat and low carb vegatable or salad will also enable you to eat on plan while you are on the road. You may want to avoid Mexican or Italian restaurants, unless you know that they will have something for you. When I am traveling, if time permits, I try to look at a restaurant's menu before deciding if I will eat there. For example, if the hotel has a restaurant, I will look at the menu during non-mealtime to see if I want to go there when it is time to eat. Similarly, when I am out I will look at restaurant menu's to see if I would want to go back there for dinner. HTH.

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Henry

Bonnie, some grocery stores have salad bars where you can buy containers of the fixings for a nice salad, usually by the pound. If you have a cooler, you can keep your favorite lc salad dressing, buy some pre-diced cheese, maybe some deli meats, or pepperoni, etc., and have some really nice salad meals. Wouldn't hurt to have some napkins, plasticware, paper plates, etc., in your car. And drink lots of water, avoid the sodas. Traveling can cause you to retain water, and the best way to get rid of it is to drink water.

TGI Fridays has a good lc menu, and some of the items not on the lc menu are also very good, just substitute some veggies for the potato.

Have a great trip.

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Nita

Mexican restaurants: Fajita Salads are my fav.
Red Robin does a great Cobb Salad.
Other restaurants do grilled chicken salad or chicken Caesar. (Don't eat the croutons)
Usually you can get the potato/starch substituted with grilled veggies of some sort.

Eggs, Bacon and Sausage make a good breakfast, lunch or dinner - just forgo the toast/juice/hash browns. As a matter of fact, drink nothing but water and bring some liter bottles along to drink through the trip.

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Sven
305/218/200
Start Date: 1/1/06

Welcome to low-carb eating.
The food's not bad here.

thank you so much these really help. heres to a succesful lc weekend away... will post when I get back on my success.

Most fast food chains have some decent salads these days, McDonalds, Jack-in-the-Box. But, try to stay away from that kind of place if the sight and smell of french fries will cause you discomfort. If you do get a fast food salad, check the dressings before you dive in, as some are quite high carb. And, if it's a huge packet of dressing, don't feel like you have to use all of it as the LC-friendly dressings (ceasar or ranch) are usually very high cal.

In restaurants, when you order just ask for extra veggies instead of rice, noodles, or potatoes. I've never, in 3 years, had a problem with any restaurant being unwilling to make subsitutions. Both higher end and modest restaurants are very accommodating that way.

Most importantly, enjoy your weekend!

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.