Low calorie menus

Most restaurants make it so damn hard to stay within your daily calorie allotment! They can be very deceiving too - you see the chicken and broccoli and think to yourself oh I cook that at home all the time it's super healthy. Ehh not so much if you're watching your calorie intake you can cook a piece of chicken beast on a grill pan with some seasonings and steam broccoli and have a fulfilling meal under 400 calories easy! But the cooks at the restaurant don't care about your diet or how many calories you need to stay on track for they care about making the best food possible so you come back. Which means adding lots of unnecessary oils and sodium to their dishes that make the same chicken and broccoli you made at home for 400 calories easily double the calories! 

I personally rarely go out to restaurants to eat for that very reason it's too hard to control what you're eating. When I do I try and stick to restaurants that cater to calorie conscious people like myself that have alternate menus with meals under 500 calories. 

Here's a list of some chain restaurants that have low calorie menus-

Seasons 52

-my favorite! The whole menu is actually 500 calories! And it changes with each season so you're always getting the freshest and healthiest options. You still have to be careful here because even though the entrees are 500 calories it's easy to blow your daily cals on an app an entree and a mini indulgence at the end.

Cheesecake Factory

-probably one of the most popular low cal menus (so patrons feel justified to indulge in the cheesecake when their done- ha). Their Skinnylisious menu is all under 600 calories- great portions and over 50 options to choose from!

Applebee's

-they have a Weight Watchers endorsed menu and under 550 cal menu. But you have to watch out with the sodium levels here even on the healthier menu because most dishes pack a whole daily allowance of sodium in one plate!

TGIFridays

-their Right Portion Right Price menu is a good option - does go up to 750 calories and sodium levels get up their too. This is a restaurant I would plan in advance and check the menu online before I got there if at all possible to get a game plan on what I would have so I can plan the rest of my meals through the day accordingly. 

Red Robin

-Red Robin doesn't have a set menu just the back page of their menu with healthier options. Be careful with this menu because it has the same names as items that aren't on their low cal page - so when ordering a Cobb salad for example it's important to be clear if you want the healthier option or not. On a plus note they do have macronutrient breakdowns on their website for all the Marco counters out there.

Red Lobster

-their Lighthouse Menu is low cal and all heart healthy fish options with omega 3 fatty acids and rich proteins.

IHOP

-their Simple and Fit menu has some really nice options! Some of the plates do go up to 600 cals but most stay in the 350-450 range and have options from breakfast to lunch to dinner!

Denny's

- America's diner has your back! Their Fit Fare menu - careful though they can go up to 650 cals but many of heir dishes are in the 400 range so just take note. Plus side of Denny's is they're so convenient to find all over if you're in a pinch and need a quick healthy meal on the go.

Subway

-Subway is a great option to eat healthy for little cost away from home with their Fresh Fit menu. The Fresh Fit menu is not very extensive and is very low in calories for the most part - 200-350 calorie range. So another option might be to customize their regular menu for yourself and take out certain parts of other sandwiches that would make the calorie intake over 500. Or you can make life easy for yourself and order off the Fresh Fit menu if you're not sure what to sub out.

ENJOY!