# What should I order when I eat out or order in? Source: https://nume.co.in/eating-out/ ยท Checked on 12 November 2026 Pick a dish built around a protein food, add vegetables or a side from the same menu, and keep the thing you came for. A restaurant meal is usually bigger than a plate at home, so size it to the rest of your day and let your next eating time take up the difference. There is no need to skip anything before or after. That is how Nume plans a meal out, sized to the rest of your day. ## How big is a restaurant meal? Researchers measured popular meals from restaurants in Brazil, China, Finland, Ghana, India and the US. Ninety-four per cent of full-service meals and 72% of fast-food meals had at least 600 kcal, and fast-food meals had about a third less energy than full-service ones. A review of 29 studies found that eating out of home went with a higher energy intake across the day, and a larger share of it from fat. So a meal out often takes a bigger share of the day than a meal at home. That is a reason to size it, not a reason to stay in. **In Nume:** switch a meal to Out and Nume plans it as that meal's share of your day's energy and protein. When one full serving is more than the meal needs, an option can be part of a serving, with a tip such as "Ask for half the rice". ## How do I choose from a menu? - **Start with the protein.** Chicken, fish, eggs, prawns, paneer, tofu, beans, lentils, a meat or bean stew. - **Look at how it's cooked.** Grilled, roasted, steamed, baked, a clear broth. Cream, batter and rich sauces add energy fast, and when they are the reason you came, have them and size the rest of the plate around them. - **Add vegetables or a salad.** A shared side counts. - **Ask.** A smaller portion of rice, bread or chips, the sauce on the side, a little less oil. Most kitchens are used to it. - **Count the drink.** Water, soda water or a diet drink, or the one you want, counted. Plates that work in most cities: a burrito bowl with chicken and beans, pho with extra beef, chicken tikka with a roti and salad, sushi with miso soup and edamame, a souvlaki plate with salad and a little bread, grilled fish with rice and greens. **In Nume:** name the place or add up to four photos of its menu. Nume shows three options for it, each with its parts, amounts, energy and protein, and one tip on how to order it. When a restaurant publishes its menu on its own site, Nume builds the plate from that menu's dishes. Swap any part, or ask for a lighter plate, and "Copy this order" logs it once you've eaten. ## No menu, or ordering in? Without a menu, go by what the place is known for and use the same steps: a protein first, then the sides, then the size. For ordering in, dishes that travel well, such as curries, stews, grills, rice and noodle bowls and soups, arrive closer to how they left the kitchen than crisp fried food. With a family pack or a shared order, decide your share as it's served. **In Nume:** choose Ordering in, Places near me, Near home or Near work. Places near you are real listings, and each option can come from a different one. When there's no menu to read, Nume suggests the kind of dish to look for and how to order it. For ordering in, it picks food that travels well. Log a shared order and Nume asks once how much of it was yours. ## Are the calories on menus right? Many chains now have to show them. In England, food businesses with 250 or more employees have shown calories since April 2022. In India, menu labelling covers restaurants with a central licence and those with a state licence that have outlets at 10 or more locations. In the US, it covers chains with 20 or more locations. The figures are a good guide. A US study that tested 269 items from 42 restaurants in a laboratory found stated calories right on average, about 10 kcal apart. But 19% of items had at least 100 kcal more than the menu said, and dishes listed as lower in calories tended to run over. Use the menu number, and expect some dishes to come in higher. More on this in [how accurate calorie counts are](/calorie-accuracy/). ## At a friend's or family's table Eat what is served. Take more of the protein and the vegetables and less of what you'd happily leave, finish one plate, then decide on seconds. **In Nume:** choose A friend's place and Nume suggests the kind of home dish a host usually serves, with a tip on what to take more of and less of. ## What happens to the rest of my day? A bigger meal out doesn't need to be paid back. Have it, and let the next eating time be a little lighter. Meals don't need to disappear, and tomorrow starts as planned. **In Nume:** when a meal runs bigger than planned, the eating times left that day plan lighter and say why. Each stays at least a light meal, and nothing carries over to tomorrow. If you've already had what the day needs, the next one shows as light, if you're hungry. ## On a trip Hotel breakfasts, airport food, a beach cafe: the same steps work anywhere. **In Nume:** set a trip and your meals follow where you are, with local dishes and the breakfast where you stay, each with a tip on what to take. ## Eating out in Nume Switch any meal to Out, then name the place, pick one near you, choose Ordering in or add a photo of the menu. Nume gives three options sized for your day, from that menu when it has one, with the parts, amounts, energy and protein on each and a line on how to order. Your diet and the foods you never eat hold on every option, with Nume leaning to dishes reliably free of them, and the card reminds you to ask about your allergies in your own words. Log it with a tap, a sentence or a photo, and the rest of your day changes around it. See [how Nume plans a day](/how-it-works/), or [check whether a plan fits the days you actually have](/check-my-plan/). ## Common questions ### Can I eat out and still lose weight? Yes. Keep a protein food in the meal, size it to the rest of your day, and let the next eating time be lighter if the meal was big. A meal out fits a fat-loss plan like any other meal. The [calorie calculator](/tools/calorie-calculator/) gives a starting figure for the day. ### What is the healthiest thing to order? A dish built around a protein food, with vegetables, cooked a way you enjoy. What suits you best depends on what else you've eaten today and what comes next. ### How do I log a restaurant meal? A photo of the plate and a few words, such as "ate about half the rice", is enough. Words with the photo make the estimate much closer. ### Is fast food lighter than a sit-down restaurant? On average, yes. In the multi-country study, fast-food meals had about a third less energy than full-service meals. The dish matters more than the kind of restaurant. ## Sources - [Roberts et al., Measured energy content of frequently purchased restaurant meals: multi-country cross sectional study, BMJ (2018)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6290458/) - [Lachat et al., Eating out of home and its association with dietary intake: a systematic review of the evidence, Obesity Reviews (2012)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22106948/) - [Urban et al., Accuracy of stated energy contents of restaurant foods, JAMA (2011)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21771989/) - [UK government: Calorie labelling in the out of home sector, implementation guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calorie-labelling-in-the-out-of-home-sector/calorie-labelling-in-the-out-of-home-sector-implementation-guidance) - [FSSAI: Guidance note on menu labelling (2022)](https://fssai.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Guidance_Note_Labelling_23_02_2022.pdf) - [US FDA: Menu labeling requirements](https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/menu-labeling-requirements)