Restaurant eating.....how to make it okay

We eat out....A LOT! Now, before you think it's because I am too lazy to cook or am looking for an easy way for dinner, that is only half the story. We travel frequently on weekends to our granddaughter's gymnastics meets. That usually means at least one night in a hotel, which translates into eating out. This weekend, we will be gone 2 nights.

Breakfast is not an issue; we stay at hotels that have breakfast and I often get oatmeal or yogurt. I usually forgo the juice, as those are empty calories that I would love but know I don't need. Lunch and dinner can be a problem, depending on where we eat. My daughter NEVER eats fast food, so that is not an issue. But, sometimes I am limited on choices.

After the meet, our granddaughter usually gets to pick the restaurant since she has worked so hard (physically and mentally). Again, she, being her mother's daughter, is not much of a fast food eater; she would rather have fresh fruit than a cookie, so generally eats well. But, she often picks a pizza joint; salad is not always a menu choice, so I either limit myself to 1 slice of pizza and am hungry or eat more than I really want (should). Also, depending on what time her meet is, we might eat late (last time we ate dinner at 9:30p.m.)

We carry snacks with us, so have food for the trip to and from the meets and nighttime munchies. But, I struggle with those lunches and dinners.

How do I work with the unknown (we often don't know where we will eat until we get there)? Getting 4 adults and 2 children to agree on a place is difficult in the best of times. So, I drink lots of water during the meal and hope I don't overeat. But, I know I go over my calories on those days. There is not always time to exercise more when we are away, because we are constantly on the go. I always have my swim suit and workout clothes with me, in case I can sneak in a few minutes for myself.

I will try extra hard this weekend, as we are also celebrating our other granddaughter's birthday while we are away. I will need to write down some strategies to take with me and sneak a peak at when I am tempted to eat more.