Alright so today I wanted to talk a little bit about how to deal with going “out” for dinner!
Just to touch on something I said earlier in my blog, it’s really important to not restrict yourself from enjoying the foods you love or the restaurants you love. This can just cause us to want to break the restrictions and we end up often making not-so-good choices. So, I’m going to give you a few tactics that I use when I want to go out to a restaurant for a nice dinner.
1. Do some research ahead of time.
Pre-plan your meal! A lot of restaurants have web pages now and they have easily accessible nutritional information. Alternatively a lot of PDA and data devices have applications available to help you with this search on the go! Then you don’t have to mull over the menu and be tempted. You can also make considerations for how you want to choose your meals earlier in the day to allow for a special dessert or a glass of wine – whatever your tastebuds desire!
2. Don’t be afraid to ask!
If you don’t have access to the internet in order to preplan, never be afraid to ask for the nutritional information listing from your server. All restaurants are required to have the information available – either in a form you can take away with you (which is handy to keep on file for later!) or a booklet that has to stay in store. They are often more than glad to get it for you so that you can make a healthy choice.
3. Eat what you want, just eat less of it!
So you want to have some pork ribs – nothing wrong with that! Go for it! With your nutritional information in hand, just do a little bit of math. If your ribs are 800 calories, and you want to have more than just ribs, section them off. Ask for a doggie bag right away and have them halve the portion into the container. That way you’re eating more responsibly, you’ll have some for lunch the next day and you can still afford to have a side with your ribs!
4. Choose your side wisely, young skywalker!
We all love fries. Come on, admit it. But we also all know that they aren’t that great for us. There are often many other delicious options available that we can replace our fries with and this will make a significant difference in the fat and calorie content of our meal. Check the menu for your choices – they often range from garden salad, (César salad but its sometimes more), seasonal vegetables, a single veggie choice, soup, or baked beans. They may also give you other options for how you want your potatoes cooked – baked, mashed etc. If you don’t see the choices, ask your server!
5. They don’t put water on the table to look good!
There is water on the table at most restaurants, and it’s a great way to reduce your calorie intake. A glass of water while ordering will help you consume less of the food you love. It is also a great replacement for empty calories from sugared sodas, milkshakes and sweet alcoholic mixed drinks. I personally will always skip the pop/juice at dinner and replace it with water. (Also, if you want to know a little secret, the ice cold water on the table actually burns a few calories (12 I think), while your body warms it up after you ingest it!)
6. Share! (Its hard to do, but a valuable lesson learned in preschool)
So, you want that cheesecake mousse. And it’s givin’ you the eye. “I’ve made good choices tonight!” you think. You’re going to order it but you don’t know if you should eat all of it. No problem! If you’re out with girlfriends, I’m sure there is another of your friends that would be glad to share with you (especially if you’re on the healthy journey together!) Or, if you’re out with your spouse or partner you can ask for two spoons and romantically share you dessert. You’ll eat it more slowly and enjoy it! (Maybe you'll burn off the calories later!)
7. Ditch the filler. It just fills out your pants!
Bread on the table, Starters – they’re bad news. Why waste your calories on bread? Deep fried cheese sticks don’t really fill you up. Avoid these diet-busting foods at all costs.
Hopefully I’ve been able to give you a few good tips that you can use, especially with the holiday season upon us. There is absolutely no reason why you can’t enjoy your office party – just enjoy it smarter!
Don’t forget to watch my blog tomorrow for an “inches update”! I’m also going to doing a Vlog tomorrow about some of the top *diet* killers. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn about what you’re putting in your mouth!
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