Tips for Eating Out

It's coming up on the weekend and I’m sure your weekend is packed with picnics, summer fun, birthday parties or dinner at a restaurant. As I’m writing this sentence my blood pressure is already starting to rise because I know that all of these things are filled with high fat, sugary, and hard to resist temptations. The last picnic I went to the menu consisted of pigs in a blanket, roast beef, stuffed chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, salad, and fruit salad. Oh, and need I forget the beer, liquor, pop, cookies and cake! So needless to say there was not much for me to choose from. I did my best to keep it clean.

To keep from having to stress about everytime you go out in public and eat here are some of my best tips to help you not only stick to your goals BUT feel confident in your choices! You don't have to avoid eating out-- you just have to be on your toes.

1. PLAN! I ALWAYS peak at the menu before I go so I know what choice to make before I get there and smell ALLLL the food. I am 100% always hungry when I arrive at a restaurant (duh!) So I want to make sure I'm making the best LOGICAL choice and not the HUNGRY choice!

2. Repeat to yourself "I don't have to eat it all!" You don't have to finish your plate. YOu don't have to eat everything on the table. You don't have to have dessert. KEEP YOUR GOAL IN MIND

3. Speaking of not eating it all portion control by halving your plate and boxing it up! I will often do this FIRST thing as I get my plate and eat only what's left. The portion sizes are SO much bigger than what I actually need. Bonus: I get lunch for the next day!

4. Satisfy your hunger only. This one used to be sooo hard for me. But if you eat until you're full and not stuffed, you're eating intuitively.

5. Start small and green! I ALWAYS start my meals with a salad with dressing on the side. I am a huge ranch fan so I"ll dip my fork into the dressing and then get a bite of salad. This way I'm still getting a giant burst of flavour BUT not loading up on the calories and fat. If there aren't any salad options I'll go with a broth based soup.

6. NO BREAD PLEASE! Remember this is not helping you achieve your 10 pound weight loss goal.

7. Eat what you eat at home! Look for entree options featuring steamed or raw veggies, grilled, baked, or roasted meats or fish. If they're not listed you can always ask the server to have it prepared that way.

8. Don't trust the low fat or fat free symbols. Fat is also a necessary macro for satiety, feeling of fullness.

9. This is going to sound weird, but practice chewing each mouthful for 25 times. Believe it or not, it gives your body a chance to recognize when you are becoming full.

10. Skip alcohol. I know some of you may have gasped at this. But, you'll want to avoid it because the sugar and calories from alcohol can derail you majorly. Have some sparkling water with lemon or lime slices instead. Once you've reached your goal or are hitting your bench marks THEN celebrate. But routinely? Skip it.

11. Skip dessert OR have fresh fruit with ship cream. Think of your plans to shed those pounds, eat healthier, feel better, etc. I know I feel SO bloated, so lagged, and just blah after eating a huge meal at a restaurant and then topping it off with dessert. It takes me a few days to get into the swing of it again. Another healthy option is bringing some healthy cookies with you and order some coffee.

If you can't resist the restaurant offers.... then PRE-GAME! :P This way when you go out to eat you don't have to even worry about what's on the menu and you can focus on socializing.

I tend to avoid the drive through at all cost. But, I get it. I know sometimes life gets busy, you forget to eat, this is just where you end up, and the kids are screaming. It happens. SO, If you're having to go through the drive through my go tos are always a side salad with some kind of grilled meat and fruit. At Wendy's I"ll order a grilled chicken wrap with extra veggies kids meal with fruit and water. At McDonalds often it's grilled chicken with a side salad.  I'll cut up the thicken and place on the salad with an olive and vinegar dressing or a low fat balsamic.

I get it, one of the most difficult things to manage while following a healthy lifestyle is your social life. So surround yourself with family and friends that support what you are doing and are not sabotaging your efforts. Instead of going out drinking or to a restaurant here are some alternatives:
Go to the gym
Invite them to your house to workout and stream Beachbody on Demand
Meet at the park and walk
Have a game night at home with healthy snacks!
Organize a game in your neighborhood or with the kids
Volunteer at a local charity (Animal Shelter?!!)

Eating clean and creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean you have to become a boring person. It just means you're having different experiences than just food and drinks. Think and live outside the box and you will have people wondering what you're doing because your energy levels are soaring and your personality is shining! :)