6 Tips for Eating at Restaurants While Losing Weight

Going out to eat is a part of life! But it’s pretty easy for a few meals out a month to lead to a 10, 20 or even 30 pound weight gain over the year.

A burger, fries and slice of cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory is about 2,000 calories, not including a drink! One meal like that a week will lead to 10-20 pounds gained in a year.

That’s because a chef doesn’t cook like you would. They don’t care about your weight - they want their food to taste AMAZING so that you want to come back! 

If you want to lose or maintain your weight instead of gain it, look closely at what you eat at restaurants.  

Tip #1: Take Control of Your Restaurant Choices

A menu is a suggestion of restaurant options. Make it your own. Ask if you can sub the side of fries for steamed veggies. Ask for the chicken to be grilled instead of pan fried. Ask them not to bring the bread/chip basket. You are the customer, you are paying for this meal. Have it how you want it. 

Tip #2: Know Restaurant Cooking Terms

Look for steamed, boiled or baked when looking at a menu. Sauteed = covered in oil. So does pan fried. Crispy = deep fried. Breaded = added carbs. 

Tip #3: Have a List of Healthy Restaurant Options

Have your go-to list of places with good options, and what you like at each one. I have this saved on my Google maps with notes for each, so I can just look at the area and know what is nearby. When someone asks where to eat, you'll have an easy list and can suggest a place that you know has good options. Don’t feel like you need to do this all at once. Take it one place at a time, and eventually you’ll have a robust list!

Tip #4: Plan What to Order in Advance

Look at the menu in advance and choose what you will order. It makes it much easier when you get there if you know what you will get, and you won’t be influenced by your hunger or smells of the restaurant.

Tip #5 Don’t Go to a Restaurant Hungry

If you don’t eat anything all day until dinner out, you’ll be starving and won't make the best decisions. The 800 calories you saved skipping breakfast and lunch aren’t going to balance out the extra 1,500 you had at dinner because you were hungry. Focus on protein and veggies at your other meals (like an egg white veggie scramble for breakfast and chicken salad for lunch) to make room for the higher calories at dinner without being hungry. Also, making a slightly earlier dinner reservation time - that way you'll be less hungry when you sit down.

Tip #6: Minimize Meals Out to Control Restaurant Calories

I know, I know, this is a dining out guide! But if you can reduce meals out, it’ll make weight control easier. Convenience options for home, like frozen Trader Joes meals, or meal delivery services can help with having a quick meal that is cheaper than takeout and much fewer calories. Check out meal kits such as Hello Fresh, Blue Apron and Freshly, that can make cooking at home easier.

Source: www.thenourishedpath.com/blog/7-tips-for-eating-at-restaurants-while-losing-weight