Losing weight + dining out (what you need to know)

What you need to do to change your body composition is simple - executing consistently is extremely challenging.

The more meals you can prepare yourself, the more accurately you can track your calories.

We live in a society where it’s easy to hop into a drive thru for a quick meal, grab a bite at a restaurant after a long day at work. Heck - a lot of our jobs require eating out for meetings, events and entertaining clients.

The more we can limit dining out, the better positioned we are to reach our goals. If you’re dining out more than twice a month, additional discipline is required to make heathy decisions. (Unfortunately, it’s not always a “special occasion”).

Why does grabbing restaurant food make it harder to reach your goals?

As we know, changing our body composition requires staying within our daily calorie budget (a calorie deficit if trying to lose fat) while hitting your daily protein goals. Keeping an accurate food diary yields the best results, and it’s impossible to know the exact nutritional information and portions when you’re not making and weighing it yourself. This is because restaurants often don't provide calorie counts or nutritional information for their dishes. Even if they do, the information may not be accurate, as it can vary depending on the ingredients used, the cooking method, and the portion size.

Here are some tips for tracking your food more accurately when you eat out:

• Look for restaurants that provide calorie counts or nutritional information online. This is the most accurate way to track your food, as the information is coming directly from the restaurant.

• Use an online food tracker. There are many online food trackers that allow you to search for restaurant dishes and enter your own custom entries. This can be a helpful way to estimate the calories and nutrients in your meal if the restaurant doesn't provide nutritional information.  Adding a tablespoon of butter to your meal helps account for unknown oils or butter used when cooking (or not scraped off the grill from the previous meal cooked)

• Be prepared to estimate. Even if you can't find the exact calorie count for your meal, you can still get a rough estimate by looking for similar dishes online or in a food tracker.

• Ask questions. If you're unsure about the ingredients or portion size of your meal, don't be afraid to ask your waiter or waitress. They may be able to give you more information to help you track your food more accurately.

• Be mindful of your portion size. Even if you're tracking your food accurately, it's still important to be mindful of your portion size. It's easy to overeat when you're eating out, so try to take smaller portions or share your meal with someone else.

Tracking your food when you eat out can be a challenge, but it's definitely possible. By following these tips, you can get a more accurate picture of your calorie intake and make sure you're staying on track with your fitness goals.

It can be awkward saying to to a meal out (suggest coffee or a walk instead), and ordering “healthy” while with others. The more you practice doing this, the easier it will be next time. And if the people with you make comments, tell them to watch their own bobber;)

Check out these and other tips to support your goals next time you’re dining out!