Tips while dining out at restaurants
FACT - we all enjoy going out to eat.
Whether we’re celebrating a birthday, grabbing beers with the boys, happy hour with the girls, or simply not in the mood to cook - we live in a society where it’s SO easy to run through a drive-thru, or pack up the fam to grab some wings.
FACT - the more meals you eat at restaurants, the more challenging it’s going to be to lose weight.
Yep. We said it.
“But I have to entertain clients”, “I’m carting my kids to and from sports practices”, “I’m exhausted after a long day at work and don’t want to cook”.
Trust us - we get it.
We’re not going to bullsh$% you - if you’re dining out more than twice a month, it’s NOT a special occasion, so you HAVE to be more intentional with your choices if you’re going to continue to have other people cook for you if you’re trying to change your body composition.
Below are our favorite tips when dining out:
Take five seconds to Google “healthy options at….” (insert name or type of restaurant) - there are oodles of articles online that provide tips from registered dieticians you can follow
Before choosing a food item, imagine if you had to deconstruct that item into each individual ingredient in that item - could you do it? Deconstructing a steak, baked potato and broccoli is far easier than deconstructing honey Sriracha boneless wings three cheese macaroni, isn’t it? Choose the easier option. Unless you’re a culinary savant and know the ingredients they use in the breading on the boneless wings;)
Start with a side salad, and drink a couple glasses of water before your meal comes
Choose entrees that are baked, broiled or blackened - avoid foods that are fried, glazed or “smothered”
If you’re ordering a salad, make sure the protein is grilled, not fried - ask for the dressing on the side and dip your fork in it before taking a bite
Choose zero calorie beverages
Ask for fruit, veggies, cottage cheese or a side salad instead of the fried
Double the protein on fast casual meals (double turkey, barbacoa, etc.)
Is this always easy or fun? Nope, it’s not, but it IS necessary if you want to continue seeing progress towards the body you want!
And if we’re really being honest, dining out is NOT faster or more affordable than cooking yourself - we’ve all been in that Chick-Fil-A line that lasts FOREVER, or had to pull ahead to wait for our food:)