Keeping the calories down while eating out has always been a challenge for me. When I go out to eat or on a vacation, the food is different and I get tempted to have what is not the best for my health or my weight loss program. The other challenge is knowing the ingredients of the dish. Did they use too much oil, for example?
Planning Ahead: The Key to Success
Jackie Keller, my weight-loss coach, says that planning ahead and creating a strategy will set you up for success. Here are a few tips that will help you as you work to master the art of eating out with control.
Set a goal for what you are going to eat before you are sitting in front of the menu. I often go to the website for the restaurant to see what they offer. Many of the chain restaurants will have the calorie count for each dish on the menu. I remember going out with friends and ordering a delicious salad because we thought the calories would be low. I came home, went to the website and discovered the salad we had thought was a winner had more than 850 calories.
When I go for a business lunch, I find the safest dish for me to order is a grilled chicken salad. I take a small bottle with the portion of dressing for the salad. I like a dressing that is very low in calories and high in flavor (2 tablespoons for 35 calories) — Paul Newman Sesame Ginger lite dressing. Grilled fish with a double order of vegetables without butter is also another safe choice.
Rolls, bread or chips that come to the table for you to eat while waiting for the food are real danger. I usually ask the person that I am going with if it is OK that we do not allow these items to our table. Most of my friends are supportive, as they also do not want to fill up on refined carbohydrates.
When people ask me out to eat, they usually ask me where I would like to go. I have a restaurant, which is a Mexican grill, where the food is really fresh, delicious and nutritious.
Dessert Strategies: Enjoy Without Overindulging
For a long time, dessert was a challenge. I hated to sit and watch my friends enjoy something that I would have loved to have had. I have found that most restaurants have some nice fruit, and if not, I take a package of yogurt and ask them to bring that to me in a bowl. You could also have a banana with the yogurt, and it would be great. As long as I have something that I am enjoying, I do not feel deprived.
If you’re worried about being successful, find someone to whom you can be accountable. Send an e-mail to your support person or make a call, and review goals and strategies to accomplish them. Writing it down and talking to someone reinforces it, and you create a better chance of winning at the eating-out game.
