Eating Out While on a Weight Loss Diet
People who want to lose weight are often challenged by the matter of eating out while on a diet. Many of us enjoy eating out as a special treat; others may need to eat out for social or business reasons. The question, then, is how to maintain a weight loss diet while eating out in restaurants? Although it may require some changes to your usual food orders, it is definitely possible to have great fasting and healthy restaurant food without packing on the pounds.
Here are a few diet tips for eating out.
Watch Your Portion Size
If you eat out only occasionally, you may want to eat regular portions and bypass the diet for one meal. On an infrequent basis, this will not have a significant negative effect on your weight loss efforts.
However, if you eat out often, then portion control is definitely needed. Most restaurants serve larger portions of food than our bodies require.
One approach is to eat half of your meal and ask to have the rest packaged to take home for another day. Even if you heat it up and eat the meal later the same day, the impact on your weight will be less since you have spread the calories out over a period of time.
Another tactic could be to order one entrée and split it with your companions instead of eating the entire main course by yourself.
Some smart dieters order two appetizers and bypass the entrée altogether. OR, you and your companion could order an appetizer each and share the main course. Or you could eliminate the appetizer or starter and eat only the main course.
Ask about Ingredients and Request Special Orders
When in doubt, ask about the ingredients in an item that interests you. Ask if the soup contains cream. If it does, choose something else. Ask about the ingredients in the house dressing. If it is laden with mayonnaise or sugar, opt for the oil and vinegar dressing instead.
Often a high calorie restaurant meal can become a reasonable choice by asking to have an ingredient or two changed or removed.
Ask if you can substitute a salad for the French fries. Ask if the fish can be served without the rich sauce. Ask if the fruit bowl has been sprinkled with sugar. If it has, ask if you can have it without sugar.
Although some people may be embarrassed to ask for special requests in a restaurant, you will usually find that the wait staff and other restaurant employees are cooperative and helpful.
If you still feel uncomfortable asking about special requests, simply say that it is a medical matter or a health issue.
You are speaking the truth. Overweight is a medical risk and losing excess weight is important to you health. Today's chefs and restaurant managers are keenly aware that many of their customers are nutrition conscious. They will usually do their best to accommodate you.
Watch Out for Hidden Calories
Certain foods are chock full of hidden calories that can stymie your excellent weight loss efforts. You must be aware of these foods when you are eating out. For example, sodas and pop drinks are high in calories and most of these calories come from sugar. Drink two sodas and you have consumed almost as many calories as you would ingest with a medium sized entrée.
As an alternative to sodas, drink plain water, or water with a slice of lemon. You might also ask for bottled water such as Perrier if you want to feel a little celebratory. A second advantage to drinking water instead of pop is that you will have a better appreciation for the flavours of the food that youhave ordered.
Salads can also be pitfalls when you are eating out. Salads such as Caesar salads, taco salads and Greek salads can contain more calories (most of it from fat) than a meal at a fast food restaurant. All you can eat salad bars are deadly, especially if you load your greens with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, croutons, etc.
When ordering salads, ask for the dressing on the side. Avoid the creamy dressings, as they are usually high in fat and calories. Lighter dressings, such as Italian or oil and vinegar are better choices. Apply with moderation. Vegetable salads have more crunch and flavour if they are but thinly coated with dressing.
Remember these weight loss tips and eating out doesn't have to be a diet buster.
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