6 Tips for Eating Out While Losing Weight
Always ask for condiments and dressings on the side to control your portions. A little cup of dressing on the side can easily add an extra 250+ calories.
Be smart with sauce. Red sauces like marinara usually have fewer calories than creamy sauces like Alfredo.
Remember that most dishes are cooked in oil or butter, even things like omelettes and grilled chicken. This means they can have more calories than you might think. The chef in the back doesn’t care about your fitness goals but he definitely cares about making the food taste amazing so you come back to the restaurant.
If you find yourself at a restaurant totally unprepared, take a quick photo of your plate and track it later. Progress over perfection. You’ll continue to learn and get better at making intuitive choices that support your goals.
Learn portion sizes at home by using a food scale to measure in grams when preparing meals. This will help you understand serving sizes and nutrition better for long term success (and also see just how unreasonably big restaurant portions tend to be).
If you eat out a lot because of work or other commitments, remember not to treat every meal as a special treat. Instead, try to make choices that support your goals most of the time and save the splurges for truly special occasions. All foods can fit, just not all the time. Be intentional.
The goal is to ENJOY your meal and make fun memories; while also making mindful choices! You’ve got this.
