Did you know that on average, you'll eat 30% more calories from a meal at a restaurant than you would a meal from home? Scary, huh? This is a tough one for me because I love to go out to eat...no preparing food with a child attachment on my leg, I am the one getting served, and no cleaning up afterward! The danger in eating out, is that there are the temptations of appetizers, entrees large enough for two, drinks and dessert. If you're not careful you may end up leaving a restaurant having eaten way more than your body possibly needs. This can make you feel sick and cause a setback in reaching your health goals.
You can eat out while living healthy and maintaining a healthy weight; just be smart about it. Here are some tips to try when eating out:
1. Order water OR order the drink you want PLUS water
2. Skip the appetizers, OR order an appetizer as your meal
3. Share an entree with a friend, OR eat part of it and take the rest home
4. Skip dessert and/or get coffee instead. For special occasions: get dessert and celebrate!
What has worked for me is cutting the meal in half and taking the other half home. I then either save it for lunch the next day or give it to my mom if its something really good! portion controls are hard for me since I LOVE good food! LOL. But this has helped me a lot
ReplyDeleteNadia--I love eating and love good food too! Glad to hear that is a "tip" you are already practicing. :)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention in the post today, that there are some restaurants where the portion sizes are actually for humans and not bears! I can eat every single morsel on my plate at Panera. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, avoid fried foods at all costs when ordering. There will be a "fit tip" about that later...