Last Updated: May 10, 2008 - 12:52:32 AM
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How To Eat Out And Lose Weight
You don't have to give up eating at restaurants if you are on a diet. Use these tips, and you will be able to eat out and still lose weight.
Author: Melanie Mendelson
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Date Created: Feb 8, 2007 - 11:49:22 AM
Last Updated: May 10, 2008 - 12:52:32 AM
Restaurants have a bad rep for making us fat. However, you don’t have to give up eating out if you are trying to lose weight. You can still eat out and lose weight if you follow these strategies:
Get Zero Calorie Drinks The easiest way to cut down on calories is to avoid soft drinks. A large coke has as many calories as a burger! Don’t get sugar-loaded drinks. Instead, drink water or unsweetened ice tea. Freshly brewed ice tea is very popular in restaurants because it tastes good and doesn’t make you gain weight.
Go Easy On Bread A slice of bread with butter has around 130 calories. When faced with a large bread basket, it’s easy to munch away three or more pieces! If you do that, the bread will cost you as many calories as the main dish. Be wise and limit yourself to one piece.
Don’t Arrive Too Hungry You can’t be rational when you are starving. If you are way too hungry by the time you get to a restaurant, you’ll just eat everything in sight. Grab a small snack before you head to a restaurant, so it curbs off your hunger and you can think clearly when making your food choices.
Make Healthier Food Choices Opt for chicken or fish instead of red meat, and baked potato or rice instead of fries. Choose foods that are steamed, grilled, broiled or baked instead of fried. Avoid dishes that are labeled as “breaded”, “crispy” or “battered” – those are the code words for “fried”.
Ask For Dressing And Sauce On The Side Even a green salad can pack as many calories as a burger if it’s swimming in a fatty dressing. To overcome this problem, ask for any dressings or sauces on the side. Then put a little bit of dressing or sauce on your food. This way you can still enjoy it and control how much you consume.
Pack Away The Extra Food Don’t wait till the end of the meal to ask for a doggy bag. Instead, ask the waiter to bring you a box in the beginning. Decide how much you are going to eat, and put the rest of the food in a box right away. This way this extra food won’t sit on your plate and tempt you. Plus you’ll have a great lunch the next day!
Share A Meal If the restaurant is known for especially large portion sizes, you can share a portion with a friend. One person can order a small appetizer, and another person an entree. Ask the waiter to bring all the food at the same time and also some extra plates. You’ll end up eating much less and save a lot of money as a bonus!
About The Author: Melanie Mendelson publishes weight loss tips and success stories in her free newsletter – sign up at http://www.weightlossblueprint.com/
Get Zero Calorie Drinks
The easiest way to cut down on calories is to avoid soft drinks. A large coke has as many calories as a burger! Don’t get sugar-loaded drinks. Instead, drink water or unsweetened ice tea. Freshly brewed ice tea is very popular in restaurants because it tastes good and doesn’t make you gain weight.
Go Easy On Bread
A slice of bread with butter has around 130 calories. When faced with a large bread basket, it’s easy to munch away three or more pieces! If you do that, the bread will cost you as many calories as the main dish. Be wise and limit yourself to one piece.
Don’t Arrive Too Hungry
You can’t be rational when you are starving. If you are way too hungry by the time you get to a restaurant, you’ll just eat everything in sight. Grab a small snack before you head to a restaurant, so it curbs off your hunger and you can think clearly when making your food choices.
Make Healthier Food Choices
Opt for chicken or fish instead of red meat, and baked potato or rice instead of fries. Choose foods that are steamed, grilled, broiled or baked instead of fried. Avoid dishes that are labeled as “breaded”, “crispy” or “battered” – those are the code words for “fried”.
Ask For Dressing And Sauce On The Side
Even a green salad can pack as many calories as a burger if it’s swimming in a fatty dressing. To overcome this problem, ask for any dressings or sauces on the side. Then put a little bit of dressing or sauce on your food. This way you can still enjoy it and control how much you consume.
Pack Away The Extra Food
Don’t wait till the end of the meal to ask for a doggy bag. Instead, ask the waiter to bring you a box in the beginning. Decide how much you are going to eat, and put the rest of the food in a box right away. This way this extra food won’t sit on your plate and tempt you. Plus you’ll have a great lunch the next day!
Share A Meal
If the restaurant is known for especially large portion sizes, you can share a portion with a friend. One person can order a small appetizer, and another person an entree. Ask the waiter to bring all the food at the same time and also some extra plates. You’ll end up eating much less and save a lot of money as a bonus!
About The Author: Melanie Mendelson publishes weight loss tips and success stories in her free newsletter – sign up at http://www.weightlossblueprint.com/
Author: Melanie Mendelson
Date Created: Feb 8, 2007 - 11:49:22 AM Last Updated: May 10, 2008 - 12:52:32 AM
Email this article Printer friendly page
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