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If eating out has caught you at a time when you’re following a weight loss plan, try to adapt your menu, so you don’t jeopardize your achievements.
Be it a business lunch, a quick snack between trips, or a fancy dinner, eating out is complicated for people on a diet. Besides the many culinary temptations, there’s another risk: ordering a dish that only looks dietary, when it’s a calorie bomb.
11 Eating Out Rules While You Are On Weight Loss
It would be simple if every restaurant menu included the nutritional content of the dishes! Until then, get into the habit of studying the menu thoroughly before ordering and check out these clever tips.
- Do your homework: Choose a restaurant where you know how the food is cooked and take time to check the content of their menu before getting there. Usually, dishes described as crunchy or creamy are high in fat. Likewise, don’t be fooled by the word ‘salad.’ Adding bacon, cheese, sour cream, or mayonnaise to a serving of vegetables loses the “fresh salad” quality and comes with extra calories. This is also true of salads served on a bread or tortilla blanket. Look for Japanese, Greek (Mediterranean), Swedish or Vietnamese restaurants. Their traditional cuisines are among the healthiest in the world.
- Don’t starve yourself: You know you’re going out in the evening, so you think of skipping lunch. Sounds familiar? Well, never skip a meal because, by dinner, you’ll end up starving, and guess what? You’ll tend to eat more than you should. Instead, have a light lunch (a salad with salmon or grilled veggies) and an afternoon snack like a high-protein yogurt. Studies show that a low-calorie but high-protein yogurt may improve appetite control and satiety, and reduce food intake when compared to other energy-dense, high-fat snacks (1).
- Don’t overdo the alcohol: It’s okay to have a glass of Pinot Noir or Merlot, but if you want to stick to your weight loss plan, you should watch out for the empty calories in alcohol. A dry wine with very little sugar doesn’t add too many calories, neither does a skinny cocktail (2).But if you drink more, you’re likely to work up an appetite and eat more. According to recent studies, there is a strong relationship between alcohol intake and obesity (3).
- Watch out for dishes labeled ‘light’: Diet food is present in all menus. But is it really a “diet?” Don’t be fooled by “light” labeled dishes that might be packing a high number of calories. Check out the menu thoroughly and aim for a balance of lean meat protein (fish, chicken breast, lean pork, or beef tenderloin), complex carbohydrates (brown rice, whole meal pasta), and monounsaturated fats (olive or rapeseed oil).
- Slim down on portion size: Smaller portions of food mean smaller calorie intake. How to do that? From your plate, eat just three-quarters and then stop. It might seem like an insignificant action, but it eliminates up to 300 calories from your total portion.
- Go for salad: If you have a salad bar available, fill your plate with vegetables, greens, chickpeas, and toss in a spoonful or two of light dressing. Limit bacon bits, cheese, croutons, or overly greasy dressings. And forget tuna or chicken salads if they’re “bathing” in mayonnaise.
- Say goodbye to gravy or dressing: Watch out for sauces that contain too much sugar and oil. If you’re spending the evening at a Mexican restaurant, you can order a grilled chicken taco, shrimp salad, baked beans, or veggie burrito. Even if you’re eating at a fast-food restaurant, you still have a chance to play it right: most serve salads with dressing on the side, so you can just add a drizzle of fat. Plus, in many fast-food restaurants, the calorie content of each item is displayed or written on a label, so you can calculate in advance how many calories you’re allowing yourself to eat.
- Don’t shy away from asking: Some places accept small changes, all you have to do is ask. For example, if you want a pasta primavera, you can ask them to use a little olive oil instead of butter and more vegetables than pasta.
- Choose a quality protein: Are you a carnivore? Choose lean meats, for instance, beef breast or tenderloin in goat cheese sauce. Be sure to keep the portion to no more than 150g.Skinless chicken breast contains 80% protein, turkey meat 70% protein, and lean beef 53%. Roast or grill it over the fire, rather than cooking it in oil. Maybe you prefer vegetarian dishes? Depending on the species, fish can contain up to 94% protein, such as tuna. Salmon, on the other hand, carries 46% protein.
- Eat smart: Counting your calories? There is a way to eat smart, stick to your diet, and not leave the restaurant feeling empty:• Choose brown rice or whole wheat bread instead of the usual.
• Replace fried potatoes with grilled vegetables or a salad.
• Instead of pasta with creamy sauces, order pasta with tomato sauce, which contains less fat and calories. - Don’t skip dessert: Seriously! If you turn down that chocolate soufflé you’re craving so badly, chances are when you get home, you’ll be serving something worse (like a whole carton of ice cream).
The secret? Order a portion of dessert for everyone at the table and take a few bites yourself. After all, sharing is caring!
Bonus!
One Shot Keto reviews – How It Works?
In addition to incorporating into your lifestyle a proper eating plan and exercise program dedicated to fat loss, adding weight loss supplements will help you increase your metabolic rate and burn fat already stored.
If you’re researching the best weight loss supplements to support your weight loss journey, look at One Shot Keto.
According to One-Shot Keto reviews available online by customers who have already tried it, the supplement is intended to support the process of ketosis (when your body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to burn for energy and it burns fat instead) without compromising health.
One of the active ingredients in One-Shot Keto is Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), an exogenous ketone that your body uses instead of glucose to create fuel and energy.
See also: 130+ Weight Loss Motivational Quotes
How to Make the Right Choice From the Menu?
It’s tempting to order your favorite dishes, but be smart and go for these lighter, safer choices:
Italian Restaurant – Of course, pasta is the highlight of any Italian restaurant, but the caloric sauces that accompany it are usually not to your liking. Stick to a seafood cocktail, grilled shrimp, or the delicious melon and prosciutto appetizer. Tomatoes in the form of soup or fresh juice are a safe option, as they contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. You can also enjoy a portion of pasta, but make sure it has marinara sauce without the cheese.
American Restaurant – American restaurants are all about fried foods and generous portions. It can be pretty hard to find something dietary. One safe option is grilled beef and a side of simple vegetables without sauce on the menu.
Pizzeria – First of all, why would you go into a pizzeria if you’re on a diet? Ideally, you should avoid it, but if you have no choice, stay away from the meaty pizzas (too much sodium and calories, too little fiber), and carbonated drinks included in various promotional menus and limit dessert.
To keep your silhouette safe, order a salad aperitif without dressing, a glass of white wine, and, if nothing else, a small slice of thin-crust pizza with vegetables.
Read also: Nutritional Tips To Stay Fit And Healthy During Ramadan
Final Words
Dietary change can be challenging, and if you’re having issues with weight, remember to consult with a professional. You can work together to create a balanced diet plan supported by the best weight loss supplements available on the market today.
The good news is that you don’t have to radically change your lifestyle to achieve your weight loss goals. Keep hydrated, exercise regularly, sleep adequately, and learn the controlling aspects related to dieting.
