|
|
Top 10 Rules for Dining out
 Many of us enjoy going out to
eat. Unfortunately a number of people throw
their 25 percent or less fat budget out of the window. Even worse, many eat
unbalanced meals and/or
binge when eating out. Some people will even
skip
breakfast and lunch to compensate for the extra
calories they will consume when
going out for dinner. By the time dinner rolls around, they are so hungry they
make unwise choices and overeat.
Check out Top 10 rules for dining out:
 First rule – never, never, never go to a buffet. Life is tough enough
without surrounding yourself with temptation. I don't care how committed you
are, you will never have enough self-discipline to make it through an hour of
this kind of torment. Stick with ordering from a menu.
 Avoid
restaurants with names like
"The Keg" because just the thought of a
keg of anything adds three inches to your waist.
 Be sure to order what you really want when
eating out. If you only order
what you think you "should" rather than what you really want, you may be
physically satisfied but not psychologically satisfied; you will most likely
crave something more. If the meal is not enjoyable or satisfying, you may end
up ordering a
dessert (that you normally would not order) to fulfill your
cravings. Remember, you can still eat the foods you love; just try to be
creative and cut down on the fattening "extras" (butter, sour cream, etc.)
that are not needed in order to enjoy the meal.
  Drinks before dinner? Certainly you can order a drink, but be careful. Try
to stick with wine. Better yet, a wine spritzer with half wine and half club
soda. You can drink more for fewer calories with a spritzer. Wine has the
lowest calorie content per glass for alcohol. My personal favorite is
champagne. If the calories won't keep you from drinking more than two glasses,
the price will. If you must have the hard-core stuff-vodka, bourbon,
etc.-stick with straight up, rocks or mixed with water or club soda. If you
mix with juices, cola or tonic you are adding over one hundred calories to the
calories already in the liquor. And drinks like Margaritas, daiquiris, and pina coladas are of full of calories. The mixes are sugar, sugar and more
sugar. If you're going to have wine with dinner, don't let anyone refill your
glass before it's empty. When that happens you never really know how much
you're drinking.
 Don't spend one half to one hour before your meal arrives eating the
bread
they love to put in front of you. If you must, take one piece, put it on your
plate and pick small portions off every few minutes – no butter or dipping
oil. A better idea if you're going to be tempted is to order an
appetizer like
a salad or boiled shrimp to take the place of the bread or rolls.
  If you order a
salad always ask for the dressing to be brought on the
side. A great trick is to dip your fork in the dressing and then spear a
portion of the salad. You'll still get the taste with a lot fewer calories.
Soon this will be the only way you will be able to eat a salad. Once you taste
the fresh crisp greens, you'll never again want them soggy from being drowned
in dressing.
 Whether you're dining out or eating at home, stay away from breading and
frying. Remember the three "Bs": boil, broil or bake. Stir frying is also fine
. If you're eating somewhere that insists on covering every dish with some
kind of sauce, get it on the side or ask them to hold it altogether. By
putting the sauce on the side you can use the same technique as for the salad.
 Order steamed vegetables without butter. This way if you just can't stand
eating butter free vegetables, you can place a small amount on them yourself.
The key when dining out is to stay in control of what you're eating as much as
possible.
 Fish is a great menu choice if grilled, broiled or baked. Fish is an
excellent low-fat food - Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids
found in all seafood, including shellfish, oysters and shrimp. Most shellfish
and white-fleshed fish like flounder and even some dark-fleshed fish like
yellow-fin tuna contain less total fat than any other form of animal protein.
Always ask that salad dressing and sauces be served "on the
side." |
 Finally it's time for dessert. Don't panic there are two ways to go. Order
something sensible like fruit or sorbet. I personally like non-fat cappuccino
with artificial sweetener. Tastes fattening but it's not. The key here is to
keep it down to one or two – OK – three bites. Take them slowly and savor
them. There, you had that death-by-chocolate cake taste without adding an inch
to the hips. And don't you feel better about yourself!
  At Fast Food
Restaurant
Even fast foods have possibilities. Most "quick serve" chains
offer a selection of salads. Great choice if you stay away from all the dressing
and added extras like cheese and croutons.
Grilled chicken sandwiches are generally a better choice than hamburgers.
Stay away from beef and fried chicken sandwiches. Get mustard only – no mayo or
special sauce (whatever that is) – and always hold the cheese. If you simply
must have a side, get a small order. Always order diet drinks. If you are having
pizza, get thin crust and stay away from the meat toppings. Instead, order all
the veggie toppings you want.
Get familiar with your options and make wise choices.
|
Use non-diet thinking; avoid the diet mentality.
Diet thinking is irrational
and unhealthy: "I better eat as much dessert as I can now because tomorrow I am
going back on my diet," or "I'm full but I'll still have a piece of cake and ice
cream; I will work out extra hard tomorrow to work it off." Replace these
statements with the following healthier ones: "I'll take a small piece of cake
because I really want it. If I don't I will feel deprived and will most likely
binge later." "I really feel full. I would be eating just to eat. I am so full I
probably wouldn't enjoy it anyway. Maybe I could take a piece home for another
day when I would enjoy it more." Non-diet, healthy people are more selective
with their choices, and they pay attention to their internal signals of hunger.
They still eat what they want (being creative and limiting the extras) and they
may eat a little more than usual, but their regular eating habits prevent them
from unintentionally bingeing or overeating.
Related Links
|
|
|
|
|
