Eating Out Tips

Splash's Top 10 Tips for Eating Out 

When I have planned to eat out, I exercise 1000 cals that morning, I eat up to 600 cals only during the day (usually 3 small meals of 200 cals) so that I have 600 cals free for dinner incase the food is oily or if I eat a bit more than I should or if I taste someone else's dessert, etc...  And I always have a glass of water to sip - it was just handy. 

I found eating out became more about the social aspect than the food and that was really really cool for me.  I engage in conversations more now rather than think of and eat 3 courses of fatty sweet food all night. 

The important thing is PLAN if you CAN :). So, the steps I follow when eating out are: 

1 - Get a copy of the menu beforehand.

2 - Order one meal rather than three courses.

3 - Avoid the rices and pastas as the serves will be way too big and it's hard to only eat 1/3 of the meal without people questioning you.

4 - Look for grilled options as they may be a good choice.

5 - Ask for dressing or sauce on the side so you can just taste it rather than eat it all.

6 - I usually choose (in this order preference)    

      A - a salad with dressing on the side    

      B - an entre as my main meal   

      C - grilled fish, chicken or meat 

7 - A salad can be be boring though so make sure you don't feel left out if you order salad.  Order a fancy one with salmon or chicken or octopus (if you like those things and they are not fried).

8 - If you choose a meat dish, make sure it's not crumbed or fried or drenched in sauce. A grilled one is a better choice.  Ask for sauce on the side if you can and just dip the meat in it a couple of times to taste it then don't eat the rest. Look for steamed veggies too in these meals.

9 - Portion size is important.  You'll be realizing the 12WBT portion size is small when you cook the meals at home so eat similar quantities of protein, veggies/salad when you eat out.

10 - Dessert time!  Ummm enjoy a cup of tea (and just taste a teaspoon of someone else's if you really really need to).  I never ate sweets during my weight loss phase, not even on my birthday - I was on a mission and NOTHING was going to tempt me.

Let me know if this helps you by leaving a comment below, or share your tips below too!