7 Diet Tips for Eating Out

It’s one of the biggest conundrums anybody who’s trying to kick starts a rewarding diet: you want to eat a healthy meal that doesn’t throw you off track, and you know restaurant dishes are often calorie-dense, but you can’t avoid restaurants forever. There’s no need to worry! With these 7 diet tips for eating out, you have no reason to eat at your kitchen table tonight.

Plan ahead

In this day and age, it’s customary for restaurants to post their menus online. We do live in the 21st century, after all! Hop on the restaurant’s website and decide on a great healthy dish, saving yourself from the temptation of seeing sly, sinful dishes at the restaurant. Plus, to ensure you get the necessary nutrients for the day, you can plan the rest of your meals around your planned dish at the restaurant.

Don’t oust the appetizer list

A surprisingly large amount of restaurants serve over-portioned entrees, rendering it unhealthy (salads aren’t exempt!) and hazardous to your diet. As well, not only will an appetizer lighten up on the portion, but it will also lighten up on your wallet.

Take it home

If you decide to opt for an entree of epic proportions, then ask your waiter to bring a take-home box with your meal. Split your meal in half (or thirds, depending on the size) and eat it for lunch the following day.

Be picky

In the heat of the moment, that salad smothered in ranch dressing may sound like living out a fantasy, but take a second and think about if this will debunk your process. Don’t be afraid to ask your waiter to put the dressing on the side. By drizzling it sparingly, you have just saved yourself gobs of calories! Along those lines, ask favors of your waiter. Requesting to substitute the potatoes au gratin for steamed broccoli doesn’t make you high-maintenance. It makes you healthy.

Just because it’s free…

Steamy, buttery bread is placed in front of you and it’s free?! Any woman with tastebuds and a good head on her shoulders would be ecstatic about that. However, that steamy, buttery bread is also a good way to mess up a good diet. To keep your hand from reaching in the basket, order a side salad for an appetizer or a cup of coffee to keep you from mindlessly munching. It’s also a good opportunity to lose yourself in the conversation around you.

Focus on your goal

Let’s go back to that bread. Is eating that bread going to help you attain whatever goal you have set for yourself? By continuously focusing on your goal, that bread will look less and less appetizing.

Drink strategically

Water is the obvious drink of choice at a restaurant. However, if you must get an alcoholic drink, be strategic; many cocktails are brimming with calories. In this case, beer and wine are good rules of thumbs, or a cocktail that is low in sugar.

The amount you eat at home should outweigh how much you eat out, but don’t deprive yourself from a lunch with the girls or a romantic dinner with your significant other. With these 7 diet tips for eating out and discipline, you’ll be reaching your goal in no time!

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