In my last post, we discussed ideas for limiting your portion sizes as a way to continue to get rid of belly fat when eating at home. But, what are you supposed to do when you go out to eat at a restaurant?
No fear, in today’s post I’ll cover several great ideas on how you can continue to lose that fat stomach while eating out at your favorite restaurant.
Get Rid of Belly Fat…Even When eating out:
As you are aware, we are now eating out much more than in the past. In fact, the restaurant industry now gets 46% of every dollar spent on food!
And to make matters worse, restaurants complete for your business by offering huge serving sizes! Since the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) surveyed serving-size standards in the late seventies
o a typical cookie is 8 times bigger
o a serving of pasta is almost six times as generous
o steaks are three times as large
Suggestions for controlling your serving size while eating out:
o Split an entrée with a friend
o Ask for a doggie bag at the beginning of the meal! Put half your meal away, out of site, to be enjoyed another day
o Request half-orders
o Make a meal out of an appetizer and a cup (not bowl) of soup
o Ask the waiter to remove the bread or chips from the table
o Drink a glass of water with lemon, or a cup of hot tea, with your meal
o To help fill you up, eat a dinner salad (veggies only, no cheese), and ask for the dressing on the side. Use only 1Tbl. of the dressing. If necessary, ask to have the remaining dressing removed from the table! You can add lemon juice for extra flavor. You could also ask for light or fat-free dressing, but many of these are loaded with artificial ingredients and partially hydrogenated fats, so eat sparingly, if at all.
Is that “healthy entrée” really healthy?
In addition to serving sizes being huge, many restaurants sabotage what you think is a “healthy” meal by adding in tons of hidden fat!! This even applies to items that are “steamed” or “grilled”.
Chefs do this to make the meal look more appetizing, but beware: if those “healthy” steamed veggies glisten, they may contain up to 400 calories, much of it from fat. If you are certain that the restaurant only uses real butter, and pure, extra-virgin olive oil, this is not a big concern. However, most restaurants use “fake” butter and cheap oils, which will interfere with your body’s ability to burn fat effectively.
Tips to use when ordering at a restaurant:
o Order your veggies steamed or grilled unless they can assure you that only REAL butter or olive oil is used during any stage of preparation
o Ask that eggs be prepared without kind of fat (unless you’re sure they use real butter).
o When ordering a sandwich, throw away one slice of the bread
o At Italian restaurants, order fish grilled dry, and a side of plain steamed veggies. If you are craving pasta, order an appetizer portion, and share it with your dining companion. (However, I don’t recommend pasta since most restaurants do not sell whole grain pasta!)
o Order salad with dressing on the side. Many dressings are laden with sugar and cheap oils, so you certainly don’t want your veggies floating in this mess.
o Order salads with cheese on the side.
o Stay away from pasta salads.
o Ask for balsamic vinegar and lemon juice to use at your table.
o Order you meat, chicken or fish grilled or broiled with absolutely no fat Unless, of course, they can guarantee real butter or olive oil.
o Skip any food with the word “crispy”, because this generally indicates the food has been fried. This even includes sushi.
When the craving just won’t go away:
When the craving for chocolate, potato chips, French fries, or some other snack food hits, think small! Since depriving yourself can lead to an over-the-top binge, when the urge strikes and you can’t shake it, go ahead and give in occasionally. The secret is to have just a tiny bit.
READ LABELS to help you choose the “least offensive” junk! (And remember, it is junk, and you should not be filling your “temple” with junk!!)
For example:
• Order a small size White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks
• Buy a single-sized serving of chips rather than a full-sized bag
• Get a bite-sized piece of gourmet chocolate instead of a whole candy bar. (Dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate. Has anti-oxidants as well as less sugar).
• Order the child-sized fries instead of a large portion. (Better yet, “bake” your French “fries” at home!!)
By doing this, the small portion will be enough to satisfy your hankering, but there won’t be “leftovers” calling your name later!
When you learn to include ideas like the ones just discussed, you can continue to get rid of belly fat even when eating out.
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Good tips! Thanks!