Eating at Restaurants: How To Preserve Your Diet

For anyone trying to lost weight, eating out at restaurants can be a major obstacle. It is difficult to find things that fit into your plan, and difficult to order those things even when you do find them. Let's face it: snacking on celery sticks while everyone else is enjoying buttered breadsticks is not a lot of fun. It is perhaps advisable to avoid your biggest triggers in the earliest stages of a diet just for that reason. However, if you're confident of your sea legs, get out there and enjoy yourself! Here are some tips you can use to stay on track.

Salad

Don't pass up the dinner salad when ordering your meal. At many restaurants, a salad comes free with the entree. Even when it doesn't, this is a good idea. It will help curb your appetite, which will encourage you to eat less of your more calorically dense entree. Of course, it does no good to order salad if it has as many calories as anything else on the menu. Be very careful. A "salad" doesn't automatically mean "diet friendly." Keep it simple, go easy on the dressing, and know how many calories are in the food you are putting in your mouth.

Sauces

Foods that come with sauces are commonplace. This is how they set their food apart from the other choices. It's a good idea to see if you can get these sauces on the side, as they are often where the calories are packed. You can then choose how much sauce you add to your food, if any at all. Always try to food without the sauce. You may not need it!

Watch the Carbs

Bread, french fries, baked potatoes, and other forms of carbs are a great way to send your calories skyrocketing. While there is something to be said for all the negative press Atkins and other low-carb diets have received, there's no doubt that starchy foods are typically less filling and more calorie-dense than some easy substitutes. Ask for vegetables instead of french fries, and you'll be far better off.

Ask For Concessions

If you can't find anything on the menu that meets your needs, don't be afraid to ask for some concessions. Restaurants want to make their customers happy. You don't even need to explain why you're asking. If you just want a piece of grilled chicken, that shouldn't be too much to ask for. Now, if you get really crazy with special requests, don't be surprised if the staff turns on you, but a couple of concessions is really a small favor.