Eating Out When On a Diet
Warning!
Dining out in a restaurant is a high risk activity. The presence of alcohol,
a delicious looking menu, and the sight and smell of cooked food will
tempt even the most disciplined dieter. So please think twice about dining
out if you fall into any of these categories:
- You have just started a diet
- You find it difficult to dine out without
bingeing
- You know that you will end up in a fast
food restaurant
- You have raised cholesterol
10 Ways to lower the risk
There is no foolproof way to dine out in complete safety as far as your
weight is concerned.
However, here are a few practical suggestions
to help you eat out without doing too much damage to your waistline. You
won't be able to follow all of them, but if you manage one or two it'll
make a difference.
- Don't make sudden decisions to
dine out
Instead, plan ahead. This enables you to be extra careful with your
other meals in the days leading up to your meal out. This doesn't mean
you should starve yourself - just make sure you stick exactly to your
diet.
- On the day in question, eat normally
Don't be tempted to starve yourself just because you're going out later.
(It's counter-productive!)
- Choose restaurants with low fat options
Fish restaurants are good choices, so are any restaurants with good
salad bars.
- Avoid all fast food restaurants and
'eat-all-you-can' menus
They may be excellent value, but you'll end up wearing most of what
you eat.
- Always order a starter
Choose soup or a fruit/salad-based dish. (Note: Ask for fat free dressing
on all salads.)
- Help yourself to bread
Easy on the butter!
- Go easy on the alcohol
Partly because of it's calorie-content (which is quite high), partly
because too much alcohol tends to make us throw caution to the wind.
Result? Hello cheesecake!
- Ordering main dishes
Choose lean meat.
Avoid sauces with oil, cheese or mayonnaise.
Ask for vegetables without added butter or oil.
Ask for baked/boiled potatoes, not fries.
Ideally, ask for sauces and dressings 'on the side'.
- Order extra vegetables
Vegetables are low calorie. Indulge yourself.
- Enjoy a lower fat dessert
Any fresh fruit.
Lemon meringue is OK.
Jelly/Jell-O is fine.
Plain ice-cream is OK.
Say No to cream. Instead, ask for yogurt or a scoop of plain ice-cream.
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