When you're on a diet, one of the worst things you can do is avoid restaurants. I know this sounds like it's against all the advice you've ever heard about dieting, but it's absolutely true. Why? Here's a couple of reasons:
1. If you avoid restaurants, you'll feel bad about your diet (it's keeping you from your friends, after all) and you'll want to give it up.
2. When you reach your goal weight, chances are, you'll start eating out again. You're likely to regain the weight because you haven't learned the discipline of eating out properly
3. Related: Eating out is THE BEST WAY to learn self control.
Intrigued? The following are some tips I've compiled for learning to eat out responsibly.
1. When you arrive, ask the waitress for a glass of water, or tea (the warmth of it makes you feel full). Drink it before ordering, it will take the edge off your appetite. Get a refill when the waiter comes to take your order.
2. Many diets will tell you to avoid all breaded, or fried foods, breads, pasta, rices, sweetended drinks, and of course, desserts. If you learn to exercise some restraint, you can eat these foods, just be smart about it. Ideally, oder lean foods in the freshest form possible. In addition to chicken breast, an old standby, try poached salmon and sea bass. Chilean Sea Bass is an incredibly luxurious dinner that is almost always cooked very simply. You'll look chic and nobody can tell you're on a diet. Most shellfish is also low in calories, just avoid the sauce.
3. Don't drive the waitress crazy trying to order lunch portions or change your order around. Just eat less when it arrives. Eat most or all of the protein, all of the vegetables, and a few bites of whatever carbs come with the meal.
4. Do request salad dressings on the side. Restaurants put TONS of dressing on salads and it's fairly common to ask for it on the side.
5. DO order a side salad instead of fries. Pay extra if you need to. Fries are empty calories, whereas salad is great for you and fills you up for very few calories. The salad itself usually only has 20-50 calories if it's all vegetables--so skimp on the dressing.
6. Slow down. Chew slowly and take time to actually taste and appreciate your food. Talk more. Take one or two sips of water between bites. Set down fork after each bite. At the end of the meal, you will have probably eaten less than half of your entree (you'll start to be amazed at how people wolf down their food in a short amount of time). When the waitress asks if your done, say YES.
7. Be discreet about your diet! You are there to enjoy time with others, not to draw attention to your relationship with food. Nobody, I repeat, Nobody, wants to hear about your diet. And the more you talk about it, the more you will feel like you're depriving yourself, and the more likely you are to quit or cheat.
8. When dessert time comes around, order a nice drink, such as a cognac if you drink alcohol (a shot of most liquors contains only 70 calories, compared to more than 600 for the average restaurant dessert). If you're with a date, offer to share and have a bite of his (I have a 3 bite rule: eat no more than three bites of a dessert. You'll find you enjoy it more if you savour a few bites of a delicious dessert).
9. If you don't drink, order a tea or coffee. Feel free to add a spoon of sugar--a teaspoon is only 15 calories and it makes it seem like a treat.
10. Feel free to take home your leftovers if your dinner companions are doing so. If not, leave them behind. It's a small price to pay for a trim waistline.
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