How to Avoid Weight Gain When Eating Out
By Genevieve Cunningham
Who doesn’t love to go out to eat? It requires little effort, you get to dress up and look nice, and there’s zero cleaning up when it’s all over. What’s not to love? Perhaps the only real downside to going out are the money and the calories. While there’s little that can be done to avoid the cost of eating out, there may be a few things that you can do to make the experience just a little bit healthier. If you want to eat out with just a little less guilt, take a look at these tips to help you out.
Opt for Water
One of the easiest ways to consume fewer calories when eating out is to simply choose water as your drink of choice. Drink a glass before the food even arrives at the table, and then sip throughout dinner. Why? Because water contains aero calories and also makes you feel full, so you may eat less when it’s all said and done. As an added bonus, water is also free at most restaurants, so you’ll be saving a little in your pocketbook as well.
Read the Menu (and Fine Print)
Many menus in today’s world actually have the calories listed for each meal or item. Will it be exact? Maybe not, but it will be a good guide to get you started. Look for the items that are lower in calories, and choose accordingly. But make sure that you read the fine print as well. This will let you know how the calories are counted (serving size and how many are in each meal). This is a great way to reduce how many you consume at one sitting, and to get a good feel for your options when choosing in the future.
Cut Your Portions
If you choose a meal that isn’t on the restricted calorie list, just restrict your own calories. Cut all of your portions in half, and immediately ask for a take-home bag. This immediately cuts what you’ll be eating in one sitting. And by asking for a bag immediately, you’ll also be removing it from your sight, which makes it less tempting to eat. This option requires a little bit of self-discipline, but it will definitely be worth it if you can master this little trick.
Eating out in a healthy way is completely possible. But it will definitely require some planning and a bit of willpower. Use these tips to help you out, and when it comes to eating out, you may be able to have your cake and eat it, too.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Ventura, Calif.