Congratulations! You’ve successfully made it through Thanksgiving without sabotaging your healthy diet, and you’ve committed to joining Cycletique for high-energy classes and fat-burning workouts.
As Christmas quickly approaches, our calendars continue to fill up with dinner parties, happy hours and a number of other social events that involve food, drinks and fun. Joining friends and family at a restaurant doesn’t have to be your excuse to throw away all your hard work and efforts.
Follow these tips while eating out and you’ll be satisfied with not only your choice of meal, but with yourself, too.
Prepare Ahead
If you have plans to dine out for dinner, be sure to eat lighter meals throughout the day. Before heading to the restaurant, check out their website to become familiar with the menu and the menu terms. Knowing what you want ahead of time makes ordering less stressful, and you’ll be less likely to give into peer pressure at the table. Some online menus provide nutritional information, too, which can help make your decision easier.
Ask for It Your Way
If you want something prepared differently than how it is described on the menu, ask for it! Be assertive by asking for changes. Instead of fried, ask for grilled. Instead of French fries, go for a baked potato. Ask for a half portion of the entrée and add extra vegetables. More times than not, the restaurant will cooperate.
Beware of the “Fad Diet” Menu Options
Many restaurants now list the nutritional facts of many foods. Try ordering from the “healthy” “light” or “low-fat” menus. Oftentimes these items provide you with lean proteins and whole grain substitutes. Be careful with the low-carb options because these items tend to be high in calories and fat. Low-carb doesn’t mean low-calorie!
Do the Fork Dip & Skip the Bread
Ask for your dressing on the side when ordering a salad. Dip your fork into the dressing, and then load the fork with salad. You’ll be surprised at how good it still tastes, without the extra oil and fat. If you need something else to munch on with your salad, instead of the basket full of white bread, ask your server for a whole grain option or some crackers.
Skip the fancy drinks. Over Thanksgiving, we reviewed some alcohol alternatives to cut calories. The next time you dine out, keep in mind where a lot of hidden calories can be found – your fancy drinks. We’ve provided some examples from the USDA of the average calorie content of popular mixed drinks:
- 8oz Pina Colada – 397 calories
- 12oz Margarita – 540 calories
- 4oz Chocolate Martini – 318 calories
- 4oz White Russian – 425 calories
- 5oz Red Wine – 120 calories
- 5oz White Wine – 116 calories
- 4oz Rum & Diet Coke – 90 calories
Keep These Tricks Handy
Sticking to a healthy eating and workout plan over the holidays can be challenging. Keep these tricks handy the next time you are out for a holiday celebration, and you’ll be less likely to abandon all of your hard work. Relying on these tips will help make eating out a healthier treat!