Dining out

Dining out is usually a challenge when you're on a diet.   I would suggest waiting until you're pretty well settled into your weight loss plan before you attempt that first night at a restaurant, but sometimes, that's not possible.  

The best thing to do when you go out is to have a plan.  Many restaurants have websites that include their menus.  Before you go, check out the website, read the menu and decide what you'll have (remember, we're thinking health).   If you take the time to really look, I'm sure you can find something that will work well with your new lifestyle.  

Look for grilled chicken or fish.  A lot of the time, grilled fish is served topped with herb butter.  Ask for the butter on the side so you can control how much goes on the fish.  Same with sauces.  Try to choose a dish that doesn't have a heavy sauce, but if you must have that, get it on the side.  The more you can control, the better.

Many restaurants will also take requests.  Have it your way is NOT just for Burger King.  Ask if your veggies can be steamed instead of sauteed, or if the chicken in the chicken parm can be grilled instead of breaded and fried, or if your pasta can be whole wheat.  And, just for the record, it IS possible to eat a baked potato without a ton of butter and/or sour cream.  You can even ask what fat free or low fat options you have for salad dressing.  You can even call ahead and ask if there are fat free or low fat dressings available.  If there aren't, bring your own in a small container.

If you're serious about changing your life and getting healthy, you won't have a problem.  Most of it is common sense.  You know to either stay away from the bread, or limit how much of it you eat.  Instead of putting on a huge glob of butter, use only a small amount, or none at all.   Have steamed veggies instead of sauteed or smothered in sauce.  Go for the baked potato instead of the fries or the garlic mashed potatoes.   In other words, try to stick with food that won't make you feel guilty after you eat it.

You also need to be aware that most restaurants have giant portions.  A good trick is to ask for a to go container when your food is brought to the table.  Split your dinner in half and pack up one half immediately.  Out of sight, out of mind.   

Appetizers and desserts can be shared.  If there's a salad bar, indulge!  Filling up on lettuce never made anyone fat (not that I know of, anyway).    The trick is to go in with a plan and stick to it.  The more you read a menu, the more you'll want the gooey stuff.  


Then again, if you know you'll be going out with friends, you can eat healthy all week and use this night as your cheat night.  Just take a good, long walk the next day!!!!

So many to choose....

When you finally decide you're not happy with your weight, there are many choices to help you reach your goal.  Only you can decide which is right for you.

There's the Atkins diet, where you eliminate carbs.  I tried this for a while a few years ago and snapped because of the lack of bread (I love my bread almost as much as I love my steak).  I had a small piece of bread one day and it was like crack!!  I had to have more.  Yes, I lost weight, but once I had my bread fix, I couldn't stop and the weight came back.

Nutrisystem is an option many people found success with.  I looked into it and was seriously going to try it, but it was WAY too expensive!!!!  Yes, it's about the same as I would be spending at the grocery store in a month, but when I shop, I don't have to lay out $400 up front.  What I spend each week is manageable, laying out an amount like $400 in one shot is not.  Besides, I'm kind of fussy when it comes to food.  There are certain things I will not eat.  One of my "no way" foods is fungus (aka mushrooms), and fungus is in a lot of these foods.

Jenny Craig is another option.  I'm told the food is good and it works, but I've seen the portions.  The one person I knew who was on this plan couldn't take it for more than 2 weeks.  One night, she went to a party, saw the bowl of chips and got lost in it.   That was the end of it for her.  She did try it again and lasted 4 weeks that time, but depriving herself of foods she really wanted was too much.

Then there's Weight Watchers.  This is my personal favorite.  At Weight Watchers, they actually teach you how to eat.  You're not locked into food that's prepared and packaged; you learn to prepare the food yourself and you learn portion control.  This helps when you go out, whether it's to a  party or to a restaurant.  You could look at a menu and make the right choices.  Many restaurants now have healthy choices on their menus, so it's easier to enjoy your night out.  If you're going to a chain restaurant, you can even go on line to look at the menu and decide what you want before you even get there!  That helps you plan your meals for the rest of that day.  I know that if I'm going out at night, I'll stick with fruit for breakfast and salad for lunch so I can have what I want for dinner.

It's also amazing when you think how many empty calories there are in drinks!  The first year that I joined Weight Watchers, my friends and I met up in Florida.  I had reached my goal at that point, so I wasn't going crazy sticking to my points.  We went to Key West for the weekend and I swear, I must have used all my weekly points on margaritas! 

There are also really good frozen dinners available.  Lean Cuisine, Smart Choice, Healthy Choice....all good in a pinch.  I would bring one for lunch every day while I was working.  I wouldn't recommend eating these meals all the time, but they're great for bringing to work, or having when you're pressed for time at night.  Make a yourself a salad and you have a quick meal that's relatively healthy.

Soda is a killer.  I think I read somewhere that if you cut out soda, you could lose 10 lbs. a year.  And it's not just the regular soda!  Look at the sodium count of diet soda!  I was on a Coke Zero kick for a while and couldn't understand how, in one day, I could gain 2 lbs.  when I knew I wasn't pigging out! Looking back, I realized that the days I gained were the days I had 2 or more cans of Coke Zero.  I'm now sticking to water and iced tea (unsweetened, please).

Don't get me wrong, I think that the pre-packaged meal plans are great....for a while.  But do they teach you how to eat AFTER you get to your goal?  That's something to take into consideration.