There something about eating out at restaurants that often derails months of hard work you’ve put towards losing weight. Most of people following a weight loss diet plan will admit that they face challenges choosing the right food when dining at a restaurant. This is because they don’t know how to eat out and leave the restaurant as healthy as you walked in.

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It’s easy to choose healthier meals, and drinks at home because you have the maximum control over your food intake, and the ingredients that end up on your plate. This way you are able to keep your calorie intake in check. On the other hand, when you dine out, you it is easy to feel that you at the mercy of the chef.

Sometimes you do not have a choice at all; the only food choices available have high levels of added sugars, saturated fat, added salt and kilojoules. Other times, it’s not the chef’s fault, when we eat out, it’s like a switch is flipped. We suddenly start eating larger portions that we normally do while at home.

Thus, when eating at a restaurant, it is very easy to walk away overly full, having consumed more saturated fat, sugar and salt than you realize. However, this need not be always the case.

By making a few key smart adjustments to what and how you order off the menu, this can significantly contribute to your success in the journey to lose fat. The following tips on how to eat out and leave without undoing months of hard work will keep you in check no matter where you are eating.

How To Eat Out And Leave Without Undoing Months Of Hard Work

Avoid all types of fried foods

This is self-explanatory; the cooking method tremendously affects the amounts of fats and calories contained in food. Anything cooked in high doses oil such as fried onions, fried potatoes, chicken-fried steak, and deep fried foods among others should be avoided.

Avoid cream sauces.

Any sauce made of butter or heavy cream contains huge amounts of saturated fats and calories that tremendously contribute to weigh gain.

Steer clear of appetizers

Most appetizers are laden with foods that contain high level of calories. Settle for water instead.

Settle for steamed, broiled or grilled

Before you order, carefully scrutinize the menu for any red flags that may indicate that certain foods have high levels of fat and calories. Terms such as crispy, creamy, fried, smothered or breaded are some of these red flags.

These options add a lot of calories to your meal, particularly when slathered in olive oil or butter. Instead, settle for foods that are steamed, broiled or grilled; these are the healthiest cooking methods.

Thus for meat lovers, settle for grilled chicken; because it is a lean source of protein, and also contains minimal fat when grilled.

Vegetables are your friend

Just as earlier mentioned, avoid starch! Typically, most restaurants have a protein and starch/carb option and a vegetable option, such as broccoli, asparagus, mixed greens, spring veggies, etc.

Where possible, swap out the starch with more vegetables on your plate. For those who love starch in their meals, they should settle for more healthy starch such as brown rice or boiled sweet potatoes instead of the regular potatoes.

When you order a salad, request them to bring the dressing on the side. Most restaurants serve salads topped with the dressing making it look soupy which adds unnecessary calories in the salad. Sparingly add the side dressing, so as to control the amount of calorie intake.

Avoid over-eating

Eating out brings about a lot of pleasure. Someone prepares your favorite meal for you, and brings it to the table while steaming hot to enjoy it with family and friends. In such circumstances, it is very easy to get carried away and overdo it.

While it is okay to occasionally overindulge, if you don’t get it under control, you will soon lose track of your fat loss regimen.

Healthy soups, salads and water can help tame your huge appetite. Research indicates that taking a veggie salad or a broth-based soup before taking your meal reduces the urge to take higher calorie foods.

Most restaurants serve huge servings especially for pasta dishes. Thus if possible, make a half order; moreover you do not have to clear your plate.

Avoid dessert at all costs because they often come with huge amounts of calories. If you have to, take very small portions; for instance when attending a special occasion, you can split one between 3 or 4 people.

The bottom line on Healthy eating out Tips

The above tips on how to eat healthy when eating out will help you keep your diet in check no matter where you eat. Despite the urge to take larger servings when eating out, making a few key smart adjustments to what and how you order off the menu, can significantly contribute to your success in the journey to lose fat. Thus, having learned how to eat out and healthy, you no longer have to worry about undoing the months of hard work you’ve put towards losing weight.