When dining out – plan and prepare, just as you would at home.

What if you’re going out with your significant other, a sudden business lunch comes up or you just simply don’t want the food you have with you?

No worries! Just follow the guidelines I am going to give you about how to dine out without totally blowing your diet and you will be on your way to a leaner you in no time.

For example, at lunchtime, you will want to build your meal around a complete lean protein and fibrous carb (vegetable).   While dining out, be sure to keep your starchy carb to one serving.

Let’s say you decide to go to a Mexican restaurant.  You could order a wrap with chicken and plenty of veggies (ask them to go very light on the oil) with a side of black beans.

For fast food, I would recommend going to Subway and have a turkey sub with lots of veggies on whole wheat (hold the mayo but go for the mustard).   Even Wendy’s now has excellent chicken salads with a variety of veggies and some fruit slices as well.  Just be sure not to destroy a healthy meal by eating all that fat-laden dressing.

Later in the day, the rules change.  If your goal is fat loss, after about 3pm I only want you to order a lean protein and vegetables while dining out.  This is key because as it gets late, it’s a lot easier for carbohydrates to store as fat.

Anywhere you go, you will have a few good options if you so choose.   Go for the side salad instead of fries, request that your chicken or fish be grilled instead of fried.

Ask that your food be prepared with no oil or butter; request that sauces, condiments, and dressings come on the side. That way you can control how much of it you consume.   When eating salad, be sure to dip your fork in the dressing first and then in the salad.  You will save hundreds of calories here.

Here are a few more tips to ensure your success when you have plans to dine away from home.

Continue you regular eating patter during the day.   Do not  intentionally skip meals  in an attempt to save calories for later.  A better approach would be to slightly reduce your calories at each meal.

Also, if you begin feeling hungry before dinner, a trick I use is to eat 1-2 apples and drink 8-16 oz of water  to hold me  over.

You don’t want to go out to eat hungry.  You to relax, eat slowly, and enjoy the meal rather than trying devour everything in sight.

Another tip is be sure to order what you really want when eating out.   A common error is ordering what you think you should rather than what you really want.

Your goal should be to psychologically satisfy your craving so you don’t fall in to temptations later.

The most important point to remember when dining out is not to forget YOU are the paying customer and you can order your food to be prepared anyway you want.

Key points to remember:

If you’re dining out, eat a small snack beforehand so you’re not starved.

Develop a plan and stick to it.  Have someone hold you accountable, such as us.

You can go out to eat often and have a really good time, as long as you plan ahead of time.

How Bad Do You Want It?

Blair

http://www.amblerbootcamps.com