Dining out is great!
No meal planning, no dirty dishes and no hassles.
But most people don't consider what their body says about the idea.
Restaurant meals are usually hugely disproportionate, so you're actually eating between 2 and 3 servings of each menu item. That can only mean bad things when you're counting calories, carbs and fat intake.
To be sure that you're not adding too many extra calories, keep your dining out habit under control. This includes fast food restaurants. You will notice that as you start to gain more control over food, and how much you eat, it will become more natural to eat the right portions.
Trying to avoid eating out at dinner time?
Below, are some steps to help you cut back. (Your body and your wallet will thank you!)
- Choose healthy recipes from your favorite websites or cooking books.
- Plan out your meals for the week, making sure that you match up easy/quick recipes for those hectic days where you’ll need a 30 minute meal.
- Build your shopping list. Read through all of your recipes and jot down any ingredients that you will need.
- Go grocery shopping!
- If you have an extra busy work week, take the time Sunday night to prep some of your ingredients. For example, if three of your recipes call for 1 onion chopped, chop 3 onions and separate them into baggies. Done!
- If you do dine out plan ahead! Check the menus, look for substitutes, look for swapping out heavy cream and butter sauces or dressings to vinaigrettes. Ask for certain items to be on the side. Instead of drinking a high sugar juice, soda or alcoholic beverage try a club soda and lime for some carbonation and refreshing taste.