Your Saturday night outings may be the one day of the week when you let your guard down and don’t pay much attention to what or how much you eat.
Though weekends are a time to unwind and have fun – they don’t have to derail all the progress you’ve made during the week.
Dinners out and socializing with friends can easily fit into your healthy eating program – if you have a plan.
Here are 3 tips to guide you:
1 – Know Before You Go
If available, look at the menu online and decide what you want to order before you even get to the restaurant.
This is one of the most helpful tips because you’re able to look at the menu more objectively when you’re thinking more clearly and not being tempted by all the foods being served around you.
“Know before you go” is my motto.
2 – Pay Attention to Portion Traps
When you eat your meals at home, you don’t usually have someone filling up your bread basket, offering bottles of wine, serving you oversized portions enough to feed a twosome or more or offering endless dessert options.
But this is the norm when eating out. Be ready for it.
Treating yourself on the weekend doesn’t have to mean overeating.
Good strategies that have worked for my patients and can work for you too are to skip the bread basket altogether, enjoy and savor a glass of wine (instead of a bottle), split an entrée (or take half home) and get your own salad, and share a few bites of a dessert you love.
Eat slowly, savor your food and enjoy!
3 – Order Your Way
Ordering foods your way is one of the best ways to eat out healthfully:
“I’ll have the grilled fish instead of fried.”
“Sauce on the side, please.”
“Vinaigrette instead of creamy salad dressing.”
“Side of fruit salad instead of hash brown potatoes.”
“Broth-based instead of cream soup.”
As I tell patients who are apprehensive about being more assertive when ordering food, you just need to start doing it.
With time, you will become more comfortable taking control and not letting the restaurant dictate your health!
For more tips on how you can enjoy healthy eating, and manage weight better, check out my self help book, Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works for You!
RK
Robert Kushner, MD
