Eating Out Without Losing Progress
Should you never eat out so you won’t lose progress?
Well, sure you can.
But that’s definitely not sustainable.
There is a lot of assumption out there that eating healthy and eating out cannot be achieved together. The truth is you can always make healthier choices when eating out if you make some effort to plan ahead.
You see, there is a way to work in some enjoyable social or family meals out that is not going to completely derail your progress.
Yes, eating out and losing weight can co-exist.
The key is to assess the meals accurately when you do go out.
Our society’s taste buds have become so clouded by junk that people just aren’t satisfied anymore with fresh real foods. They douse it in oil, butter, and sauces, and the amount of preservatives, sodium, hidden fats, and sugars is really astounding.
And so, one mantra you should keep in mind when eating out is to “write it before you bite it.” Log in ahead, take a peek at it, and look at the nutrition facts.
Strategies for Eating Out Without Losing Progress
- Live by your goals.
Let your goals dictate how meticulous and concerned you need to be when it comes to eating out and tracking macros so you don’t drive yourself crazy.
- Overestimate the calories you’re logging.
If you’re using mainstream apps to count calories, never choose a homemade entry to compare to a restaurant entry if you can’t find it in the database. Restaurants are probably going to be using heavier whole milk cheeses and the less lean choice of meat.
- Modify your meals for the day.
Modify the meals in your day that you are controlling to make some room for what you anticipate. But don’t make it a habit to eat lighter throughout the day and then eat a ton for dinner. Otherwise, this could impact insulin regulation which could result in fat storage.
- Sauce on the side!
Always ask for any sauces or dressings to be put on the side. That way, you’re in control of how much to use.
- Focus on lean protein and non-starchy veggies throughout the day
Lean food options include egg whites, turkey, bacon, sausage, chicken breast (without the skin), white fish (grouper, Mahi, cod, halibut, redfish, tilapia, and tuna), shrimp, oysters, crab, scallops, and mussels. Just keep your proteins up and fats minimal.
Another mantra is “lean protein, clean carbs.” Skip the chips and the bread and save it for the main event.
At the end of the day, you just have to educate yourself and experiment. So the next time you’re out with friends, you don’t have to be so anal about looking, measuring, and weighing because you’ve already done a little homework.
If you want to learn more about eating out without losing progress, check out https://workwithdrtiff.com/episode-010.
