How to Stay Healthy While Eating Out

Now, I know, if it were up to you, you’d be eating every single meal out of a container, day in and day out, whether it’s the weekend or a work day. You’re so dedicated to your goals that you just can’t trust the outsiders and their fatty ways of cooking, but then it happens.

Someone invites you out to a restaurant, or maybe it’s that hot date you’ve been waiting for. How dare they invite you to a restaurant? Don’t they know you’re on a strict diet?

Well, don’t worry about it. There are ways that you can eat out at restaurants without doing too much, if any, damage to your diet and loosen up a little, will you? It’s not the end of the world.

Eat Less Before

This is simple, if you’re expecting to have a heavy meal high in calories later in the day, just cut back earlier in the day. Eat less for breakfast and lunch and then enjoy your dinner out with your friends and/or family. Just count it in to your daily calories. You are tracking your calories, right?

Order Grilled Foods

This one is easy. Instead of ordering the fried foods, just order something that is grilled. Grilling takes much less fat to cook, therefore much fewer calories in the final meal.

Take It Home

These days, most restaurants serve ridiculously large portions. It’s all about the biggest steak, biggest burger, etc. You really don’t have to finish that though, trust me. Just eat half of it and ask them to put the rest of it in a take away box. Have it for dinner the next day or give it to some less fortunate person on your way home. Spread out those calories.

Have a Side Salad

Instead of ordering fries or mashed potatoes which are incredibly high in calories, order a side salad. Having a salad with your meals will help to fight the acidity that comes with most meats, will fill you up faster and won’t pack on the pounds. Just make sure that the salads are not drenched in fatty sauces like Caesar, thousand islands or ranch.

Just Enjoy It

If you really don’t want to give up all that fatty goodness, just enjoy it. Unless you are in pre-competition mode, a single night out will not make much of a difference to your physique and your goals. Living a healthy lifestyle means enjoying all aspects of life, not being miserable by denying yourself things you enjoy. Enjoy a night out once in a while and then just get back to the gym the next day. Maybe do an extra cardio session if you’re that worried.