How to Not Ruin Your Weight Loss Results When Eating at Restaurants

Eating out is always a fun experience. The ability to try new dishes and restaurants around town or during your travels can be exciting — not to mention it’s a meal you don’t have to prepare and clean up. That said, the last thing you want to do is ruin your weight loss results in the process of enjoying your experience with friends or family.

This article will look at four key strategies you can implement when eating out at a restaurant so that you make healthy food decisions and not disrupt your weight loss results.

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1. Skip the Bread or Rolls

If you are given bread or rolls at the beginning of your meal, you may want to skip it. Social eating will cause many to overconsume these items, not to mention the butter or oil you put on top of it. And many times, when you finish a loaf or basket, another is put down in front of you — which many will also end up eating.

Consuming bread and rolls may add hundreds (if not more) calories to your meal and put you in a caloric surplus for the day, potentially stalling your weight loss results. It’s easy to get caught up in conversations and simply pick at bread and rolls until your meal comes.

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2. Be Mindful of the Salads

You may assume getting a salad to start your meal is a great way to stay on track with your weight loss results. Unfortunately, everything in that salad and the dressing may not align with the calories you want to hit for the day.

Cheese and croutons are two culprits in salads that add a ton of calories to a meal. The same can be said with salad dressing. It is recommended that you ask to have your salad without cheese or croutons and to have the dressing on the side so that you can portion it appropriately and not be dumped on top.

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3. Ask to Have Your Meal Prepared Without Butter and Oil

Just like at home, the use of butter and oil can send the calorie count of a meal into orbit. Many times, these items will be used when preparing your meal to make it taste better. And while that’s indeed true, it may not align with your weight loss goals.

It’s ok to ask your waitress to have your meal prepared without butter and oil. Many times, the waitress won’t even bat an eye as they probably hear it quite often.

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4. Avoid Alcoholic Beverages or Stick to Just One Drink

Alcohol is full of empty calories. If you’re going to have a drink with your meal, stick to one and try to make it something that isn’t heavy on the calories, such as a fruity drink that is full of sugar.

If you choose to have a drink, have water for the remainder of your meal to help you save on the calories and help you not ruin your weight loss results when eating at a restaurant. Have fun while eating out, but not too much fun that you wake up the next morning wondering if your scale is broken.

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