Eating Healthy When You're Eating Out

For me, eating out, social gatherings and so forth have always been a death sentence to my waist-line.  It's the time that I usually say, "okay this is cheat night", however, living in NYC, every night can be a cheat night because there's always somewhere to go or something to do.  Part of my Clean Plan is not making excuses why I cannot eat healthy.  I could certainly stay home and cook every meal and make every lunch, however, I enjoy going out sometimes.  We all do!  So how do we stay on track? 

Last night I was presented this question from myself.  Todd called right before I was heading to the gym and asked if I'd like to go to dinner tonight.  With the crazy lives we lead in NYC, setting aside a date night once per week is important, thus his invite to dinner was not something I was going to say no to.  Sure I had leftover grilled chicken I could eat but dinner was the experience of being with him and enjoying conversation and being together.  No doing dishes, no cleaning needed.. just dinner and relaxation.  One of the best things I did was go to the gym BEFORE I went to dinner.  In the past I would say, "Well it's a cheat night, no point in working out!"  But there is point in working out, it makes you realize you are working hard and why throw it away on an unhealthy and guilt filled meal?  So I headed to the gym and did my hour of cardio as I planned and headed home to shower and get ready for our date night!  Todd asked what I was in the mood for and I told him that I was happy if the menu had salad or a chicken dish.  I knew I'd be safe if those two items were on the list.  So he picked an Italian joint on the Upper East Side (oh lordy, Italian, my fav!).  He knows that I'm working on losing weight and changing my diet, so he is very supportive and understands the place I am in.  This helps!  On our way to dinner, the only thing I asked was that when the bread basket comes to please take a piece or two and then ask the waiter to take the rest of the bread back.  Which he did and guess what it helped!  And I didn't miss it!  I didn't obsess when I got there about the bread.  I put it past me.  That is not what I wanted to fill up on.  I think it's important NOT to obsess too much.  For me dinner is the experience of being with Todd not the experience of devowering food and being stuffed!  The menu was your typically YUMMY Italian.  I stuck to my plan and tried to skim most of the menu and go straight to salad and pollo!  I ordered a salad with lemon dressing (the rest of the salad had veggies and little avocado).  For dinner, there was sauted chicken with veggies (sauted aka fried) so I asked the waiter for it to be grilled and the veggies to be steamed.  No questions asked - they did it - and it was good!  We also enjoyed a glass of wine and dessert (blueberries and strawberries and I was able to take most of it home b/c the dessert was sooo much fruit!  Used it with breakfast this a.m.!)

Eating out doesn't have to be off limits.  It's possible with a plan.  Here's some tips to sticking to that plan without throwing your health goals out the window:

1. If you can look at the menu before you go to the restaurant and have a plan of what you are going to eat.
2. Be assertive.  Ask for changes to the menu.  If an item is fried, ask for it grilled.  If it comes with fries, as for veggies. 
3. Ask your waiter to "triple the veggies, please".  Most veggies that come on your plate from a restaurant serve more as garnish than food.  When ordering, ask for double/triple veggies.  By the end of the meal you will feel full not fat.
4. Ask how the food is prepared.  Read between the lines. Any menu description that uses the words creamy, breaded, crisp, sauced, or stuffed is likely loaded with hidden fats — much of it saturated or even trans fats. Other “beware of” words include: buttery, sautéed, pan-fried, au gratin, Thermidor, Newburg, Parmesan, cheese sauce, scalloped, and au lait, à la mode, or au fromage (with milk, ice cream, or cheese).
5. Don't restrict yourself, this is when binging comes into play.  If you feel like you want that bite of bread, ask if they have whole wheat or half of the roll if you have to and add a little oil to it, nix the butter. 
6. Ask the waiter to box half your entree before it gets to the table or split with someone else.  Hello leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
7. Often eating two appetizers are healthier than what could be on the entree menu - this is great at Asian Fushion type places especially.
8. Skip the fancy drinks. If you must order an alcoholic drink, forget the margaritas, piña coladas, and other exotic mixed drinks. They include sugary additions that only add calories. Opt instead for a glass of wine, a light beer, a vodka and club.
9. Drink water throughout the meal. It will slow you down, help you enjoy the food more, and let the message get to your brain that you’re full — before your plate is empty.
10. Remember, eating out isn't just about what you are putting in your mouth, it's also about the experience of being with your family, friends or significant other.