6 Restaurant Survival Tips When Trying To Lose Weight

One of the challenges of dieting and staying on track with your weight loss goals is sticking to your plan, even when dining out. Eating out can make you break your vow of eating healthy because of the tempting entrees on the menu. So how do you save yourself from the possible onslaught of tempting unhealthy foods when eating in a restaurant? Read on.

1. Choose the right restaurant.

By right restaurant, we mean those that offer healthy options. Many nice restaurants cater to the needs of people who want to eat and live healthy. Just search online for the restaurants in your area or the area where and you will surely find one. In fact, if a restaurant offers healthy options for their customers, they would definitely flaunt it on their website or Facebook page, which would make it easier for you to search.

2. Research the restaurant dishes beforehand.

If you have already chosen the restaurant, it's time for the second phase, which is to find out what healthy dishes they have to offer so you can plan ahead on what to order. This will be an advantage for you in case the menu does not include the healthy dishes they offer. It also saves you time on browsing the menu from cover to cover just to search for dishes.

3. Know what is okay and not okay to eat.

Once you have the menu list, check each food for calories, fats, and carbs. Just check the ingredients they use and search the internet for the carbs, calories and fats for each ingredient. This ensures you avoid hidden calories. Your top choices should be greens and white meat, with good carbs like quinoa or sweet potatoes. Stay away from flavored drinks and dessert.

4. Eat before you go.

It is a good idea to eat light, healthy snacks at home before you go out for dinner. This will help you fight the temptation to overeat, which is a problem that you may face because of the number of tempting food items that you will see in the restaurant.

5. Order first.

When the waiter comes, make sure you order first, so you won't have the chance of changing your mind once your dinner companion orders his or her food. For example, if you order fish fillet and your date orders a mouth-watering sizzling steak, you might be tempted to change your order.

6. The focus shouldn't be on the food.

If you're going out on a date, focus more on getting to know the person and enjoying the conversation. This also applies to dining out with friends. Instead of mindlessly eating, savor each moment that you spend with your friends. Talking makes you eat less and become more oblivious to the aroma of delicious flavors around you. Hold a glass of water and sip on it if you feel the urge to eat more than you should.

With these tips, you can enjoy dining out or going out on dates without giving in to unhealthy and fattening foods. The keys to successfully sticking to your diet when eating in a restaurant is remembering your commitment to lose weight and planning ahead.