Weight Loss Wednesday

How to Eat Out and Lose Weight - courtesy of Weight Watchers.com

You don't have to stay away from restaurants when you're losing weight!

Are you steering clear of restaurants while you're trying to lose weight? Are you afraid of large portion sizes, cafeterias, bottomless bread baskets and high-calorie entrees? Believe it or not, shunning restaurants isn't a realistic approach to weight loss — and it's unnecessary. Start with this list of tips.

Dining Do's and Don'ts

1. Set a budget.

Determine how much you're willing to eat before looking at the menu. You can give yourself some leeway by scheduling some exercise on or near days you plan to eat out. Putting in gym time or going for a brisk walk will help offset a little extra eating. And remember, don't be flexible. You can loosen up a bit on special occasions, as long as you eat carefully most of the time. (Just don't let every day become a special occasion.)

2. Put on your game face.

Decide on some guidelines before you go to a restaurant, and stick to them. For instance:

• Skip the all-inclusive menu and opt for à la carte selections. Doing so might not be as economical, but you'll probably eat less.
• Take one piece of bread, then ask your server to remove the breadbasket from the table.

3. Make special requests.

You're paying good money for that meal, so you're entitled to make special requests or slight modifications. Why not say:

• Can I get that without butter? Grilled? With the sauce on the side?
• I'd like mixed greens instead of fries with my sandwich.

4. Practice portion control.

Some restaurant portions can be two, three, even four times the "normal" size–especially super-sized fast food meals. Keep your portions in check by:

• Ordering a salad as a starter and then splitting a main entrée with a friend.
• Creating your own scaled-down meal from a couple of appetizers and/or side dishes.

5. Break down (language) barriers.

If you don't know what a preparation term means, ask. In general, though, the following words translate into high-fat, high-calorie dishes:

• Au gratin, scalloped, hollandaise.
• Parmigiana, scampi, Bolognese.

To read the remaining 5 tips click here.

Here's to your health!!

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