Overeating Out...

Last year, I traveled to California to do multiple health and nutrition seminars. It was the greatest experience for me as  I had an opportunity to do what I love and eat some of the greatest foods I have ever eaten. I also got an opportunity to gain a lot of weight. I would speculate that during that 6 month time period of travel, I gained at least 15 pounds. And if it were not for the fact that I DID workout when I went out of town, I probably would have gained even more.

My biggest problem then and now was going out to eat. It is a lot harder to control your eating when you go out to eat. Everything looks good to eat! And if they put bread on the table, it is a done deal. As always, we need to “govern” ourselves when we go out to eat. We have to develop standards for eating out if we are ever going to be successful at eating healthy and just not being plain gluttons. So here are 4 tips for not “overeating” when you eat out…

1. Have a strategy already in place when you go to a buffet. That strategy can include only eating on small plates, or only eating one plate of food and not several plates, or having only water to drink but eating whatever you want within reason. The point is: you know where you need to cut back. Buffets usually promote overeating. But just because it is a buffet doesn’t mean you should think that is license to eat more. If anything, I would eat less, simply because of the sanitary conditions of some buffets (I don’t like how little kids are allowed to walk around and put their nasty little hands on everything…no offense to parents who allow their kids to do this…just make sure their hands are clean). As a general rule for buffets, always make sure to start off with a salad and put at least 2 vegetables on your plate/s (French fries don’t count). I already know it would be failure to ask you to not eat dessert, but can I tell you to only eat one dessert? I am confident that you can at least do that…

2. When at a “sit-down” restaurant, or even a fast-food restaurant, look to see if they have healthier options available. A lot of restaurants now have special items that they highlight as healthier options because they are lower in calories, fat, or carbs.  

3. Don't be afraid to special order- “hold the mayo and the cheese!” Taking mayo, cheese, and bacon out of the equation equals less fat and less calories. For example, a Burger King whopper with cheese and mayo has 760 calories, and 46 grams fat. Without the cheese and mayo, this same whopper has 510 calories and 23 grams of fat (that is half the fat, so you see where most of the fat is coming from…the cheese and mayo). 

4. Never eat your whole meal (unless it is a huge salad that you didn’t add a lot of high fat and caloric salad dressing to).  Don’t be afraid to only eat half of your food and take the rest home to eat at a later meal.  Or another option is to share your meal with someone else.

I hope this helps you when eating out…until next time…

-Jenelle N. Robinson