How to Eat Out and Still Lose Weight

When they try to lose weight, most people take an “all or nothing” approach and aim for complete nutrition perfection.

You stick to your diet and exercise routine during the week. Then the weekend arrives and you go out to eat at a restaurant. Before you know it your perfect week is in ruins.

So you get annoyed at yourself for breaking your diet... and then eat even more so you feel better again!

The way some restaurants prepare food means you’re stepping into a nutritional minefield. But with these seven simple tips, you’ll be able to walk out of your next restaurant experience without having danced with the dietary devil...

1. Don’t even think about starting on the bread basket. One slice quickly leads to another, and before you know it you’ve eaten the lot. The same goes for any of the other snacks on offer while you’re looking at the menu. If you can’t deal with the temptation, ask the waiter to take it away.

2. If there's a buffet, turn up late. An untouched buffet table looks so tempting. But once everyone else has taken what they want, the food looks far less tasty. This is never usually a problem for me, as I'm routinely late for almost everything.

3. Have soup as your first course. Studies show that soup (broth-based rather than cream-based) curbs your appetite, reducing your calorie intake during subsequent courses [4].

4. Double up on vegetables. Ask your waiter to leave out the “starchy” carbohydrates (such as pasta, rice, and potatoes) and give you twice as many vegetables. Vegetables have a low energy density, which means they fill you up on fewer calories.

In one eating study at Pennsylvania State University, a group of women hardly noticed when they ate fewer calories as long as their meals contained lots of fruits and vegetables to bulk up the servings and lower the energy density [5].

5. Focus on protein. Choose a meal that contains a protein-rich food, such as chicken, turkey, fish or meat. Studies show that protein does a better job at filling you up than carbohydrate or fat.

6. Have your sauce on the side. If your meal comes with a sauce or dressing, ask for it on the side and simply dab your fork in the sauce and then pick up your food. This lets you enjoy the sauce but limits the amount. You’ll get some of the flavor with only a fraction of the calories.

7. Cut your meal in half. If you're into creamy pasta dishes, order it with a side of steamed vegetables, mix the vegetables into the main dish, and then eat only half the combined meal. Not only will you cut the calories almost in half, you’ll boost your intake of antioxidants and fiber.

You'll also need to watch what you drink.

Depending on their size, soft drinks can contain several hundred calories. The calories in a soft drink don't cause a feeling of fullness in the way that calories from food do, especially if it's been sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, which can easily lead to the "passive overconsumption" of calories [1].

Instead, order diet soda, water, unsweetened iced tea, sparkling water or mineral water with a twist of lemon.

Alcohol also contains calories, and can stimulate your appetite as well as reduce any inhibitions you might have about overeating [2, 3]. So you get hit twice — once from the calories in the alcoholic drink, and then again from the subsequent increase in appetite and calorie intake. See my article on alcohol and weight loss for more information.

Ultimately, eating out while you're trying to lose weight is as much about common sense as it is anything else. Two slices of apple pie contain twice as many calories as one slice. And if you want to eat fewer calories, you simply say "no" to a second slice.

About the Author

Christian Finn holds a master's degree in exercise science, is a certified personal trainer and has been featured on BBC TV and radio, as well as in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Fit Pro, Zest and other popular fitness magazines.

If you want better, faster results from the time you spend in the gym, click here now for instant access to his step-by-step muscle-building and fat-burning workout routines.

Related Articles

• On Slow Weight Loss and the Bugatti Veyron
• A "Weird" Ab Exercise Most People Have Never Tried
• Do Toning Shoes Work?
• How to Lose Fat without Losing Muscle

References
1. Teff KL, Elliott SS, Tschop M, Kieffer TJ, Rader D, Heiman M, Townsend RR, Keim NL, D'Alessio D, Havel PJ. (2004). Dietary fructose reduces circulating insulin and leptin, attenuates postprandial suppression of ghrelin, and increases triglycerides in women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 89, 2963-2972
2. Tremblay, A., & St-Pierre, S. (1996). The hyperphagic effect of a high-fat diet and alcohol intake persists after control for energy density. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, 479-482
3. Buemann, B., Toubro, S., & Astrup, A. (2002). The effect of wine or beer versus a carbonated soft drink, served at a meal, on ad libitum energy intake. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 1367-1372
4. Gray, R., French, S., Robinson, T., & Yeomans, M. (2002). Dissociation of the effects of preload volume and energy content on subjective appetite and food intake. Physiology and Behavior, 76, 57-64
5. Bell, E.A., Castellanos, V.H., Pelkman, C.L., Thorwart, M.L., & Rolls, B.J. (1998). Energy density of foods affects energy intake in normal-weight women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 67, 412-420