Tips for Dining Out on a Diet

Dining out can be the downfall to many diets. It is almost impossible to completely avoid going "out" for lunch with friends, or having a birthday dinner with family. Here are some methods to keep you on your diet and not give into temptation.

Review your Diet Commitment before Dinner

Before leaving the house, meditate, pray; review your goals, whatever it takes to move your weightloss goals to the front of your mind. Remind yourself of how much losing weight means to you and acknowledge that it requires sacrifice and commitment to get there.

Ask yourself, "Is eating the wrong food worth going backwards on my diet?" or "Will throwing my body out of fat-burning ketosis be worth this one meal?" or "Do I want to gain back that one pound I worked so hard to lose last week?" Take a diet suppressant right before you leave, if need be. Change your attitude about dining out. It's about the company, not the food after all. If you don't agree with that, you need to do some soul searching.

Review the Restaurant's Menu Ahead of Time for Choices that Fit Your Diet

If the destination for dining out is planned ahead of time, check the internet to see if the restaurant has a website. Most major eateries have nutritional information online. If so, plan a meal that is in line with your diet's guidelines. If not, call the restaurant to make sure they have something you can eat without guilt.

Most restaurants have a meal or two that fits into a low fat or low carb diet, and will, at very least, offer a salad that works for almost anyone. Look for grilled chicken or fish with vegetables that are low on the glycemic index. Get used to the idea that if all else fails, you'll order a salad with low calorie dressing and enjoy it.

Stick to Your Diet Guns and Order Naturally

Before ordering, quietly tell the waiter you are on a restricted diet and need to have your meal prepared with no sugar and reduced fat. Ask how they cook their fish or chicken. Ask if they have a low-fat salad dressing and get it on the side. Ask them to leave the potatoes or rice off the plate, so you won't even be tempted.

Most restaurants are happy to accommodate whatever your dietary needs are and will usually go out of their way to get it right so that you'll come back. If this embarrasses you, get over it, or call ahead to ask the questions in private. If you order naturally and as if it is on the menu, others won't even notice it isn't.

Ask for a To-Go Box When served

Right when you are served, ask for the to-go box and put half of the meal in it before taking a bite. Better yet, ask if the kitchen will divide the meal in half before serving you. This will prevent you from being temped to overeat. A key to any diet is portion control, and once you get used to eating with correct portions in mind, the meals you are served when dining out should look huge to you!

If You Fall Off the Wagon, Get Back On Immediately!

If you end up eating the whole plateful, or eat the rice that the waiter brought even though you ask for it to be left off, or you have a few bites of the birthday desert that is passed around, shake it off. If that happens, it happens. You just need to suck it up and make up for it. Put on your exercise DVD the minute you get home. Cut back on your food the next day. Do whatever it takes to apologize to your body, and don't use it as an excuse to trash the diet entirely!

Eating out is one of the biggest tests to an eating plan, but it's a test you can pass. There will always be temptation in our everyday lives, and in order for a weightloss plan to be effective, we have to have a contingency plan for those times. Don't let others sway your judgment or throw you off your game. But most importantly, don't forget who needs to be in charge of your self control; and never take your eye off the rewards of being a healthier, slimmer you!

Related Reading:
"Portion Control - How Much Food is Enough?"
"Use the Glycemic Index and Lose Weight"
"Losing Weight One Pound at a Time"
17 Day Diet Tips Blog