1. Plan, plan, plan! Planning ahead is vital when you are eating
out. Knowing when you are going and
where can help you make good decisions!
If I know that I'm going out to eat for lunch, I can make sure that I
eat really well the rest of the day. I
can also make sure that I have dinner at home planned out so we don't end up
having to eat out twice in a day.
2. Check the
Nutrition Guide! This is also part of
planning – if you know where you’re going, you’ll have time to look up the
nutrition information. Most restaurants
nowadays offer a nutrition guide. Panera
posts their calorie counts on their menu!
McAllister’s Deli and Subway both have nutrition calculators so you can
actually plan out your meal. Other
places have a nutrition guide online – Zoës Kitchen, Applebee’s, and Red
Lobster. There are also a lot of calorie
counts available online at myfitnesspal.com or on their app.
3. Check the Sodium! You
would be SHOCKED at the amount of sodium in EVERYTHING at restaurants. A ½ turkey melt and ½ grilled chicken salad
at McAllister’s Deli has 2,000mg of sodium.
WHOA! Talk about bloat city. Try to pick something on the lower end of the
sodium count. Otherwise you’re going to
feel the bloat! Watch your sodium intake
the rest of the day.
4. Choose water! Don’t drink your calories! We waste so many of our calories on what we
drink. It’s not worth it, and it’s not
good for your body. Drinking a lot of
water when you eat out will also help to flush out some of that extra
sodium. Don’t go for diet anything –
you’re just pumping your body full of artificial sweeteners. If you don’t already know how bad those are
for you, you should definitely do some research!
5. Workout! I don’t know about you, but when I
complete tabata bootcamp or even just a 20 minute deck of cards workout, I am
more inclined to make good choices the rest of the day. Are you kidding? You want me to eat what? After I quite literally worked my tush off?? No thanks!
Stay tuned for the last 5 tips!
Great tips! I always try to looks up the foods before I chose. There are discrepancies on MFP, but I figure it is still better than going blind! Great idea to make sure to offset the meal with a workout. Too often we use the mindset of a cheat meal instead of smartly trying to work out harder! Last thing, I am totally with you on the water - no way am I drinking my calories, give me and extra bite instead!
ReplyDeleteKristin
I pretty much always look up the nutritional info when I'm visiting a new restaurant. Also, I always order water, unless I'm celebrating with a drink. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree - myfitnesspal does have some discrepancies, but it's definitely better than nothing. I am with you on the extra bite, Kristin!!
ReplyDeleteThere are some restaurants I just totally avoid because I can't find any of their nutrition information.