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A guide to dining out while losing weight
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If you’re like many people, you know
that losing weight and keeping it off
can be a challenge.
Maybe you’ve even lost weight in the past, only to gain
it all back – and then some. The truth is, it’s difficult
to reach and maintain a healthy weight through
conventional dieting methods such as counting
calories. There are numerous processes occurring
inside your body that influence how you actually use
those calories – and sometimes those processes can
malfunction, making your body more likely to store
excess weight.
At Garcia Weight Loss and Wellness Centers, we
believe reaching and maintaining a healthy weight
requires not just building healthy habits, but healing
underlying health issues that can impair your
metabolism and make your body more likely to store
fat. Excess weight is typically a symptom of a larger
issue, such as chronic inflammation or hormonal
imbalances. Weight-loss programs that focus on
calories alone without addressing these underlying
issues will at best provide only temporary results.
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For many people, healing these underlying health
issues means adjusting to an entirely new way of
eating, and this can make dining at restaurants
challenging. Even if you’ve tried to stick to a healthy
diet in the past, there’s a lot of confusion about
what a that actually means. USDA dietary guidelines
recommend foods such as starchy vegetables, grains,
and fat-free dairy products, but these foods can be
problematic when you’re trying to lose weight. And
little emphasis is placed on healthy sources of fat,
which is necessary for several processes throughout
the body, including the absorption of certain vitamins.
Your unique DNA makeup also influences how your
body processes and responds to different foods,
meaning that a healthy diet for you could look very
different from a healthy diet from your spouse or a
friend.
We recommend that our patients follow a low-
glycemic diet while they work towards their goal
weight; this means no grains or starchy vegetables,
and limited dairy products. We also recommend lots of
antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory foods to help heal
underlying health issues such as inflammation or leaky
gut syndrome, which can interfere with your weight-
loss efforts.
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Restaurants aren’t off limits
With all of these guidelines to keep in mind, it
may seem like eating at restaurants is impossible.
Fortunately, this isn’t the case! You can still enjoy
eating at your favorite restaurants, once you learn what
to look for and adopt some new habits that will help
you stay on track and avoid common pitfalls. Dining
out, like anything else involved in losing weight and
improving your health, can be made easier when you
have concrete steps you can take and tools to help you
make healthy decisions.
Try these techniques the next time you go out to eat,
and you’ll discover that you can still enjoy your favorite
restaurants without derailing your health and weight-
loss goals.
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Review your options ahead of time
If you know where you’re going in advance, it’s always
a good idea to review the menu before you get there.
Decide what to order while you’re still at home –
it’ll be easier to make healthy choices if you aren’t
surrounded by other diners eating big meals and
tempting treats. Then, when you get to the restaurant,
stick to the plan and don’t even look at the menu.
Keep tempting foods off the table
If you’re eating at a restaurant where it’s customary
for the server to bring bread before the meal, ask your
server not to bring any, or to take it away. A recent
study found that people vastly underestimated how
much bread they ate when it was in front of them
on the table. Some people even claimed that they
hadn’t eaten any bread, but a video recording proved
otherwise! Eliminate mindless eating at restaurants by
removing the tempting food completely.
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Ask for substitutions
Restaurants these days are used to accommodating
special dietary requests. Don’t be afraid to ask for
what you want – you’ll likely find that most restaurants
are happy to please. Ask for a side salad instead
of fries. Ask for extra vegetables instead of simple
carbohydrates like white rice or pasta.
If a certain restaurant isn’t willing to accommodate
your requests, don’t return. There are plenty of
other establishments that will be happy to gain your
business.
Keep a list of restaurants you like that offer healthy
options or that are willing to make modifications. Over
time, you’ll have a reliable selection of places where
you know healthy eating won’t be a challenge.
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Omit problematic ingredients
You can also modify your meal to leave out the items
that don’t fit within your diet plan. If your meal comes
with a roll, ask your server to simply omit it. Ask for no
croutons on your salad, or for the dressing on the side
so you can control how much of it you use. Order a
burger without the bun. If you’re eating at a restaurant
that offers mainly sandwiches, ask for extra lettuce and
turn yours into a salad.
Look for the light menu
Many restaurants also have lighter menus that offer
options that are lower in calories. While these lighter
menus can be a good starting point, be careful – meals
may still be served with refined carbohydrates such
as rice or pasta. Lighter menus are worth checking
out, but don’t assume that everything on them is fair
game. You’re more likely to find baked or broiled foods
instead of fried foods, but some substitutions may still
need to be made.
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Don’t be afraid to ask
If in doubt, ask about ingredients. There may be hidden
sources of sugar or surprisingly high carbohydrates
in some foods. A vegetable stew, for example, may
seem like a safe bet, but it may include flour. If
choosing a side of fruit, make sure it doesn’t have
added sugar. Some restaurants make omelettes with
egg substitutes, which may also contain additives that
can stall weight loss. As when grocery shopping, it’s
best to choose foods that are as close to their natural
state as possible to make sure you aren’t consuming
any hidden ingredients that can cause inflammation or
drive weight gain.
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Be mindful of portion sizes
Many restaurant portions are significantly larger than
what the average person should eat in one sitting.
They’re also often high in calories, fat, and excess
sodium, according to a study by the journal Public
Health Nutrition. Try these tips to keep portions under
control at restaurants:
• Ask the waiter to box up half of your meal before
bringing it to the table. You can save the other half
for lunch the next day.
• Inquire about ordering a smaller portion from the
children’s or senior menu, if available.
• Ask about ordering one entree that can be
split between two people at your table. (Some
restaurants may charge a small fee for this.)
It can be hard to stop eating when there is still food on
your plate. Starting off with a smaller portion will give
you the freedom to enjoy your food without having to
stop in the middle of your meal or running the risk of
eating too much.
You may wish to avoid buffet-style or all-you-can-
eat style restaurants whenever possible. These
establishments make it too easy to fill up your plate
with larger portions than
necessary, and they are often
packed with high-calorie
choices. Some people feel they
need to “get their money’s
worth” out of the meal by
eating as much as possible.
These are all potential traps that
could lure you into eating too
much of the wrong foods and
hampering your health goals.
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Choose your beverage carefully
It may not be very exciting, but the best thing to drink
is water. Most people don’t get enough, and proper
hydration is important not just for weight management
but for overall health.
If plain water just sounds too boring, you can always
ask your server to add lemon or other fruit, such as
cucumber or raspberries. Avoid soda – even diet soda
– which has been found to cause weight gain. Sports
drinks and flavored teas can also be high in sugar.
Also be careful with alcoholic beverages. Mixed drinks
can be loaded with calories, and of course beer is
high in carbohydrates. When drinking alcohol, opt for
a dry red wine such as a Chianti, Merlot, or Cabernet
Sauvignon, which may also offer additional health
benefits when consumed in moderation.
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Become a fan of salads
Salads are always a good choice, and one that can
be easily modified to suit your needs. But some
caution here is advised also: just because something
is included on a salad doesn’t automatically make it
healthy. Croutons or candied nuts, for example, are
high in carbs and sugar. Fortunately, these types
of ingredients can easily be omitted. You can also
ask your server to add salmon or avocado for some
healthy fats.
If you’re building your own salad at a salad bar, know
what to look for and what to avoid:
• Fill your plate with raw greens. Romaine lettuce,
kale, and spinach are excellent choices. Go easy on
iceberg lettuce, which is lower in nutrients.
• Top your greens with non-starchy vegetables, such
as broccoli and bell peppers.
• Add fruit for a sweet kick. Fresh strawberries,
blueberries, apple slices, grapes, and orange slices
can be enjoyed with your salad, or they make a
delicious and healthy dessert. Avoid dried fruit,
which typically contains added sugar.
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• Add some protein. Hard-boiled eggs make a good
salad topping. Grilled chicken breast or turkey is also
a smart option.
• Add nuts and seeds for antioxidants and healthy
fats. Opt for plain slivered almonds, sunflower seeds,
pumpkin seeds, pecans, or walnuts. Avoid seasoned
or candied nuts. Just a sprinkle on top of your salad
is enough, as these pack a lot of calories per serving.
• Avoid empty carbohydrate add-ons like croutons,
tortilla strips, pasta, or potato salad.
• Choose a low-calorie dressing option. Almost all
restaurants offer one or more healthy dressing
choices. If all else fails, simply use olive oil.
Whichever option you choose, don’t overdo it – a
typical serving of salad dressing is two tablespoons.
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Getting the protein you need
Eating adequate protein helps with building new cells,
maintaining muscle mass, and feeling fuller, longer. Try
to include protein, healthy fat, and plant foods in every
meal.
A typical serving of lean meat is about the size of a
deck of cards and provides approximately 20 grams
of protein. Don’t overdo it with protein – your body
can absorb only about 30 grams at a time. Some good
sources of protein include:
• Meat: Choose lean cuts of beef and pork – grilled,
broiled, or baked.
• Poultry: Chicken and turkey are good, low-fat
options – don’t eat the skin, and avoid fried or
breaded options as these contain excess fat, calories,
and carbohydrates.
• Seafood: Fish and shellfish are typically low in
calories, high in protein, and often a good source of
healthy omega-3 fats. Also avoid fried and breaded
options.
• Eggs: eggs are high in protein
and nutrition, but avoid egg
salads laden with high-fat
mayo.
• Nuts and seeds can help
boost your protein intake
• Some vegetables are also
good sources of protein,
including broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, asparagus,
cauliflower, and collard
greens.
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Enjoy eating out without guilt
Now that you know how to make healthy choices at
restaurants, dining out can be an enjoyable and guilt-
free experience. Like any other major lifestyle change,
it may take some getting used to, but you’ll likely find
that after eating this way for a while, you won’t even
have to think about it anymore. And the more you
eat healthy, nourishing foods, the less you will crave
processed, sugary items.
Eating a diet full of fresh, whole foods will help you
mitigate symptoms of common health conditions such
as inflammation, increase your energy, and reduce your
risk of disease. Together, these things all put you on
the path to long-term weight loss and a healthier life.
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