You don’t have to ditch dining out to control your weight. Putting these tips into practice can help you can stay on track to meet your TAIslim 90 Day Challenge fitness and weight loss goals. Check out the TAIslim Ultimate Food Plan for other great ideas for eating healthy, both at home and on the go!
- Don’t use an occasion as an excuse
According to a 2008 study in the International Food Research Journal, you are 55 percent more likely to make an unhealthy food choice when you are observing a special occasion. Celebrate your health at the same time by making healthy food choices. - Drink up
Stomach growling as you enter a restaurant? Reach for the water, not the basket of free nibblies. In a Virginia Tech study, two groups ate low-calorie diets, but only one group also drank two cups of water before each meal. Over 12 weeks, the water drinkers lost nearly 5 pounds more than the other group. Water fills the stomach and curbs appetite. - Get the digits
Find out how many calories are in what you want to order. The health-care reform law will require chains with 20 or more outlets to post calorie counts on menus. In the meantime, you can research online or use books like Eat This, Not That! 2011. A study in the American Journal of Public Health shows that the calories are typically twice as much as people estimate. - Ignore the complimentary snacks
Partaking in free tortilla chips, breadsticks, and other carb-ridden freebies can tack on a few hundred calories to your meal. Tell your server “thanks, but no thanks.” - Push back on peer pressure
Rather than sharing super nachos, make a healthy food choice and don’t let your friends influence your eating habits. When a close friend becomes obese, your risk of obesity jumps 171 percent, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study. - Resist the rush
Don’t allow the sight of a fast-food sign make you feel rushed, as a study published last year in Psychological Science revealed. Combat the impulse to eat unhealthy and avoid the drive-thru. Come inside, get the facts, and make a healthy food choice. - Say “no” to numbers
Forego the combo. Instead, be creative and build your own meal with a couple of nutritious items. A survey of New York City restaurants showed that 31 percent of all burger-chain purchases were combos with each meal averaging more than 1,200 calories. - Shorter is better
The longer the name of an item, the more fattening it tends to be. IHOP’s original French toast has 920 calories compared to the Strawberry Banana French Toast with 1,060. Applebee’s burger has 770 calories while its Steakhouse Burger jumps to 1,190. If you don’t have the calorie count, choose the most simply named entrees. - Start small
Order a smaller meal; it may be enough to fill you up. In a Penn State study, people ate 30 percent more food when they were served bigger portions, yet felt no more satisfied than those who’d received smaller portions. Begin by ordering less, wait 10-15 minutes, and then see how satisfied you feel. - Small beverages do satisfy
Portion control is key, even with beverages. A Duke University study found that people who order soft drinks at fast-food places tend to pick the medium size regardless of the volume of the cup. That means restaurants can control how much you drink depending on the size of their medium drink cups. Stick with the small soda; it’s plenty. - Veg out in public
Most restaurants offer a vegetable side other than fries; order it. A University of Florida study tracked the diets of two groups of young adults—one overweight, the other normal weight. Results showed that both groups ate about the same number of calories but their weights still varied. The thinner participants ate more calories from vegetables. - Watch the alcohol
Drinking alcohol before a meal can make you eat more. According to a Journal of Psychology & Behavior study, people who drank alcohol ate 19 percent more calories. Wait to place your drink order until after you’ve decided on a healthy meal.
