Tricks to Stick to Your Diet When Eating Out
‘Eating out’ is no more a luxury nor is it a ‘once in a blue moon’ event. In today’s world, life has become very hectic and with both the partners working, many times grabbing a burger or a sandwich or eating at a diner becomes a necessity just to save time. Also, a lot of corporate parties, get-together etc. are held at fancy restaurants these days. So eating out is slowly becoming a part and parcel of our lives.
I have always been a big foodie and eating at various fancy restaurants is something that I sincerely look forward to! The problem arises when I am on a strict diet and wish to keep a check on my calorie intake. People who follow (or at least try to follow) a strict diet will vouch for the fact it is not an easy task! It is very difficult to enjoy eating low calorie and low fat food when you are outside. The problem multiplies several folds when you have delicious, savoring food served in front of you at a restaurant, and your friends are merrily gorging on it. Many times people just forget about their diet and eat the fattening calorific food while eating out. However, it is a big mistake because it will disturb your diet routine. Instead, I have developed certain tricks that help me fool my taste buds as well as my friends; they both do not know what and exactly how much I am eating! I am sharing these tips with you. Go through them and you will find it easy to stick to your dieting regimen.
1. Start your meal with a couple of glasses of water: Usually people take a lot of time to decide what to eat at a restaurant. This time can be utilized by you to fill up your stomach by drinking water. Drink two glasses of water before the meal is served. It will make you feel full and increase your feeling of satiety. Thus, you will consume less food during the meal.
2. Order a big platter of salad: Yes, I know it is hard to devour on salads especially while eating out. But remember that your dieting plan is more important than temporary pleasing of taste buds. And you can please your taste buds by trying different salad dressings.
3. Choose to go for baked and grilled dishes instead of fried options: Outside food tastes equally delicious; be it grilled, baked or fried. So why increase the calorie count by choosing unhealthy option? The next time you feel like ordering a sandwich, ask for a brown bread grill with lots of vegetables!
4. Do not eat till you are full, stop halfway through: Eating out is not about stuffing yourself with food. In fact, you should eat less than your actual diet because outside food is high on calories, fats, and salt content in general. You can curb your hunger by eating a fruit or a bowl of low fat yogurt later on.
All these tips have greatly helped me to stick to my diet to lose belly fat. Apart from these tricks, I strictly follow the rule of skipping the dessert while eating out. If you are at a cocktail party, try to sip drink from the same glass instead of going for many rounds of refill.
