Eating Out: How To Set Yourself Up For Success Vice Restriction

I’m Master Trainer Charlie. Welcome to my corner of the internet, dedicated to helping busy women live their healthiest lives.

At F3, we make fitness, nutrition, and wellness simpler for you. Our blog offers straightforward steps and free, chef-designed, tasty recipes tailored to your goals and busy lifestyle.

Let’s talk about eating out. This can be an over-complicated topic when it comes to health and fitness goals. Thankfully, at F3, we believe in a practical approach to your nutrition goals. Because of this, eating out isn’t off-limits to us, and there’s no reason it should be.

Because we believe in it, these tips will empower you to take control of your health! Let’s dive in.

Look At The Menu Ahead of Time

Check the menu before you arrive. If you wait until you’re at the restaurant, tempting smells and suggestions from friends or staff can make it harder to stick to your plan. Look at the menu when you’re not hungry and decide what you’ll order ahead of time. That way, you can feel good about your choice. For more support, see our F3 Blog on Mastering Physical & Emotional Hunger Cues here.

Start With a Side Salad

Choose a starter salad filled with leafy greens instead of bread. This will help slow food absorption, reduce blood sugar spikes, and help you prevent overeating. As mentioned, for more support on recognizing physical hunger cues, read our F3 Blog on Mastering Physical & Emotional Hunger Cues here. It can help you minimize over-eating.

Ask For Double Vegetables.

Swap rice, potatoes, or pasta for double vegetables to minimize ingesting extra calories, get more fiber, and feel full sooner. If you’d rather have something else over the double portion of vegetables, try a plain baked or sweet potato. Both are packed with nutrients and have fewer calories when compared to the average portion of rice or pasta you will receive. Ask for butter on the side so you can control the amount that is being used.

Request Your Food to Be Cooked With Olive Oil.

Many restaurants have olive oil, but they often cook with cheaper oils. Ask for your food to be cooked with olive oil for a healthier choice that can also help reduce inflammation.

Get a Decaf Coffee or Tea For Dessert.

If your group orders dessert, you don’t have to feel left out. Simply request a decaf coffee or tea so you can stay and enjoy their company.

Ask For The Sauce on The Side.

Sauces often add the most calories and unhealthy ingredients. Ask for sauce on the side and use only as much as you need, reducing calories without sacrificing flavor.

Eat Before You Leave The House.

Don’t skip meals to try to save calories. We’ve all done this, thinking we are storing up our daily caloric intake for later. This often leads to overeating when we do eat out. Instead, eat your regular healthy meals at the normal time you usually would before you go out.

Follow these steps when you eat out. They can help you feel more confident and less restricted, so you can get better results over time and build healthy habits that fit your lifestyle. Keep reading the F3 Blog for more tips that can help you live a healthier lifestyle.

To create realistically positive and healthy habits, grab a copy of the F3 Lifestyle Guide: Create Positive & Healthy Habits AND Stick With Them here.

And once you make your purchase, as we’ve partnered with Truemed, don’t forget to see if you’re eligible to save an average of 30% off your purchases using your FSA/HSA funds. Details are available on the F3 website.

It’s never too late to start creating healthy habits, especially those that will help you achieve your goals.

Keep WORKING.

F3. LET’S WORK.

Talk to you soon.

Your Master Trainer,

Charlie