A lot of people tell me that they struggle with losing weight because they eat out so much. My first reaction used to be, “Well don’t eat out then”. Haha, I know. I recognize that it is flawed to an extent. What I really should have said is if you have a choice, do your best to eat home cooked food as it gives you the greatest control over what you are eating. When eating out be mindful of your meal plan and do your best to eat within those parameters. Some of my clients have ‘cheat meals’ or ‘reward meals’ at certain times. These are basically meals where they can eat anything outside their meal plan. These should be eaten within reason of course. You certainly do not want your ‘cheat meal’ to completely undo everything you have worked on all week. That is to say, do not go all out and drink a bottle of wine and eat chicken alfredo, fried calamari and tiramisu. That alone will make you gain a couple of pounds in one sitting. A ‘reward meal’ serves to take the edge off, fulfill the desires you have had for a certain food and allow you to feel free and at ease eating out with friends and family. It should not be an all-out pig fest.

Recognizing that many people lead busy lives, are out an about and have to eat out more often than they eat at home, I wanted to give some pointers on how I stay in control of how I eat even when I eat out.

1.       Check the menu before you go
I find it helpful to look at the menu of the restaurant you are going to before I go. This allows me to make a choice without being influenced by the pictures, what others are eating or the awesome special the waiter has been paid to sell. Many restaurants also have nutrition information on their websites. Believe me; you’ll think twice about eating that chicken alfredo after seeing that it can sometimes contain a whopping 3000 calories!

2.       Eat a small snack before you go
There is nothing that can blow a diet faster than being in a restaurant feeling hungry. I’m given the menu and suddenly everything looks good. I have discovered that I think clearer when I am not hungry and can make wiser food decisions. I now keep a stash of nuts in my car and I’ll eat a few just to take the edge off. I also try to have fruit on hand which I’ll eat before I get to the restaurant.

3.       Put the fork down.
Those who know me know that this is my favorite saying. In all honesty, many of the restaurant portions are contain 2 or 3 servings. I DO NOT attempt to finish off everything on my plate. I DO divide the dish in half and choose to take the rest to go. I DO share a plate with someone else. I DO stop eating when I am full.

4.       Choose vegetables over starches
We have been trained to always eat a vegetable and a starch. But if at all possible, I try to eat a vegetable and a vegetable. That is, I order chicken, fish or steak and choose to forgo the rice, potatoes and pasta and double up on vegetables.

5.       Avoid creamy sauces and creamy dressings
A salad with a ton of creamy dressing is NOT good option. Vinaigrettes are a better option than creamy dressings. When I eat out, I usually ask for the dressing on the side and use it sparingly. I like to drizzle some vinegar or squirt a lemon over my salad

6.       Grilled and Baked
I also avoid options that are fried and sautéed and instead opt for food that is grilled or baked. And just for the record, I discovered that food that is ‘lightly fried’ or ‘flash fried’ has definitely been completely submerged in cooking oil and therefore regardless of how they label it, it is still DEEP FRIED. Go figure, so I now avoid anything fried regardless of how creative they get with the labeling.


As I have said before, I believe that most things are ok in MODERATION. However if you are in weight loss phase you have to be a little more careful of what you are eating. Sticking to your meal plan is what will ensure your success in losing weight. In essence if you must deviate, deviate thoughtfully and carefully. Once you have reached your goals it does not become a free for all. You don’t want to go back to old habits but you want to remain mindful of how and what you are eating at all times.  Hopefully this little guide will help you stay in control when you eat out. Let me know how it goes.

Often people find themselves stuck in a situation. They believe that they are doing everything possible to change their circumstances and they are not sure why nothing is working for them. Over the years one thing has become apparent and that is I don’t know what I don’t know; therefore I am always on a quest for new knowledge. Seeking new information and seeking ways to improve where I am already. This applies to weight loss as well. I have tried many things over the years and done this and that and believed that I knew a lot of things. It wasn’t until I decided to take a completely different approach that I experienced a drastic change in my weight loss journey. Below are a few of the common things that I have heard people say they won’t do when it comes to losing weight. Hopefully as you read these things you can step outside of yourself and recognize the things that you may say that are similar.

1.       I love ________ (insert any food).
This one is my favorite. I hear people say yes I know fries make me fat but I love them so and could NEVER give them up. I am somewhat in agreement. You should get to enjoy the food you love the most. But the issue is when you are in weight loss mode you need to make a shift for a season so that you can see the changes. Once you have reached your goal, you can reintroduce the food you love or some variation of it in moderation.

2.       I hate _______ (insert any food).
Let’s be real here. Clearly the food you LOVE that you eat daily has not helped you lose weight. In fact it’s made you fat. What good does it do you to stick to your guns and declare that you won’t eat one food or another?  I am not saying that you need to be miserable and eat only food that you hate for months on end. I am simply suggesting that you attempt to make an effort to introduce a variety of other foods that are proven to support weight loss.

3.       My family is fat therefore I’m destined to be fat.
The first you have to realize is that the family you grew up in influences your eating behaviors. What you eat, how you eat is largely due to what you were fed growing up. Secondly, there is some genetic component to weight issues. However with that being said you can influence your own personal outcome by the choices you make. You can learn new eating habits and leave those that you grew up with behind. Most importantly, a combination of diet and exercise is no match for any genetic predisposition to being fat.

4.       I don’t know it therefore I won’t eat it.
The fact that you don’t know it and have never eaten it might be the reason you are fat. If someone is telling you that eating a combination of certain foods is going to help you lose weight you owe it to yourself to try it and learn to like it in order to see the changes you desire. The fact that it can help you in your weight loss goals is reason enough to give it a try several times over. Now if you experience an allergic reaction and end up being hospitalized that is a different story but for the most part give, something a try daily for at least a month before writing it off.

5.       I don’t like being hungry.
Correction, your body doesn’t like being hungry. You have conditioned yourself to respond to the sensation of hunger by doing something about it. And no I am not talking about starvation which I’m certain many of us are not at that place. I am talking about the minor discomfort of eating at a caloric deficit. You will have to learn to embrace the feeling of hunger and give it a positive spin in order to lose weight. Say to yourself hunger is a good thing, hunger means I am eating just a little less than my body needs in order to encourage it to burn off this extra fat on my body for fuel. Please be sure that you are not skipping meals and depriving yourself of adequate nutrition. I am talking about embracing calculated well planned hunger such as that in a personalized meal plan.

I can think of many other things that people say that make it hard for them to progress beyond their current circumstance. I hope this post will bring you to a place where you can begin to challenge certain thoughts that you have made you mind up about.   When you hear me talking about some change or another you need to make. At least allow yourself to have the thought that you may need to do things differently, for a season and watch as your life changes and you head into the most fulfilling period of your life.