It’s Friday night, your long work week has ended, you may have someone watching the kids and you’re ready to have some fun with your friends with a dinner. You also have been doing a REALLY good job this week watching what you eat, following the plan that you’re Nutrition Coach has provided you, and are on the right track to reaching your health and wellness goals.
The problem you face now is one that you’ve faced in the past; eating out and falling off track with your diet plan and then repeating the process over and over again.
We get it, we’ve been there before. Eating out on a Friday night with your friends can be super tempting to really enjoy yourself but the truth is that Friday to Sunday is 43% of the week. That’s almost half of your week where you could be making different choices that will let you take control of your health and lifestyle.
Today, we have 5 ways to make sure you stay on track the next time you go out for a meal whether it’s dinner, lunch, breakfast, brunch, or anything else. Name the occasion a majority most of these tips will ensure that you stay on track with your plan! Keep scrolling to read!
1. Know what you want BEFORE you Go
Take time to check the menu of the restaurant and choose what you want, before going out. Take your time and choose something that is already ideally around something you’d eat on a normal day. This will prevent you from browsing all the dishes – when at the restaurant – that could throw you off track of your diet or impulsively ordering something.
This is where you can prepare yourself for the restaurant, cafe, event, etc, and don’t give yourself the temptation of doing something you could regret later on down the line.
2. Utilize the PLATE METHOD
You may have heard about this method before for either improving your nutrition or helping maintain it.
Well not only does it work but it’s also a method that is super simple and can be incorporated almost anywhere you got to eat.
This means that when you order, make half of your plate be veggies. The other half should be evenly split between protein and some sort of carb/ starch.
This is a great way to control your portion sizes and get in nutrients.
3. Eat Your VEGGIES First!
You’ve heard the old saying but it holds up! While you may want to eat all of the other stuff on your plate, your body with thank you late for eating your veggies first.
Start with the vegetables on your dish before diving into anything else. If you eat anything else beforehand you risk filling yourself up before you can even touch your veggies! Not only are you ensuring that your body is getting the vitamins that it needs but this is also a great time to get into the habit of eating your vegetables first with all of your meals.
If you can do it now while out at a restaurant then it’ll be much easier anywhere else!
4. Stick with WATER as your Drink
Like our first tip, we recommend that you choose water as your main beverage before you leave for the restaurant.
While you may be thinking that since you’re eating better than usual on an occasion like this that it’s okay to have an alcoholic beverage or other drink, that’s actually not the case. By having a drink with a high amount of sugar in it (like soda or a bar drink) you only add an extra barrier to trying to control your eating habits when going out.
Stick with water to help complement what you’re eating on your plate and to help reach your hydration goal if you have one (if you don’t have one, then now is the time to start setting one)!
5. SUBSTITUTE Items on your Order
If there’s one tip we want to leave you with to truly help with your goals then it’s this one right here!
This is where you have the most opportunity to make the best choices for your nutrition so you stay on track!
This means that instead of ordering the fries with your burger, replace them with something like sweet potatoes
You can also do something like replacing the bun for the burger you ordered with lettuce. Not only can this help with managing calorie intake but it’s much more nutritious for your body.
Need help with more swap options? Check out our “5 Healthy Swaps for Everyday Meals and Snacks” post on Instagram!
Recap:
We get that a situation like this can be challenging but it ultimately comes down to the habits you develop along your journey.
Follow these tips and you’ll end not only staying on track with your diet plan but over time you’ll develop these habits to change your life and how you control your health and wellness.
Looking for more?
Here at CrossFit St. Charles, we can help you! We all understand and have been through the journey of developing our health and fitness.
We’ve even helped others reach their goals by providing them with one on one nutrition coaching that includes data-driven results, continuous consultations, personalized diet plans, and more. If you’re looking to get started right now – FREE of charge – then sign up today by clicking the image below!
