Life in moderation
February 22, 2009 by lisagriffis
Filed under Uncategorized
Doesn't this look better than a cheeseburger and fries? Yummy!
I am a Cancer, a homebody by nature, but it is time to go back out into the world with my new life and take it for a test drive.
Eating out has been a downfall for me. For some reason, I thought that the calories consumed at a restaurant didn’t count. Wrong Lisa. They count and what is worse the food preparation is out of my hands. Only the cooks know how much oil they use and not to mention the other goodies that they hide in their treats.
Being antisocial really isn’t in my nature so I have learned a few tricks to eating out that I thought I would share with you. I am far from perfect and I still over eat when I go out but life is short, so when I overeat I hit the gym harder the next day. Try these tricks when you go out to eat:
1. If I am going to an unfamiliar place for dinner I will Google the place and look over the menu and figure out what would be good choices for dinner in advance. My game plan is motion and it helps fight off the temptation to order things I know I shouldn’t.
2. I never order from the main entrée menu. The portions are just too large. I know that some people ask for a take out box to come with their dinner and then they put half of their meal in the box before they start to eat. Nice thought, but it never worked for me. The waiter forgets the box and the next thing you know my plate is empty.
3. I allow myself two items total. I look over the appetizer, soup and salad menu and then pick the two things that I want. The great thing about the appetizer menu is that portions are more inline with what they should be so, if I choose something strays from my healthy eating regime I don’t feel like I fall off the horse too badly because at least the smaller portions keep the calorie count in control.
4. If I know that the desserts at the eating establishment are great I will adjust more my ordering to account for the extra calories at the end of the meal. I ask my friends to share the dish and get extra forks with the treat. It is a great bonding tool and helps again keep the calorie count in line.
5. Moderation is key and enjoying yourself is always on the menu. Life is too short not to enjoy yourself.
