Dining Out while Trying to Lose Weight

I love to eat out. The smells, sounds and sights that fill up my senses as the chefs prepare a delicious meal.  For a self confessed ‘foody’ there is nothing that compares. But what do you do when you are on a life changing weight loss journey, the scales keeping moving in a downward direction and you would prefer to keep it that way.  It’s very easy for me, at least in the beginning to taste the good food and say ‘buh bye’ to the diet.

I once thought that weight loss meant no eating out and salads all day, every day – morning, noon and night.  Not now. Now I realize that I can have weight loss AND a social life. I just need to ensure that my weight loss ledger is evenly balanced on both sides.

What do I mean by this?  Honestly, it is actually very simple.  When I head out for a meal with friends or family, I embrace the challenge of hunting down the menu items that will support rather than hinder my weight loss efforts. After all, I am not going to become a lean bean overnight, so I need to adopt my life so that the lifestyle supports me in the long term.

Instead of choosing the fettuccine with cream sauce, I opt for the grilled steak with green salad and a baked potato.  I usually stay away from dessert but if I try a light one, I know that during that day I will omit something to account for those calories.

Ultimately, this is a win/win/win. I still get to spend precious time with friends and family, I get to fill my senses with the deliciousness of a busy restaurant or café, and my weight loss stays on track.  Dining out does not have to be all bad when you are on a diet.

Picture Credit:  Flickr

Dining Out doesn't have to be scary