Venturing Out, and Still Losing

At nearly every WW meeting, I remember hearing the words, “Eat at home as much as possible.   The biggest successes come from members who eat at home.”

I found that to be true.  At home you control exactly what goes into your food, but when you go out you never really know what is going in your mouth.  You have some idea, especially when you ask questions and give specifics as to how you want things to be prepared, but the reality is that your idea of “just a little” can look different then the cook’s.    

But hey, you can’t eat at home all the time.  Going out is fun, and sometimes unavoidable. Here are some tips for when you are eating out around town:

Before you leave:

*Some restaurants are more WW friendly than others.   Pick a restaurant that offers healthy options and will make substitutions (fruit instead of fries, for example).   If you are in a group,  speak up and suggest a couple of places that will work best for you.   

*Most chains have their menus and nutritional information available online.   If you know you are going to a particular restaurant,  do the research and decide what you will order before you get there.  

* Don’t skip other meals, but eat lighter the rest of the day.   Eat lower point, higher protein items that will keep you full longer.   

*Try eating a healthy snack before going, so you aren’t as hungry when you get there.   If you are starving going in, you are more apt to make impulsive choices.

When you get to the restaurant, have a plan in place.

* Salads are not always the best choice.   Sure, they look innocent, but are often higher in calories than a burger and fries!  To make your salad WW friendly, order it with no cheese, no croutons, and go for the vinaigrette dressing on the side.  Other traditional salad items like beans, corn and avocado may have a high point value, so don’t forget to factor them in when making your decision.

*Tell the waiter not to bring the bread and/or chips at the beginning of the meal.  You need to save your points for the protein in the meal, or you will be hungry later on.    If you are really hungry, try a broth-based soup as an appetizer instead.

*Ask for a to-go box as soon as your food comes, and package up half of the food right away.   You won’t be as tempted to overeat, and you will have lunch for tomorrow!

*Drink extra water.    Restaurant food always has a higher salt content then what you prepare at home, and that is not good for weight loss.

*Whatever you order, plan on adding on a couple of points to account for extra oil that the food was cooked in, or other ingredients that you don’t know about.

*Plan on exercising the day you go out, but don’t use it as an excuse to eat more.  The WW plan does offer extra points for exercise, but you will lose weight quicker if you do not use those points.

*On the other hand, if you’ve saved up Weekly Allowance Points, use them!   You can still lose weight and use your extra weekly points, so don’t feel guilty about using them.

One last tip:   Order something that you like.    Don’t just order the dry, baked chicken and plain vegetables because you are trying to lose weight.   That isn’t necessary, and not sustainable.    Find something new that actually sounds good, or order your old stand-by with some adjustments to fit your point allowance.   

Anybody have recommendations on restaurants that are weight-loss friendly?   I’d love to hear from you.