Last Minute Plans to Go Out vs. Being in Control of the
Dining Options
Especially when we are losing weight we want as much of our
choices in dinning to be in our control as possible. But, this is not always
the case. There are family gatherings, date nights, business lunch and dinner
meetings, and so many other times when we don’t have a lot of say in our menus
and/or the timing!
If You Know You Are Going Out vs. When You Don’t
Knowing ahead of time that there is a designated meal time
is of great help when deciding how to plan the meals prior to and afterwards.
If you are going to dinner at 7:00PM then be sure that you have taken into
account whether you anticipate a wait time to be seated, whether there will be
a business meeting prior to ordering, or possibly cocktails. I normally would
have something like a small piece of cheese about one hour prior to the dining
arrival time. This allows me to be sure that I am not famished when the food
arrives or that I don’t eat the entire bread basket if that is all there is for
the first half-hour. Sometimes the decision to go out is very last minute! You
may be tempted to say no thanks, but don’t!! Your losing weight should not mean
the end of your impromptu socialization. Just decide how much you really need
to eat, keep it lean if you ate recently and embrace leftovers!
If You Don’t Know the Restaurant vs. When You Do
If we know the restaurant we probably have already scoped
out the best options for us and have an idea what to order that will keep us on
track. But, what if we have no idea where we are going until we get there? More
than likely there is something that will work. Look for words like seared,
broiled, and grilled, and avoid words like breaded, crusted, and fried. If you
aren’t sure how something is prepared based on the description, ask the waiter
and let them know you are interested in something with minimal sauces and
preparation.
Appetizer vs. No Appetizer
It depends on how long it will be before you are going to
have dinner and also what appetizer choices you have available to you. If your
choices are fried mozzarella sticks or chili fries I would skip the appetizer
and go straight for a salad to start you off. But, if you are going to be
talking a bit before ordering dinner then my favorite appetizer is some sort of
fish, beef, or chicken, with minimal preparedness.
Dessert vs. No Dessert
This is tricky in that if you are out to celebrate an
anniversary or birthday of course you are going to want something. Perhaps
sharing something is an option. Avoid the whip cream type desserts and stick
with the more substantive like ice cream, dense chocolate cake, or crème brulee.
But again, share with someone else and eat only what you feel comfortable
eating.
Have Fun!! (There is no vs. no fun!!)
Above all, enjoy the time out whatever the occasion is. Your
goal is to not overeat! Plain and simple if you avoid overeating that is more
than half the battle. Embrace your leftovers and make a plan to eat them the
next day. This will allow you to only eat what you truly feel comfortable
eating in the moment.
Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet
www.timerdiet.com
The week from April 16 to April 22 we celebrated Earth Week,
but did you know this holiday has been around for decades? In fact 1970 it was
created to help bring awareness to the Earth’s environment. Yes, before many of
us were even born (not me I’m a boomer baby), people have said to be concerned
about the Earth. But, what have we done to help? What did we resign ourselves
to do differently this last week?
