Your Diet Solution Restaurant Guide

I recently celebrated my 33rd birthday. Since I’m much too old for a party at the roller rink, my husband took me out to a wonderful birthday dinner with some friends.

“Isabel , what do you mean you went out to dinner? I thought you locked yourself up in your house and only ate directly from your own refrigerator and never left the house?”

As funny and ridiculous as the above statement is, unfortunately some people do think that in order to lose weight they can never eat out or enjoy some of their favorite foods ever again. But I can tell you that I have not stopped dining out or attending social events in the name of healthy eating, and yes, I am still am able to maintain my 30 lb weight loss.

So how do I do it?

Easy. I search the menu for DSP approved foods and make adjustments if needed.

Here’s what I mean.

My best strategy for dining out is to create a meal of protein and lots of veggies. I tend to skip the complex carb when I’m out since it’s never quite as healthy as it would be if I was to make it in my own home (yes, there are exceptions but this seems to be the case more often than not). With that being said, of course most foods would be healthier when you cook them at home but again, we’re not locking ourselves up in the house, right?

Let’s say there is a fish dish on the menu. In the case of my birthday dinner, there was a grilled rainbow trout, stuffed with crab over wild rice with a side of mixed vegetables. “Stuffed” usually means there are going to be breadcrumbs involved so I first asked if it was possible to get the grilled fish without the stuffing. The waiter said “of course.” I then asked if I could have double the vegetable and skip the rice and he again responded “of course.” When my meal came it was a delicious piece of grilled rainbow trout with a medley of carrots and zucchini on the side.

The next thing you want to pay close attention to is the portions. My fish had to be approximately 8 oz (I could tell by just looking at it). I ate a little bit more than half (which was more than enough for me) and ate all my veggies.

How about dessert? Depending on the day or the occasion, I will sometimes split a dessert with my husband. And since it was my birthday celebration, I did have some Peanut Butter and Chocolate mousse with berries on the side. Was there anything DSP about this dessert? Definitely not. But I was happy with just a few spoonfuls and it definitely did not make or break my healthy eating regimen.

So just in case you think restaurants or social events are completely off limits on your healthy Diet Solution Plan, follow the steps below so you don’t have to lock yourself in the house just to lose weight:

1. Look for the healthy protein on the menu first. Chances are you’re not going to find grass fed meat and free range poultry (although many restaurants do carry them now) but since you are not eating out every day of the week (I hope) just look for your best option. I tend to order wild fish when I’m out since I’m not so great at cooking it and really love it.

2. Eliminate the complex carb choice from your meal and ask for a vegetable replacement instead. If the dish comes with rice, potatoes, or pasta, ask if they have different vegetables available and choose a few of those.

3. Imagine there is poison on the bottom of the bread basket. Ok, ok, I don’t have to be so dramatic. But there really is no reason to fill up on tons of bread when you have a yummy meal coming really soon. Even if you’re hungry, order a small salad instead and stay away from the dreaded bread basket at all costs.

4. Schedule a cheat meal once a week. I will usually share a dessert with my husband over the weekend when we go out and that is my “treat” for the week. Actually, since I really do enjoy all of the food that I eat all week long, I never feel like I’m depriving myself but I do enjoy a little sugar every now and then.

Remember, healthy eating does not have to mean locking yourself up in a closet and never going out in the real world…that would be completely unrealistic and not something anyone could do. Walk into each social situation with a game plan and you’ll find that you can still enjoy life and feel great and look great at the same time!

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