“Eat out to help out” or maybe not…

It’s been hard to ignore the government’s new ‘Eat Out To Help Out” campaign and whilst it might be hard to resist a half price meal, if you are someone who’s watching their weight then eating out might not be in your best interest! As for the fact that the governments launched this “eating out” initiative the same very week as their “better health” campaign is beyond me, but that’s a whole other blog!

We are constantly discussing  the merits of a flexible diet and being able to fit just about anything you want into your day, but in reality if you do choose to include regular eating out you won’t leave much room for other nutritious meals throughout your day, so you have to be sensible and have some techniques to hand so you are always in control.

Trying to estimate the number of calories in a dish from your favourite restaurant is a challenging task and we always recommend to double the numbers you have guesstimated.

Why? Because it’s in the restaurants’ interest to make their food as delicious as possible. And how do they make food delicious? By adding fatty or sweet ingredients.

When walking around Westfield yesterday I noticed the food-hall was heaving. As it’s an open plan space you could see the restaurants preparing the food. One meat-serving place had loaded up chicken breast skewers which we always advise is a good choice when eating out on a diet. Just before the skewer went on the grill, the chef dunked the whole skewer in a vat of oil! Why? To make it tastier!

We would never advise you not to go to a social arrangement or a family get together in a restaurant, but if you have the option of a different type of activity then it’s best to prepare and eat your food at home before you go out. Instead of a restaurant you could then think about going for a long walk together and even take your homemade food with you on a picnic in the park whilst the weather is still beautiful.

But if you do end up in a restaurant here are our top tips:

1. Make sure you keep your calories to a minimum during the day and leave double the amount of calories for dinner then you normally would.
2. Think of calories as money. If you had £10 to spend in a day save at least £7/£8 on your meal out.
3. Don’t even try and estimate how many calories were in the food. You’ll never know and there’s no point even trying to guess.
4. Stay away from the bread basket. If they bring it to your table ask them to remove it if you think you won’t be able to help yourself.
5. Choose what you are going to eat in advance. It’s a big mistake to look at the menu when you are starving as you might not make a wise decision (look it up on their website before you go).
6. It’s worth having a bowl or soup or a protein shake before you go out to eat so it takes the edge off and you will be in more control.
7. Just because you’ve been served a massive portion, it doesn’t mean you have to eat it. Ask them to wrap it up and finish it off the next day.
8. If you have ordered a salad, ask for dressing on the side and beware of calorific trimmings such as nuts, seeds, dried food, cheese etc.
9. Keep refilling your cup with water and drink slowly throughout the meal.
10. Eat slowly and mindfully (often difficult if you are out with a big group).
11. If you get an alcoholic drink to go with your meal stick to a spirit and slimline tonic (G&T or vodka & diet coke etc).

And please remember, you are not the victim. You are in control of your own life and if weight loss if your goal please don’t let the thought of a half price meal lure you in.