Courtesy of Anna Gray Your Clean Eating. Dining Guide

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1 Courtesy of Anna Gray Your Clean Eating Dining Guide

2 DINING OUT: Why? Choices Tips 1 and 2 Tip 3 Tip 4 Tips 5 and 6 Tips 7 and 8 Tips 9 and 10

3 WHY DO WE DINE OUT? A WISE PERSON ONCE SAID, "THE TOUGHEST PART OF A DIET ISN'T WATCHING WHAT YOU EAT. IT'S WATCHING WHAT OTHER PEOPLE EAT." Today, dining out is often more common than eating a home-cooked meal. How many mornings does breakfast equal a cup of coffee and a bagel at Starbucks? A good portion of the American workforce eats lunch out every day. And how often do you just grab dinner on the way home or have it delivered to your front door? Yes, we are a nation of consumers, especially when it comes to paying someone else to prepare our food.

4 MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES. "WILLPOWER HAS MORE TO DO WITH PREPARATION THAN TENACITY" But for those of us following a fitness plan for any length of time, dining out can be inconvenient and sometimes a tiny bit scary. It's hard to know what to order, how it fits into your plan, and most of all, how not to say, "Forget it; who needs a six-pack?" and order that threecheese lasagna with Italian sausage. But making the right choices is easier than you think, and willpower has more to do with preparation than tenacity. So let's look at some ways to prepare for dining out

5 1. Get a copy of the menu. This amazing thing called the Internet gives us instant access to just about anything. And if you want to plan for dining out, you can find an online menu for almost every fast food joint and high-end establishment out there. From McDonald's to Spago, you can instantly summon the information. 2. Look up nutrition facts. Once you've made your choices at home, you can easily look up the nutrition facts pertaining to those choices. Many low- to midpriced establishments list not only their menus, but their nutrition facts online. For the higher-end places, you can look at each individual ingredient to figure out the approximate amount of protein, carbs, and fat. With this knowledge, you can figure out what might be the most appropriate choices, and what to avoid.

6 3. Eat your meals and snacks as scheduled. Don't go to a restaurant when you're famished. It's a common misconception in the United States that you should always get your money's worth when dining out by making sure you clean your plate. Unfortunately, that plate probably contains enough food to serve a family of four in another country. American restaurants serve massive portions of food, which leads to the massive tummies and backsides evident in our national obesity epidemic. But if you're not actually starving when you walk into the restaurant, you'll be a lot less likely to lick your plate clean. If you're really hungry when departing for the restaurant, grab an apple on your way out the door. And please note that you'll still get your money's worth if you take half your meal home in a to-go box.

7 4. Make sure you complete your workout. If you'd only have gotten through that INSANITY Max Interval workout first, you'd have had some motivation, and you'd probably eat less overall. A study by a team of Brazilian researchers discovered that exercise actually increased feelings of fullness in your brain. That's right: Work out first, and you won't feel like shoving the entire Hometown Buffet in your mouth.

8 5. Write it down.before even leaving your desk, record it in your food diary. When you commit something in writing, you're a lot more likely to follow it through. You're also a lot less likely to add on a bunch of extras, like appetizers or dessert, which you'll have to account for later 6. Be honest and firm.one of the most difficult things about dining out is peer pressure. How easy is it to give in to "Oh, just try one" or "You work out you don't have to be perfect all the time"? Or my personal favorite: "If you get hit by a bus tonight, you'll be really sad you didn't have some cheesecake." Sometimes the way to get your companions to be supportive is to be very clear about your goals before you even sit down. If you explain honestly how hard you've been working toward your goals, even your mother is likely to back off

9 7. At the restaurant, don t be afraid to ask your server questions like how certain dishes are prepared, what toppings come on it, or if you can substitute certain unhealthy sides for steamed vegetables, a side salad with olive oil and vinegar or a plain sweet potato. You should also be aware that restaurants always use way too much salt to enhance the flavor of their dishes, so ask your server to limit the salt or hold the salt. 8. Wear the skinny jeans. There's an old dieting trick that involves wearing a bathing suit every time you have a meal at home. That second blueberry muffin isn't as appealing when you're staring at your "muffin top." Try to wear your tightest pants, skinny jeans, a form-fitting shirt, or that Dress that turns heads.

10 9. Order Water: Another simple one get rid of the empty calories found in sodas, beers, and sweetened beverages. Free refills and sitting around a table chatting with friends for nearly an hour is an easy way to consume ridiculous levels of sugar (or even worse, chemically altered products that are turned into sugar). If you need some flavor in your water, squeeze a lime or lemon into it. As an added bonus, you will save $2.00 for every meal you dine out you d be surprised at how quickly that adds up!. 10. Ask for a Box before you get your meal. For those needing to practice portion control and limiting calories, ask for a box when you get your food and immediately put half of your meal in the box, close it, and put it somewhere where you will not have the urge to go in for seconds.

11 Wendy s: Order a dry baked potato with chives and broccoli, plus a side salad (no dressing). To spice up the latter, fork on some mandarin orange segments, which are sold as a dessert. Although nutritionists often recommend the chili as a more healthful alternative, it actually has about 40 different ingredients. McDonald s: About the only things that are clean here are the side salad (sans dressing), Apple Dippers (without the dip) and orange juice. Notice we didn t recommend the grilled chicken breast filet. It has about 26 different ingredients, and the liquid margarine in which it s prepared has about a dozen more. That's one instance when simple isn't so simple. Chipotle : Avoid the sour cream, be aware of portion size. Pizzerias: your best bet is to customize a salad and order it with oil and vinegar on the side. Chinese: The mainstay here is brown rice and steamed veggies sprinkled with some light soy sauce. Sushi: Order the sashimi or nigiri. In general, the fancier the roll s name or the higher its price the more sauces and stuff it ll have in it.

12 Panera Bread: Smoked Turkey Breast on Country: You wouldn t believe how good this tastes and it doesn t have any calorie-laden sauces just turkey, lettuce, tomato, and onion. PF Changs: better choices but not perfect. Buddha s Feast, Steamed, Asian Grilled Salmon (both are 2 servings), Philip s Better Lemon Chicken Be Prepared! Join the conversation