Coping Skills for Dining Out

Dining Out Without Wrecking
Your Weight Loss Plans

Preplanning for dining out can save your weight loss diet. In our modern society, many of us spend most of our days away from home--at work, in school, at children's events, at social events. If you are following the behavior modification rules and rituals of the Food Addicts Weight Loss program, eating out should hardly make a ripple in your plans.

If dining out is a rare occasion, you don't need to worry about it. Have fun. Eat what you want, even that rich dessert. The next day, get back on program. If eating out happens more than once a month, you need to develop some coping skills.

Dining out at Work or School

If you work or go to school, you probably have one meal out, five days a week. Planning is essential. The ideal lunchtime situation at work is to have a microwave available. You can plan a healthful meal, prepare it at home, and heat it in the microwave for lunch.If you must eat a cold meal, a little finesse is necessary. Protein in this type of lunch is generally in the form of a sandwich. That results in eating too much bread. The solution to that dilemma is to buy light bread with 40 or fewer calories per slice. The filling can be lean cold cuts and mustard. Put lettuce and a tomato slice in a seperate sandwich bag to be added at mealtime. Raw carrots and a piece of fruit or yogurt finishes the meal. Add a non-caloric beverage.

If you decide to cowboy up and not break your rule about eating with your hands, replace the sandwich with a salad, with nuts or fat-free cheese added.

Dining out for lunch in a restaurant should not be a problem. You probaby eat in the the same places each day and are familiar with what is served. Make your meal plan just as you would at home; a protein (not fried), a salad or cooked vegetable (again,not fried), dressing on the side. Add one other item; bread, fruit, dessert, or caloric beverage. If you are served too much, ask for a take-home box or share with a friend. (Chicken fajita dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant provides me with 3 meals!)

Even fast food restaurants now have healthy choices such as chicken salads and yogurt parfaits. Don't let them put sauces or dressings on your food.

Home Invitations

Being invited to dinner at someone's home requires a different kind of dining out strategy. If someone cooks for you, it's not nice to complain or refuse to eat. Eat what is prepared, but follow youreating ritual; eat slowly, put your fork down between bites, etc. Ask for water and sip it throughout the meal. Enjoy conversation with your dinner companions. Ask for a small serving of dessert. If you hostess tries to serve more dessert, tell her it was wonderful, but you are stuffed. Take a dish home with you if she insists.

Don't announce that you are on a diet. If you do overeat a little, it is not the end of the world. Get back on program the following day.

Cocktail Parties

Parties are a dining out challange, especially if alcohol is served. Try to drink only diet soda. Or you could have one drink, then switch to the "virgin" version of the drink--leave out the alcohol. Stay away from the snack table. If you are hungry, put hor d'ouvres on a small plate, eat very slowly and don't go back to the food table. Meat and cheeses are your best bets for staying power. Breads and sweets will just make you want to eat again.

The Club Scene

If you go to night clubs on weekends, follow the same strategy as the home cocktail party. Eat a healthful meal before going out. Have one alcoholic drink, then switch to tonic. Or just drink diet sodas. Do a lot of dancing--it is good aerobic exercise.

Family Holidays

Family holidays are challenging dining out opportunities. They can be an "eat-all-you-want-then-get-back-on-program" meal, or they can be managed. A slice of turkey and a spoonful of everything else will usually fill you up. Don't go back for seconds. Follow your ritual. Have a piece of pumpkin pie. If there are two kinds of dessert, have 1/2 serving of each. Whichever you do, put the dessert of a small plate and don't go back for seconds. Get out of the kitchen if you don't have to help with clean-up.

You will probably get leftovers, which you can take home and manage the same way. If you can't keep from binging, decline the food, or throw out the problem foods when you get home.

If dinner is at your house, send most of the leftovers home with guests.

Buffets

If your dining out occasion is a buffet, whether at restaurants, neighborhood get-togethers, or parties, it should never be "eat-all-you-want-and-get-back-on-program" meals. That could lead to a gigantic pig-out that could take you a week from which to recover.

The strategy; eat a green salad with little or no dressing. Then fill one plate with the kind of food you woud eat at home: a protein, a starchy vegetable, and a cooked vegetable. Then have one of something else; jello salad, dessert, or bread.

When it is gone, stop eating. You are no longer hungry after that much food. Have the server remove your plate. If others are still eating, sip coffee or some other calorie-free beverage until they are done.

I have advised you not to announce your weight loss efforts to others when you are dining out. Why? Because you may encounter diet sabateurs!

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