Let's talk restaurant meals and how to make better choices
Eating out is a fun and social part of life.
But when you are losing weight it can lead to anxiety over what to choose.
I always say that there are no “bad” foods, but there ARE better choices.
Every Friday I feature a “Food Fail” on my IG page and many of these foods are restaurant meals.
Keep in mind that when I feature these foods, I am in no way saying to never eat them.
My goal is to educate people on what it is they are actually eating so that they can make a better choice going forward.
I consider foods a “fail” for a variety of reasons.
Some food fails are extremely high in caloires.
Some are high in fat and saturated fat.
An item may be considered a “food fail” for its high sugar content or use of food dyes and carcinogenic ingredients.
Be sure to check out each week by clicking here.
But again, it is all intended to educate. Many people are simply not aware that what they are choosing is not the best option.
My intention is not for you to avoid these foods for the rest of your life. The goal is to educate you on how to make better choices because when we know better we can do better.
Sometimes we do know just how unhealthy a choice is and we choose to make it anyway because that is what we are craving and we are set on having it.
Great, have it!
Savor every bite, enjoy it and don’t feel guilty for it. Guilt over a “bad” meal will only lead to further bad choices as we figure we already blew it so why not just go all out and start over next week.
That one meal won’t make a difference in the grand scheme of your diet.
We don’t gain weight because we eat poorly in one meal, or even one day or one weekend.
We gain weight because we consistently go over our calorie needs day after day.
Weight gain happens over time, not over night.
So focus on making better choices MOST of the time.
Choose lower calorie and lower fat options whenever possible.
Simple exchanges such as egg whites instead eggs. marina sauce instead of cream sauces, asking for no cheese, no butter and getting salad dressings and sauces on the side can make a huge difference, without affecting the flavors.
Here are some popular restaurant meals and how to make a better choice:
TGI Friday's:
Sizzling Chicken & Shrimp Alfredo - 1,720 calories and 100 grams of fat, 48 grams of saturated fat and 2,480 milligrams of sodium.
For a better choice, try the Center-Cut Sirloin, which comes with mashed potatoes and lemon-butter broccoli for 640 calories and 41 grams of fat
Cheesecake Factory:
The Chinese Chicken Salad - 1,740 calories and 106 grams of fat!
The Chicken Caesar - 1,500 calories and 119 grams of fat.
The BBQ Ranch chicken salad - 2,020 calories and 127 grams of fat.
For a better choice, opt for The Cheesecake Factory's Skinnylicious menu options.
The Skinnylicious Shrimp or Chicken Tacos only have 510 calories and 15 grams of fat each.
The Skinnylicious Chopped Salad has 530 calories and 30 grams of fat.
Even the Skinnylicious Hamburger is a better option with only 570 calories and 30 grams of fat.
When ordering salads, opt for the light dressings.
The Skinnylicous Sesame Soy salad dressing has only 20 calories per tablespoon and zero grams of fat, compared to the regular balsamic vinaigrette which has 80 calories and 8 grams of fat.
These small change can make a HUGE difference in your diet.
Playa Bowls:
The Nico Bowl (banana blend topped with granola, banana, strawberry, walnuts, cacao nibs, and peanut butter) - 740 calories and 31 grams of fat.
The Chia pudding almond joy (chia pudding topped with granola, banana, sliced almonds, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, honey) - 790 calories and 42 grams of fat
The Acai Power Bowl (acai with chocolate protein topped with granola, banana, and peanut butter) - 710 calories and 30 grams of fat.
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For a better choice, pick a base, top with lots of fresh fruit, some chia seeds and a honey drizzle.
Still a delicious treat, but with half the calories!
Moe's Southwest Grill:
Homewrecker Burrito - 1,000 calories, 41 grams of fat and 1,876 grams of sodium!
To make it better, opt for a whole wheat tortilla, white meat chicken, black beans and load up on the veggies (while skipping the rice, cheese, guacamole and sour cream).
These changes will save you over 400 calories!
Or better yet, opt for one of their Bowls with meat, beans and all the veggies you want for only about 400 calories total.
Panera Bread:
Mac and cheese - 950 calories and 52 grams of fat per bowl
Broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl - 1050 calories and 31 grams of fat!
Chipoltle chicken and avocado sandwich - 930 calories and 49 grams of fat.
The Pepperoni Flatbread pizza - 950 calories and 47 grams of fat.
For better choices stick to the salads with dressing on the side or do half sandwiches with a vegetable soup.
You pick two with 1/2 Asian chicken salad and 1/2 Turkey country rustic sandwich is only 460 calories and 21 grams of fat.
You pick two Turkey Country Rustic sandwich with a cup of 10 vegetable soup is only 310 calories and 11 grams of fat. Again, if you are not watching your sodium this is a better choice.
Large chains with more than 20 locations must have their nutrition information available.
When you know you will be dining out, be sure to check out the menu and nutritional information before hand. This will help you to make a "better" choice.
Knowing what you will order before you arrive will remove temptation and help you stick to a healthier choice.
For more tips and support join my Free Weight Loss for Life FB Page.