Let’s start off by saying I am not the world’s greatest cook. If you are looking for a boring meal with little to no flavor, I’m your guy. Needless to say, I used to eat out at restaurants a lot.
I noticed after a while that even when I ordered the same foods at restaurants that I would normally cook, I would gain weight. How is that fair? Well, when I really paid attention to what I was ordering, I uncovered a few sneaky tricks they were using to hold me back.
1. Portion Size
With most restaurants serving dishes that are even too big for a 350-pound NFL lineman, it’s no wonder why you feel like you need to have your stomach pumped after each meal. A lot of restaurants give you huge servings to make you think you’re getting more bang for your buck, but it’s your stomach that taking all that bang. When you eat to the extent of suffering from “food coma”, a condition we all know too well, you’re body is put through a tremendous amount of stress while trying to digest everything and lot of it ends up being stored as fat.
With most restaurants serving dishes that are even too big for a 350-pound NFL lineman, it’s no wonder why you feel like you need to have your stomach pumped after each meal. A lot of restaurants give you huge servings to make you think you’re getting more bang for your buck, but it’s your stomach that taking all that bang. When you eat to the extent of suffering from “food coma”, a condition we all know too well, you’re body is put through a tremendous amount of stress while trying to digest everything and lot of it ends up being stored as fat.
Try this. Next time you go out to eat, once you get your food, immediately cut your meal in half and put the other half in a to-go box. This will help you limit your caloric intake and make two meals out of one. Now that’s how you really get more bang for your buck!
2. Side Dishes
Okay, so you’ve ordered a lean cut of top sirloin steak (my personal favorite) and are feeling pretty healthy about your choice. You get your meal and see that the chef has generously included the largest baked potato you’ve ever seen, filled to the brim with cheese, sour cream, and bacon. It would be rude of you to enjoy that wonderful steak without sampling that delicious looking side dish, right?
Okay, so you’ve ordered a lean cut of top sirloin steak (my personal favorite) and are feeling pretty healthy about your choice. You get your meal and see that the chef has generously included the largest baked potato you’ve ever seen, filled to the brim with cheese, sour cream, and bacon. It would be rude of you to enjoy that wonderful steak without sampling that delicious looking side dish, right?
WRONG!!! These side dishes are a major reason why people consume unnecessary and unhealthy calories. People tend to pay attention to the main portion of the meal when they should be spending just as much time looking at those dangerous sides. Try subbing out the unhealthy sides with steamed vegetables instead. Almost all restaurants will be able to make the swap for free or for a very small charge (Do it. Believe me, it’s worth it).
3. Salad Dressings
Now that we’ve covered the main part of the meal, let’s dive into what may be the most surprising trick, salads! Salads are very healthy common appetizers and are one of my personal favorites. However, these salads are carrying a very dangerous secret. The dressings used are some of the unhealthiest options out there. Dressings like Ranch, Blue Cheese, Caesar (this was by far the hardest thing for me to give up), etc. These are extremely high in unhealthy fats and will undo everything you are trying to do by eating a salad in the first place.
Now that we’ve covered the main part of the meal, let’s dive into what may be the most surprising trick, salads! Salads are very healthy common appetizers and are one of my personal favorites. However, these salads are carrying a very dangerous secret. The dressings used are some of the unhealthiest options out there. Dressings like Ranch, Blue Cheese, Caesar (this was by far the hardest thing for me to give up), etc. These are extremely high in unhealthy fats and will undo everything you are trying to do by eating a salad in the first place.
The ideal salad to get when eating out is any salad that is made up of « mixed greens ». These will have the best nutritional value. For the dressing, ask for oil and vinegar. If you really need to get a pre-made dressing, then go for balsamic vinaigrette. This is the least damaging dressing. Also, make sure you order the dressing on the side so you can control how much is used.
Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to outsmarting those sneaky restaurants!
Check out the meal plan creator here on www.ScottHermanFitness.com to help you avoid the pitfalls of going out to eat. Proper planning is the number one way to stay consistent with any program, giving you the results you fully deserve. . There you’ll find an excellent resource on everything you need to know to sculpt the body of a Greek God.
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