You’ve got your healthy grocery list down to a science and you know exactly what aisles to avoid (because you know you can’t walk by the those frozen pizzas without grabbing at least three).
But that all goes out the window when you meet up with friends at a restaurant. For whatever reason, caution is thrown straight to the wind and you often end up choosing the one item on the menu that makes you drool the most, even if it does have the undisputed highest calorie count in the house.
Don’t worry. Hope is not lost. Here are five simple tips to help you stay on your A game at your favorite eateries.
1. Have a plan.
It’s 2016. Most restaurants have their menus posted online, whether on their actual site or even on Facebook. Give it a once-over before you arrive, make your healthy choice, then simply recite it once you get there. It’s much easier to stick with a premeditated selection than to keep up your resolve when each new menu item makes puppy dog eyes at you as you order.
2. Beware the beverage.
Whether it’s that sugary sweet cocktail before dinner, or it’s that soda your waiter keeps refilling without you noticing (3, 4 times now?), you can easily hit your suggested calorie limit for your whole meal without even taking a bite. Yikes. If you have to have it, limit yourself to just one. Better yet, just go for the H2O. Your body and your wallet will thank you.
3. Double up on veggies.
The thought process often goes something like this: And I’ll get steamed veggies for my side item. Wait, it comes with two? Hmm. Ok, better make that steamed veggies and mac and cheese. They cancel each other out, right? Wrong. Get the veggies on both. They’ll taste delicious, you’ll feel so much better afterward and you didn’t even have to prepare them. That’s a win/win/win.
4. Be a salad skeptic.
Sorry, but loading up on your leafy greens doesn’t do much good when you smother them in cheese and fatty dressings. That salad topped with fried chicken, barbecue sauce and bacon bits? It’s not doing you any favors, and could actually be worse for you than the sandwich you wanted in the first place. If nothing else, get the dressing on the side. You’ll be surprised how little you actually need.
5. Slow down.
In case you haven’t noticed, portion sizes in the U.S. are a little, well, gratuitous. That makes it super easy to overeat when you have an unspoken need to be a part of the Clean Plate Club. Instead, take your time. Eat about half of your meal, then stop and drink a glass of water. If you’re still legitimately hungry, keep eating. If not, box it up. More than likely, you’ll find you filled up much quicker than you thought.
Do you have any go-to tricks for beating post-restaurant regret? Let us know in the comments below.