Stay On Your Diet While Eating Out? Let’s Do This!
How many of us like to eat out, but d
on’t know what to eat? I can tell you that you can go to any restaurant and still stay on your diet. The first thing you need to do is know what you are supposed to eat. For example, if you are in show preparation or the off season we all have a plan. For instance, if I am going out to lunch I usually have about 25-30 carbs at lunch. If the place I’m going doesn’t have plain rice, potato, or whole wheat plain bread I will usually have their fruit or I would just have extra veggies.
Basically every restaurant carries a protein source and a salad. Even if you would go to a bar restaurant it will have grilled chicken. You just have to ask for no butter, no oil, and no salt. I would just ask for a plain salad and use the vinegar. So that gets a little easier at night because you don't really need the starch. Same goes for breakfast. We usually have carbs at breakfast, so you can use fruit, oats, plain toast, or a muffin in a pinch. I am here to give you what to order at certain restaurant chains and fast food.
If I don’t mention a restaurant you frequent, you can look at what a common restaurant listed and just use the same rules. Okay, here we go!
Breakfast
Starbucks
One serving of oats with no sugar (just add the fruit and nuts), 150 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 27g carbs. You can also add a small nonfat latte, 90 calories, 6g protein, 3.5g fat, 9g carbs.
Spinach and egg white sandwich and a hot tea with a splash of nonfat or soy milk, 355 calories, 25g protein, 7g fat, 35g carbs. Enjoy a hot tea with splash of soy, 40 calories, 2g protein, 7g carbs.
Denny's, IHOP, Waffle House
Egg white omelet, (3 large egg whites with cooking spray only - no oil or butter), 54 calories, 21g protein, 0g fat, 0g carbs. Remember, sometimes they use butter, so tell them dry with no butter on the pan. You can add 2 pieces of rye toast (80 calories, 2.7g protein, 0.5g fat, 15g carbs) and put a dash of syrup on the toast instead of butter. If you are not in show preparation, you can add a side of fruit. Have a black coffee as well.
Oatmeal with no sugar, 1 cup, 166 calories, 5.9g protein, 3.6g fat, 28.1g carbs. You can add a little sugar free syrup and have a poached egg (73 calories, 6.26g protein, 4.95g fat, 0.38g carbs) and black coffee.
McDonald's ha
s a great muffin there
Egg white delight muffin. 250 calories, 18g protein, 7g fat, 25g carbs.
Oatmeal with nonfat milk. Add a black coffee. 290 calories, 7g protein, 58g carbs. That's good for all you hard gainers or after a workout.
Lunch or Dinner
Chick-Fil-A
I would go for the market salad, 180 calories, 25g protein, 4g fat. Add a fruit cup, 90 calories, 20g carbs.
Macaroni Grill, Carrabba’s, Olive Garden, or Chili’s
Chicken or fish, grilled and dry with steamed veggies. Tell them no butter or oil. Add a side salad with the dressing on the side. You can make up your own dish.
They will do anything for you; you just have to ask. You can put marinara sauce on your veggies or fish. For 6oz sirloin you are looking at 32g protein, 7g fat. For 5oz chicken, 210 calories, 30g protein, 6g fat. House salad is 50 calories with 2 tablespoons vinegar. Add veggies, 10g carbs, no fat, just add lemon.
P.F. Chang’s or Chinese restaurants
You can get Moo Goo Gail Pan (180 calories, 15g protein, 4g fat, 7g carbs), steamed with the sauce on the side and brown rice. Chicken lettuce wraps steamed with the sauce on the side. You can use the hot mustard sauce or the gluten free soy sauce.
Oolong sea bass steamed with spinach sauce on side with 1/2 cup brown rice, 430 calories, 9g fat, 35g carbs. That's with the sauce on the side.
Salmon grilled with the sauce on the side and a half a cup of steamed brown rice, 430 calories, 10g fat, 30g carbs.
Steak house
Grilled filet, no butter with plain baked potato. You can use steak sauce and lemon on the potato. And you can add a salad or steamed veggies with no butter. Look at the above calories for your grilled chicken or fish. Basically, it would be the same at every restaurant. If it's more than the ounces you're allowed, I would just take half home and you have an extra snack. You could get the fish, too, broiled, no butter or oil, with steamed veggies. Add a potato if you can afford the carbs. Again, no butter, use lemon.
Sushi restaurants
You can have any sashimi. Add a seaweed salad or edamame with no salt for all you carb-free lovers. And you may have any roll that doesn’t have cream cheese, tempura, or mayo in it. Watch the oils they pour over the top. I would suggest spicy tuna roll or California roll. You can be really safe with just plain sushi. The green tea is always good.
In conclusion, always look at what the restaurant carries and then you can make up your own meal. Just be sure to say, “Dressing on the side, no butter or oil.”
Don't be afraid to ask for what you want! Be creative when reviewing what is on your diet plan and get the restaurant to make it as close as they can. I always tell the server up front to make sure they ask the chef to be very careful with the salt, oils, and butter. If you are nice to your server, they will do what you tell them. I know it's easier to bring your own food, but we all get stuck in certain situations. Hope this helps!
If you have any questions, you can email me at [email protected]
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