When I eat out I want it to be special, consequently I don’t eat out often. You may have seen the advice on how to shave calories at restaurants but really, are you wanting to pay high restaurant prices for undressed salads and plain steamed vegetables? If not, how then can you solve the dilemma of too many calories when you eat out?
Here are six tips for getting the calories out of restaurant meals while still ordering your favorites.
Say NO to super sizing: The size you ordered is already too big. Stop super sizing and you’ll save money. Better still, order one dinner and ask for an extra plate. Many restaurants will do this for a dollar or two, and it’s well worth it. Then share the meal with your friend and you split the cost straight down the middle. Another option is to order from the so called “appetizer” menu. Two people could order three entrees, one dessert and split the whole thing and it’s still a ton of food!
Skip the bread and rolls: Many family restaurants still serve a bread basket with your meal. Unless it’s a fresh baked loaf or some really special bread, just skip it. You don’t need to fill up on ordinary bread when you’re paying good money for a meal. Just ask for it to be taken away if you can’t resist, but frankly, you’re an adult, you can resist, if you want to. You can simply choose not to put a roll on your plate. Try it, just once and see if you don’t walk out of that restaurant feeling strangely powerful.
Stop Ordering Drinks: Soft drinks are a huge cash cow for restaurants. For pennies they sell you a squirt of syrup and carbonated water and act like they’re doing you a big favor by only charging you $1.29 for a giant 64 ounce soda. Start saving those dollars. Especially if you’re ordering “to go” skip the drink. If you’re eating it there, ask for water, or at least switch to diet drinks. Never drink “fat pop.”
Slow Down You Eat Too Fast! What’s the rush? Take your time, savor the moment, enjoy the flavors. A big part of getting in touch with your hunger signals and learning to eat what really will satisfy is learning to recognize the subtle signs of hunger. You won’t know when you’re approaching satisfaction if you’ve gobbled everything down in five minutes. Take a bite then notice how many times do you chew before you start wanting to swallow? Once, twice? Make an effort to chew your food and your body will be much happier. A very large part of digestion begins in your mouth, not to mention you’ll get much more pleasure if you let the food linger.
Ask for a Doggie Bag at the Beginning of Meal: When the food is served, immediately portion off some to take home for tomorrow. Most restaurants in the US serve way too much. There is no law you have to eat it all. Do this frequently and soon you’ll find you’re getting an extra lunch out of that meal.
Get a copy of Eat This, Not That! or Restaurant Confidential, and start checking out how many calories you’re really eating. If you eat out frequently and you carry extra weight, then that’s probably the problem right there. These books can help you realize why it seems you don’t eat that much yet you can’t lose any weight. Hardees recently introduced a new burger that clocks in at just under 1200 calories all by itself! Now that’s frightening.
If you really want to get a handle on your weight problem, look first to where you eat, second at what you eat, and third how much you eat. Where, What and How Much? Try these steps choosing one tip at a time, and see how easily you can take some of the calories out of restaurant food
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Ok, so I have to admit I watched a movie this weekend that I normally wouldn’t watch – Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married” I’m a big romantic comedy fan…no joke I’ve seen every Hugh Grant movie ever made 
But this movie seemed a little too deep/dramatic for me just from reading the description. But since my wife wanted to watch it, and there wasn’t much else worth watching on the 1500+ channels we have, I decided to make my way through it. All in all it was ok, but there was one plot line that caught my attention.
The story is about 4 couples (plus, as it turns out, one mistress) who make their way to Colorado for a yearly reunion. One of the couples was a threesome, a husband named Mike, his obese wife Sheila and Sheila’s “friend” (aka the mistress) Trina. As each couple made their way to a remote Colorado cabin the movie shifted to show their travel travails.
Mike, Sheila and Trina were planning on flying together…that is until Mike made his wife take the middle seat in the row in front of them. Sheila was subsequently removed from the flight because airline policy required someone of her size to purchase two seats, and the plane was oversold. So what did Mike do? He gives his wife cash to rent a car and drive up to meet them!
Long story short:
- Sheila survives the drive through a snowstorm thanks to the single, good-looking sheriff who sees her for who she is rather than how she looks
- Mike verbally and psychologically abuses his wife once she arrives due to her weight
- Mike reveals he is cheating and his desire for a divorce (and divulges the secrets of the other couples, too)
- Sheila stays behind to start her life over, falls in love with the sheriff and marries him, and loses weight
- Sheila and Troy (sheriff) run into Mike at another function, where Mike realizes the mistakes he has made, but Sheila has moved on
Take aways…
- Abuse does not serve as a motivator to an overweight person. In fact it often has the opposite effect.
- Even socially awkward situations, like discrimination on an airline, don’t always provide the necessary incentive for someone to lose weight.
- As strong a feeling as revenge can be (you know, the “I’ll show him what he missed out on” line of thinking), that still isn’t enough to get a person over the hurdles that they face.
- If a person really wants to lose weight and make a positive change on their life, the best thing to do is support them in every way possible. Troy offered to have Sheila come work out with him (after she was oggling his physique), he went on walks with her, and he made her feel special…and she ended up losing weight. If you truly love someone and you care about their well-being, you need to find a way to give them the support they need. And emotional support is frequently overlooked but is absolutely critical to weight loss success.
Ok, so watching this move wasn’t a complete waste of time
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Besides burning calories, exercise helps your brain stick to a diet. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studies overweight adults for two years, and found that the participants who didn’t follow a 3-hour-per-week exercise plan ate more than the 1,500 calories per day the study allotted. The reverse was also true – sneaking in extra snacks sabotaged their workouts. You need diet AND exercise to maintain long-term weight loss. Both actions serve as reminders to stay the course, reinforcing your fat loss goals and drive.
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According to researchers at the University of California at San Diego and Harvard, if your friends or family are overweight, there is an increased chance you are (or will be) overweight as well. A 32-year study tracked the weight records of more than 12,000 people, and found that the chances of becoming obese went up if a friend, sibling or spouse also gained too much weight – an increased risk of 57 percent, 40 percent and 37 percent, respectively. Researchers concluded that the participants were influenced by similar attitudes, behaviors and acceptance of obesity – in other words, you may not feel so bad about being fat if your best friends and closest relatives are fat. The researchers suggested that their findings may have implications for how to better deal with obesity – rather than treating individuals, it might be more useful to treat groups of friends and relatives together.
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Men who lose weight successfully and keep it off share these eight characteristics according to Suzanne Phelan, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University. You should be striving to live by these rules!
- They eat 1,850 calories a day – 27% of which come from fat
- They burn 3,300 calories a week through exercising
- They watch less than 10 hours of TV per week
- They weigh themselves every day
- They eat the same way on weekends and holidays as they do during the week
- They eat breakfast every day
- They limit the variety in their diet – i.e. they eat the same foods pretty consistently
- They rarely eat fast food
Want a plan that incorporates all of these suggestions? Try this one
fat loss diet • weight loss diet • diet program
Ever wonder if you have a serious problem with binge eating? In a recent issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, I read a feature article about the treatment of bulimia and binge eating. Bulimia is defined as 2 or more episodes of binge eating (consuming a large amount of food in 2 hours or less) at least twice a week for 3 months. These episodes may be followed by vomiting or purging (with laxatives or diuretics) and may alternate with fasting and compulsive exercising. People who suffer from bulimia often view this behavior as a shameful secret.
Binge Eating Disorder (binging that is not followed by vomiting, fasting or exercise) has gotten more attention recently since it is being considered for inclusion as a psychiatric diagnosis.
The criteria are tentatively listed as a condition that causes serious distress with at least 3 of the following symptoms occurring at least 2 days a week for 6 months:
- eating very fast
- eating until uncomfortably full
- eating when not hungry
- eating alone
- feeling disgusted or guilty afterward
Since most of the population has probably engaged in these eating behaviors at one time or another, I guess it comes down to the frequency and severity of the problem. You can be a binge eater, but you would have to be binging quite regularly to be considered to have Binge Eating Disorder.
Many people engage in some of these behaviors all the time. People who live alone often eat alone. And while eating when you aren’t hungry is not the most satisfying experience, sometimes it is just an ingrained habit.
You do not have to be overweight to be a binge eater. Many people with binge eating problems think they are overweight or are worried that they will become seriously overweight. Dieting does not necessarily stop the binging and is often viewed as being part of the problem rather than the solution. The body resists dieting by slowing metabolism and increasing appetite, commonly accompanied by an intense preoccupation with food, more binging, anxiety and depression.
If you are struggling with bulimia or severe binge eating problems, seek help and get the support you deserve. Don’t keep it a secret. You do not need to be heroic and suffer alone.
If you engage in some of the binge eating behaviors, join the club.
You can learn to change all of these behaviors, even mild to moderate binge eating by listening to your body, eating mindfully and being kind to yourself.
fat loss diet • weight loss diet • diet program
A fat belly certainly makes you a big man – and also less of a man, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Researchers studied over 580 men for almost 20 years, and found that a 4-point increase in body mass index – a (somewhat-flawed) calculation used to determine obesity – accelerates your natural decline in testosterone by 10 years! This corresponds to a gain of 30 pounds for a man who is 5 feet 10 inches tall. It’s not just the testosterone levels that suffer – the deficiency also increases your risks of diabetes, bone fractures and Alzheimer’s disease.
So what to do if you are putting on weight? Grab a copy of my diet program that I personally used to drop 80 pounds in 8 months at http://burritodiet.com to get rid of that belly fat and preserve your manhood!
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Just because a box of cookies says “reduced fat” doesn’t mean you should eat it! But what do those frequently seen buzzwords actually mean? Below is a table with the claims and the related FDA guidelines:
| Claim | Requirements that must be met before using the claim in food labeling |
|---|---|
| Fat-Free | Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil |
| Low fat | 3 grams or less of fat per serving |
| Less fat | 25% or less fat than the comparison food |
| Saturated Fat Free | Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans-fatty acids per serving |
| Cholesterol-Free | Less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving, and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving |
| Low Cholesterol | 20 mg or less cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving |
| Reduced Calorie | At least 25% fewer calories per serving than the comparison food |
| Low Calorie | 40 calories or less per serving |
| Extra Lean | Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry or seafood |
| Lean | Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry or seafood |
| Light (fat) | 50% or less of the fat than in the comparison food (ex: 50% less fat than our regular cheese) |
| Light (calories) | 1/3 fewer calories than the comparison food |
| High-Fiber | 5 grams or more fiber per serving |
| Sugar-Free | Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving |
| Sodium-Free or Salt-Free | Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving |
| Low Sodium | 140 mg or less per serving |
| Very Low Sodium | 35 mg or less per serving |
| Healthy | A food low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and contains at least 10% of the Daily Values for vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber. |
| “High”, “Rich in” or “Excellent Source” | 20% or more of the Daily Value for a given nutrient per serving |
| “Less”, “Fewer” or “Reduced” |
At least 25% less of a given nutrient or calories than the comparison food |
| “Low”, “Little”, “Few”, or “Low Source of” | An amount that would allow frequent consumption of the food without exceeding the Daily Value for the nutrient – but can only make the claim as it applies to all similar foods |
| “Good Source Of”, “More”, or “Added” | The food provides 10% more of the Daily Value for a given nutrient than the comparison food |
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Here is one of my favorite lunch time feasts – it has fat-burning protein, monounsaturated fat and lots of fiber! And even a non-cook like me can whip this up in no time:
Cook 2 cloves of minced garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add 1 pound of peeled shrimp (I like to take the tails off as well), sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until the shrimp is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Mash an avocado with 2 Tablespoons of minced onion (the dried kind is good), 1 teaspoon of garlic, 1 teaspoon of diced chili, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve the shrimp and guacamole with heated high-protein, high-fiber tortillas.
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Olive oil has been king-of-the-oils for a while, but coconut oil may be a better choice for fat burning. Coconut oil is made up of more than 50 percent of medium-chain triacylglycerol (MCT), a fatty acid that increases fat oxidation, thus enhancing weight loss, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers had test subjects use 4 to 5 teaspoons of MCT oil or olive oil each day for 16 weeks. The MCT group lost four more pounds than the olive oil group.
