 |
| diningcritiques |
Desserts
If you are like me, you just need to be in the same room with food to gain weight. This is even truer in restaurants. Don't you just love it when you are struggling to stay strong on your diet, and you enter a restaurant to see and smell a spectacular array of desserts? Restaurants want us to forget about that diet, and they are using pretty persuasive arguments. Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, authors of Skinny Bitch, recommend that we stay away from restaurants for a month…if only we could! In this article, Restaurant Temptations and Tips for Dieters, you will find tips to survive restaurant dining.
 |
| petula fung |
Before You Arrive
•Before going to a restaurant, if you have an opportunity, eat something. Not at home? Carry a light snack in your purse, car, or pocket, like raisins. This way you won't be starving when you get there.
•Wear a belt and tight clothing. Expandable pants are out if you want to curb your appetite. The tight clothing will make you feel full sooner.
•Bring a reminder. People used to tie strings around their fingers when they wanted to remember something. You can wear a piece of jewelry, like a bracelet or a ring, as your string. Tell yourself of its significance when you put it on, then, touch it often as a reminder.
Have a Plan
•Plan ahead. Know that some restaurants will have the desserts by the entry. Enter through a side door or just focus away from them. Start a conversation or just admire the decor.
•When chips or bread is brought to your table, move them out of arms reach. Don't rely on will power to keep you from eating these high carb foods.
•Focus on the other people at the table instead of the food. Bring something to look at to talk about like pictures or a book. Change the subject if someone else is talking about food. Prepare for conversation in advance.
Be Prepared
 |
| citrus and candy |
•Plan for the calories in this restaurant meal. Eat less in the days before this meal.
•Restaurant foods tend to be much richer than foods we make at home. Dieters should choose a meal with no sauces or with clear or red sauces. Marinara is much better than a cream sauce.
•When your food arrives, and it is twice as much as you would allow yourself on your diet, have the waiter immediately put half of your meal in a box for you to take.
•Eat your veggies. Remember, vegetables are lower in calories than any other food and full of fiber that will fill you up. Only avoid them if the restaurant adds calories to them like cream sauce.
•Get your salad dressing on the side. Don't pour the dressing over your salad. Instead, dip your fork into it, then, stab your salad. You will enjoy your salad more and still feel you are getting dressing with it.
Buffets
 |
| al vinikour |
•When choosing where to sit in a restaurant where a buffet is served, find a seat far from the buffet table. Studies have shown that heavy people choose tables closer to the buffet table. Being farther away will help you focus on conversation instead of food.
Family and Friend Buffets
•It is even more important to remember to socialize at social gatherings. It should also be easier. Just don't relax so much that you fall into old, familiar habits. Remember, distract yourself: socialize, socialize, socialize!
•Feel free to use the excuse of not eating by saying, "I am on a restricted diet." It is true. When they ask why, say, "I'd rather not say," or something like that, then, change the subject.
 |
| vegan warrior |
Temptations and Tips
•If you are choosing healthy salads over heavy meals, you may think you are paying too much money for too little. Lose that feeling! As a thinner, smaller person, you will be saving lots of money on food.
Temptations and Tips
 |
| jet city pizza |
There may be a time when restaurant temptations will win. Accept this momentary lapse and get back on the wagon. If you have to dine out often, review these restaurant temptations and tips for dieters often to keep you strong through it all. The day will come--you will be thin!
