Dinner out on date night is a cheat meal for me…meaning, within reason, it is my splurge meal for the entire week. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, it is important for me to have this.  BUT if I eat more than one meal out, I make a point to keep to some simple, healthy eating out rules. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I know how too many dinner outs can completely destroy your efforts towards health. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I want to give you the basic survival guide to eating out.

#1 DON’T STARVE YOURSELF ALL DAY

Ever been grocery shopping when you were hungry? Yeah, me too… BIG mistake. Same concept applies when you are super hungry before going out to eat. People make poor decisions when they are really hungry- we tend to over do it and eat in excess. Have a snack like an apple before you eat out. Also, drink plenty of water beforehand too- this is hugely helpful ! Don’t store up all your calories for the meal out. Let your Scottsdale personal trainer make this clear, eat moderately and sensibly ALL THE TIME!

#2 YOU control your condiments.

Whether it’s ketchup, mayo, butter, salad dressing, or salt… ASK FOR IT ON THE SIDE. You would be blown away by how many calories get hidden in condiments. It’s best for you to see it and put on the amount yourself. That way you can add in what you want with moderation.

#3 PUT IT ON A PLATE

Ya know that delicious basket of warm bread? Or what about those salty, crunchy, endless bowl of tortilla chips? Go ahead and have some… but PUT IT ON A SEPARATE plate. Don’t eat out of the basket or bowl because you wont realize the quantity you are eating. Put one serving on your plate and BE DONE WITH IT! As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I know this can be very challenging, but it’s worth it. Plus, you don’t want to be stuffed by the time your real food comes?

#4 MAKE SUBSTITUTIONS

Instead of fries with your steak, get a salad. Instead of a white baked potato, opt for a sweet potato(butter on the side remember? ) Load up on veggies instead of the heavy side dishes like mac and cheese.

#5 TAKE IT TO GO

Don’t MAKE yourself power through the meal when you are already full. Use the to go boxes. OR better, if you know the meal is big ask the server to just bring you half of it and put the other half in a to go box BEFOREHAND! This is not difficult to do. When dining out, most the plates are HUGE and the portions are really more built for two people, not one. Take it to go!

#6 EAT SLOWLY

Take your time to really ENJOY your meal. Eat slowly and savor each bite. Engage in conversation with whoever you are with. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I KNOW this tip is frequently over-looked and ignored. TEST IT THOUGH! You will eat less if you slow down and allow your stomach the time to tell your brain you are full.

#7 PICK THE RESTAURANT

When possible YOU be in charge of picking the restaurant. That way you can do some research beforehand and pick a place that you know may have healthy options or better portions sizes. Also, many restaurants have their nutritional information on line. Look into this so that you can SEE and KNOW in advance exactly what you are going to order based on what you found to be the healthiest meal you enjoys.

So, I hope this helps you feel like you can still go out to eat and be healthy! It’s all about choice. You CHOOSE what you want to put into your body. YOU have the power!