Dine Out Without Breaking the Diet Bank
Posted on Oct 13th 2009 12:00PM by Tanya ZuckerbrotFiled Under: Diet & Weight Loss
Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods.
Dining out should be a leisurely activity. If you are on a diet, do not stress at the glance of a menu. Follow these simple suggestions, and you can enjoy eating out without sabotaging your diet.
If you eat bread, dessert and have a few glasses of wine during dinner, you could be consuming up to 1,000 extra calories at your meal -- that's not even counting the appetizer and main course! Lets face it, who stops at just one dinner roll? At around 120 calories a pop and another 130 calories for a dip or two of olive oil, the calories add up quickly. In addition, most people have at least two glasses of wine at dinner (approximately 90 calories per glass). If you give in to the temptation of dessert, it could cost you anywhere from 200 to 600 calories. This is a dieter's nightmare!
Because I dine out often, I have learned to choose my poison, so to speak. Rather than go all-out and reach for the bread basket, a glass of wine and dessert, I choose one. I always tell my patients to order a soup (non-cream based) or garden salad with dressing on the side as an appetizer -- this way they won't be tempted by the bread. And, if you choose a decadent dessert, just a few bites should suffice. I call it the three-bite rule; it's all you need to feel satisfied. After all, you shouldn't be eating dessert out of hunger, it's all about the flavor. The first three bites are the most flavorful and will satisfy your sweet tooth. If you choose alcohol, it does not mean you need to binge drink. Have one or two glasses of wine or vodka with club soda, and you will be able to take the edge off with few calories. By following these simple rules, you can cut around 800 calories from your next dinner!
Think calories don't count? Think again, because they do.
Photo: Getty Images
If you eat bread, dessert and have a few glasses of wine during dinner, you could be consuming up to 1,000 extra calories at your meal -- that's not even counting the appetizer and main course! Lets face it, who stops at just one dinner roll? At around 120 calories a pop and another 130 calories for a dip or two of olive oil, the calories add up quickly. In addition, most people have at least two glasses of wine at dinner (approximately 90 calories per glass). If you give in to the temptation of dessert, it could cost you anywhere from 200 to 600 calories. This is a dieter's nightmare!
Because I dine out often, I have learned to choose my poison, so to speak. Rather than go all-out and reach for the bread basket, a glass of wine and dessert, I choose one. I always tell my patients to order a soup (non-cream based) or garden salad with dressing on the side as an appetizer -- this way they won't be tempted by the bread. And, if you choose a decadent dessert, just a few bites should suffice. I call it the three-bite rule; it's all you need to feel satisfied. After all, you shouldn't be eating dessert out of hunger, it's all about the flavor. The first three bites are the most flavorful and will satisfy your sweet tooth. If you choose alcohol, it does not mean you need to binge drink. Have one or two glasses of wine or vodka with club soda, and you will be able to take the edge off with few calories. By following these simple rules, you can cut around 800 calories from your next dinner!
Think calories don't count? Think again, because they do.
