Look, I get it. You want to lose weight. You want to drop those last 20lbs that have been haunting you for years. You want to get rid of your love handles.
But, at the end of the day, you don’t want to have to sacrifice the quality of your life in order to get there.
You want to get leaner and change your physique, but you also want to enjoy life in the process.
You don’t want to be the guy or gal that’s taking a Tupperware of tilapia and broccoli everywhere you go.
Because that’s just not sustainable.
So that begs the question: How can you eat out and enjoy meals with friends and family at restaurants while still making progress towards your weight loss goals?
Well, that’s exactly why I’m writing this article.
All I ask of you is one thing.
Make sure to read the entire thing from start to finish so you can have a complete understanding of exactly what you need to do to eat out and enjoy your life while still losing body fat.
Sound good? Alright, let’s dive right on in.
How to Actually Lose Fat
Before we discuss the actual topic of this article, I’d be doing you a massive disservice if I didn’t touch on how we actually lose fat. Because it sets the stage for everything else we’re about to discuss moving forward.
I know I’ve spoken about this ad nauseam in other articles and posts on social media, so I won’t belabor this point too much.
The only way to lose body fat is to be in a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit is not a diet. All it means is that you’re eating fewer calories than you burn each day.
For example, if you maintain your weight off of 2,000 calories a day and you consistently eat 1,500 calories a day, then you my friend are in a 500 calorie deficit.
Which means you’ll lose around a pound of fat per week.
A calorie deficit is what needs to happen physiologically for your body to burn off stored fat.
The Individual Method Is Entirely Up To You
You can do keto, paleo, intermittent fasting, calorie counting, weight watchers, or any of the other thousands of diets out there.
But, at the end of the day, the only way any of those diets will work is if they lead to you being in a calorie deficit.
Plain and simple.
I can’t even begin to express just how important it is for you to understand this concept.
Because you need to know how your body loses fat in order to devise a plan to go about achieving it.
No matter what weight loss fads you come across, always know that the only way to lose fat is to be in a calorie deficit.
Another reason that I needed to mention this is because it’s crucial for you to know that the six tips I’m about to give you only work if you’re in a net calorie deficit by the end of each week and each month.
Yes you can eat out and lose weight (I wouldn’t be writing this article if that weren’t the case), but we have to put parameters on things so you actually end up in a deficit.
Now that we have that taken care of, we can move on to the actual topic of the article.
I Won’t Sugarcoat This: Eating Out Makes Weight Loss Considerably Harder
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this: eating out on a regular basis makes losing fat a lot harder. Full stop.
I could easily be one of these coaches that tells you that you can eat whatever you want and lose fat, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I went with that approach.
Yes, of course you can incorporate some of your favorite foods so long as you end up in a calorie deficit.
But eating out on a regular basis makes achieving that deficit considerably more challenging.
Here’s why.
Pretty much anything that you order at a restaurant is going to be higher calorie than what you’d make for yourself at home due to the copious amounts of oil and butter that they use.
And, by the way, this is true even when you order the “healthier option.”
It’s not uncommon for even a healthier entree to be upwards of 800-1,000 calories at a restaurant when that same meal might only be ~500 calories if you cooked it at home.
I need you to understand this because it really puts into perspective just how challenging it is to be in a deficit when you eat out.
Here’s An Example
Let me give you a practical example to really help hammer this home.
Let’s say your calorie deficit number that you’re aiming for is 1,700 calories a day.
And you decide to go out to eat on a Saturday night with a couple of your close friends.
And, given that you’re trying to lose weight, you decide to be conscious about your calorie intake and opt for a healthier option at the restaurant.
Let’s say you order a rotisserie chicken dish that comes with a side of potatoes and veggies.
From a calorie perspective, even though that’s clearly a better option than ordering something like a cheeseburger and fries, the chicken dish could still easily be close to if not more than 1,000 calories.
Let’s just say it’s 850 calories.
That’s 50% of your calories for the day just from one dish!
That’s not even taking into account drinks, appetizers, or dessert.
Or the calories from breakfast and lunch that you already had that day.
As you can clearly see, calories add up real quick!
And eating out increases your overall calories that much more.
As you can already tell, eating out makes weight loss harder.
But, as you’ll soon find out, it does not make it impossible. That’s why I’m writing this article.
Is It A Special Occasion?
This is another important point that I need to hammer home before giving you the practical tips on how to lose weight while eating out.
Every time you go out to eat, be honest with yourself by asking yourself this simple question:
Is this a special occasion or is this a regular occurrence?
Essentially, you’re asking yourself whether this night out is for something special like your birthday or a holiday OR if it’s something that you do almost every Friday or Saturday night with your friends.
Because the answer to that question determines exactly how you approach the night out.
If it’s a special occasion…
If it’s genuinely a special occasion (your birthday, your mom’s birthday, Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving dinner at your parent’s house, etc) then by all means enjoy yourself without restriction.
And, here’s the key.
Get back on track the next day.
No one ever got fat from one burger just like no one ever got skinny from one salad.
Problems arise when one high calorie meal turns into two, three, or four and before you know it you’ve been off track for weeks.
So, if it’s actually a special occasion, enjoy it and have fun, then get right back on the horse the next day.
Order the pasta or the pizza or the burger without guilt. Because life’s too short.
If it’s a regular occurrence…
However, if we’re talking about a random Saturday night in September where you’re out to eat with friends.
That’s just a regular occurrence and not a special occasion.
Or if we’re talking about your co-worker’s cousin’s brother’s 40th birthday party at a restaurant that you go invited to.
I hate to break it to you, but that’s not a special occasion FOR YOU.
It is for them, but not for you.
Especially if you’re a very social person and those events/parties/dinners come up a lot.
I’ve had my fair share of online coaching clients who are social butterflies that always have some dinner or night out planned.
If it happens all the time, it might be super fun, but it’s not a *special* occasion.
I think you get the gist of what I’m saying.
If you go out to eat every weekend, it’s not a special occasion.
Because it happens, well, every weekend.
In those kinds of situations it’s best to go into the night with a game plan on how to handle things so you can still be in a deficit by the end of the week.
The tips that I’m about to give you are that game plan.
You can implement some of these tips or all of them, but just know that they’re all very helpful in keeping your calories in check.
And, one last quick note before I dive into the tips.
I know it sounds like I’m being very negative and pessimistic about the idea of eating out, but I wouldn’t be doing my job as a coach if I didn’t give you all the facts.
Even if those facts aren’t so fun to hear.
6 Tips For Eating Out When You’re Trying To Lose Weight
I think I’ve given you more than enough preliminary information at this point.
So, without further ado, let’s just get straight into my top six tips for eating out when you’re trying to lose weight.
1. Start The Day With A Nutrient Dense, High Protein Meal That You’re Proud Of
I can’t even begin to tell you how important this tip is.
What I’ve found from my own personal experience as well as with my clients is that nutrition is very momentum-based.
Meaning, when you make good decisions around nutrition, you tend to continue making good decisions.
When you make poor decisions around nutrition, you tend to continue making poor decisions.
It’s a snowball effect.
Because, when you make good decisions about what to eat, you feel REALLY good both physically and mentally.
Which breeds even more motivation to continue feeling that way.
But, on the other hand, when you make poor decisions around nutrition, you use it as a justification to continue making poor decisions.
Because you end up saying f it.
“I had an unhealthy breakfast so I’ll just continue to eat like that the rest of the weekend then get back on track on Monday.”
Sound familiar?
I can’t even begin to tell you how common that is.
It’s a slippery slope…
The problem is that it tends to lead to some pretty disordered eating habits where you restrict early in the week then binge over the weekend and it becomes a perpetual cycle.
It becomes the same old story every single week and you feel like you’re never gonna get out of that cycle.
To make sure you don’t fall into that trap, if you know you’re gonna be going out to eat on a Saturday night, start your day with a filling breakfast that you’re proud of.
Maybe that’s something like three egg whites with some spinach thrown in there and a bowl of oatmeal on the side with berries.
You get protein from the egg whites, filling carbs from the oatmeal, and plenty of micronutrients and fiber from the berries.
When you start your day with a healthy breakfast like that, you’ll be SO MUCH more likely to continue making productive decisions around food as the day goes on.
An important note on this…
Notice how I said to start your day with a filling, high protein breakfast.
I DID NOT say to fast all day long and “save calories” for the bigger dinner you’re going to have that night.
“Saving” calories for later is a surefire way to become super hungry at night.
Which means you’ll have less self-control around what you eat and you’ll inevitably overeat and go off the rails.
If you know you’re going out to eat for dinner, I recommend eating normally for breakfast and lunch so you can manage hunger throughout the day ahead of your night out.
Just make your breakfast and lunch high in both protein and fiber so hunger is less of an issue as the day goes on.
In fact, even having something like a protein shake a couple hours before your dinner is a smart strategy to fill up a bit before heading out.
2. Take A Look At The Menu Online Before Going To The Restaurant
This is the perfect example of having a game plan.
There’s this beautiful thing called the internet. Not sure if you’ve heard of it.
Actually, you’re on it right now!
Anyway, this is just one of the many ways that the internet makes our lives 100x easier.
Thirty years ago, you’d have no way of knowing what was on the restaurant menu before walking in and sitting down at the table.
Nowadays, we have the luxury of having pretty much every restaurant menu at our fingertips just from a quick Google search.
Use this to your advantage.
Briefly scan over the menu before going to the restaurant so you can have a list in your head of about 2-4 menu options that sound good AND that won’t break the calorie bank.
This mitigates all the decision fatigue that you’d have while looking over the menu at the actual restaurant.
Not to mention the additional peer pressure that you might feel from your friends and family sitting around you at the table.
By knowing what you might want to order before even going to the restaurant, you’re less likely to opt for the burger or the pasta dish just because your friend or your mom is ordering it.
All of this simply comes down to having a game plan.
Remember, you’re an adult. You’re in control of your own decisions.
Just in case you’re thinking this…
Now, right now you might be thinking:
“Dude, how in the world am I supposed to know what to order at a restaurant to help me be in a calorie deficit?”
Well, I have two things to say on that.
First, and excuse me if this might seem a bit harsh, but using some common sense goes a long way in these kinds of situations.
The salmon dish with roasted veggies is probably going to be lower calorie than the rigatoni bolognese.
Second, this is where working 1:1 with an online coach like myself can help you A TON.
Often times when my online clients know they’re going to be going to a certain restaurant over the weekend, they’ll send me the menu ahead of time to get my input on what some of the best low calorie options are.
This is the power of working with a coach.
You have built-in support and accountability right there at your fingertips so you can have all of the guesswork taken out of the equation.
3. Minimize Appetizers And Desserts; Stick To The Main Entree
I’m not gonna lie, this is where things can get a bit dicey.
Because, like I just mentioned, it’s very easy to give in to the peer pressure of what your friends and family are doing.
Even if they aren’t overtly pressuring you into eating a particular food, just being around them can alter your decision making.
Because it’s easy to want to want to “fit in with the crowd” and just do what everyone else is doing.
Especially when you’re the only person at the table on a weight loss journey. I get it. It can be hard to stick to your guns.
But, you have to remember that this is YOUR life and YOUR weight loss goals that we’re talking about.
If you really want to lose the weight, you’ll be willing to stick to what you know is right even if it feels uncomfortable.
But, getting back to the practical information, keep in mind that if this isn’t a special occasion that we’re talking about, it doesn’t have to be a five course meal.
A hearty entree, a low calorie drink, and some good conversation with people you care about should suffice.
Remember, you have goals. And sometimes goals require some sacrifice.
Quick Practical Tip
I figure I’d give you a practical tip on having appetizers at restaurants.
Let’s say you’re going out to eat at a Mexican restaurant.
As we all know, the first thing they bring out is the basket of warm chips that has you salivating before it even hits the table.
You basically have two options here.
First, you can decide just not to eat the chips.
Because, as we all know, once you start it’s very hard to stop.
Or, your second option is you can take one big handful of chips and put them on a plate.
And that’s it. That’s your serving of chips. Once you finish what’s on the plate, you’re done with that and you wait for your entree to come out.
This method can save you hundreds of calories, because it often saves you from eating the entire basket of tortilla chips.
And, it also saves you from eating the second basket that they almost always bring out when you’re done with the first.
4. Make Sure Your Entree Is Centered Around Protein
This is one of those tips that you really don’t think is that important until you actually start implementing it.
Protein is very filling.
In fact, it’s actually the most filling macronutrient (the other two macros are carbs and fats).
Let me put it to you this way: what was the last time you had a dish centered around a lot of chicken or a lot of salmon or a lot of steak and didn’t feel full after? Exactly. You always feel *very* satisfied after.
Because a meal like that takes up a lot of room in your stomach and the protein is very slow to digest. Which inevitably leaves you feeling very satisfied for several hours after.
An example of implementing this strategy would be ordering the restaurant’s salmon or chicken dish rather than their high calorie pasta dish.
As great as the pasta sounds, it’s probably super high calorie. Therefore, it’s probably not very conducive to you ending up in a calorie deficit.
Not to mention that the pasta is probably not gonna fill you up very much.
In my experience, most protein dishes at restaurants are actually seasoned very well so not only are they usually the lower calorie option, but they also usually taste pretty good too.
5. Ask For A Box
This is a tip that I bet you haven’t considered.
As soon as the meal arrives at the table, ask the server for a box and split the dish in half.
Half of it goes in the to-go box to eat for lunch or dinner tomorrow.
This is hands down the best way to enjoy a dinner at a restaurant with friends and family while still keeping your calories in check.
And, it’s especially helpful whenever you order something that you know is higher in calories.
For example, let’s just say you opt or the pasta.
And it’s a pasta dish with shrimp that you know is over 1,000 calories.
If you split the meal in half and only eat one half in that sitting, you’re cutting the meal down to 500-700 calories.
Which can allow you to stay in a calorie deficit that day without having to say no to dinner plans with friends and family.
Listen, here’s some more tough love.
You’re an adult. You don’t *have* to eat everything on your plate.
And if you’re worried about wasting money, that’s where the to-go box comes into play.
You’re not wasting food because you’ll be eating the second half tomorrow.
And that’s one less meal that you have to cook for yourself tomorrow.
Win-win-win situation if you ask me!
6. Minimize Liquid Calories
Let’s be real for a second.
You and I both know that you’d rather eat your calories than drink them.
So, for the love of God, ordering the 350 calorie margarita probably isn’t the smartest idea for weight loss.
I’ll write an entire article on how to lose weight while drinking alcohol, but for now, here’s what I’ll say.
Either stick to zero calorie drinks like water or diet coke OR if you are going to drink make sure to avoid sugary drinks.
Opt for something on the lower calorie side like vodka soda or tequila soda.
Both of which are only around 100 calories.
And, one more thing.
Notice how, throughout this article, I’ve continuously mentioned having a game plan.
Before going out, commit to limiting yourself to 1-2 drinks and have both of them be lower calorie options.
Things like tequila soda, light beer, hard seltzer, a glass of wine, etc.
This allows you to enjoy yourself without all of the unnecessary calories.
Use those calories for the actual entree.
Wrapping Things Up
There ya have it!
At this point I can confidently say that article is long enough and I think I’ve touched on most of the important points so I’ll just leave it right there!
I hope you’ve gotten a ton of value from this.
And, most importantly, I hope you have some practical strategies in your weight loss toolbox to be able to make progress while eating out.
And, of course, without feeling guilty about it.
If you got value from this it would mean the world to me if you’d share it with a friend.
And if you’re interested in working with me 1:1 online to have all of the guesswork taken out of the equation for you, you can apply to my online weight loss coaching program here.
We’ll chat soon!
-Dylan
