Restaurant Choices

Happy Wednesday! I know that there are a few of you who are following my Weight Loss Wednesday posts and making changes! I just want you to know that I am proud of you for the choices you are making! We are getting healthier together one Wednesday (and one choice) at a time!

So, on to today's post:

One of the things that I find difficult when trying to eat a regular healthy diet is eating out. The busy lives that we all lead often leave us eating out several times a week. Without careful thought and planning this can lead to a healthy diet disaster. So, here are a few things that I do to try and eat as healthy as I can even when the menu doesn't seem helpful.

1. BE prepared to take your time ordering!!
Be prepared to order healthy. This may mean taking some time to think over the menus at your favorite restaurants. There have been many times I will order out of habit, or fall victim to the "More than you ever need to eat, VALUE MEAL!" (value for who, certainly not my hips.) Fast food restaurants are especially good at putting up BIG pictures of the burgers and make it so easy to say..."I'll have a #5, and yes make it as big as you can!" So, Be Prepared to stop and take your time, think about your order, and don't fall prey to the advertising!

2. When in doubt go for a salad!!
Most restaurants have salads on the menu. However, a salad that has fried chicken bits, bacon, and other toppings may not be your healthiest choice. This is where step one comes in. Stop and look at the options, Take your time, ask for grilled toppings instead of fried, go for the salad with the most veggies, and if a buttery roll or bread stick is offered to you simply pass it up. (However, if a nice whole grain bread is available go for it!)

3. Don't be lazy!!
This is a hard one, but lets be real here. How many times have you been in the drive through, exhausted, starving, and wanting something now. What happens? You totally cave! You order that #5 and eat it at the speed of light. You forget about step one and order lazy. However, once that #5 is gone those feelings of guilt start creeping in! (and now your hips are mad at you too) I know this process all too well! (My hips are proof!) Take those extra moments to think about what you are ordering and leave the guilt (and big hips) on the value menu!!

4. Don't be so hard on yourself!!
An occasional milk shake (had one last week with my 10 yr old) is okay. Now, by occasional I do not mean 2 or 3 times a week. But God made food for us to enjoy and having a sweet treat once in a while isn't going to mess up our healthy eating habits. However, BE CAREFUL!!! If these treats start to become more of a habit than the healthy choices then there is a problem. Go back to step one, think about your options!! If you are craving chocolate, go for a small piece of a Hershey's Dark with Almonds, (Mmmmm!) or a sugar-free/fat free pudding cup. If you are simply hungry, but not sure what you want, have a glass of water first you may just be thirsty. (Sounds crazy I know, but it works!) Offer yourself a treat now and then, but continue to make healthy choices for the majority of your meals! (I think I need a pudding cup now! Yum!)

5. A food journal
If you are worried about these sweet treats getting out of hand keeping a food journal may help. I talked about keeping track of what we eat in last weeks post...Food Journal!

All of these steps are things that help me to make healthy eating choices when I am out. However, keeping on track with making these choices every day takes discipline. So here is a reminder of the verse I am using as inspiration on this journey to getting healthier.

Hebrews 12:11
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.