Strategies for Eating Out on the Road

Re-posted from How-to-Strip.com

Just about every woman – not just dancers – will always moan about how she just can’t eat well on the road. And I have to admit it, I too was one of them. Fortunately, I started to associate myself with people who showed me that, not only was I wrong – but dead wrong!
You can eat out and eat healthy, too. Many restaurants offer delicious meals that are low in saturated fat, trans-fat, cholesterol, and have the proper nutrient and portion ratios you have already learned about. The key is to know how to get it right on the road

You can find healthy food that tastes great and will make you feel amazing!

Don’t be shy about making special requests. Most foods on most menus will probably fit into your diet if prepared with low-fat ingredients and less salt. Ask your server if the kitchen can alter preparations to meet your needs, or call ahead before you choose your restaurant. If your food isn’t prepared as you requested, send it back. Ordering ahead is especially easy with an i-Phone app.

Equally important is the portion size. Restaurants, especially in the South, tend to serve Texas Size portions. A lot of times you don’t know the portion is huge until you get it put in front of you! If this happens, put half of your meal in a to-go box to enjoy another time.
Before you go to another restaurant you need to purchase the book Eat This, Not That!. I have seen some of the chapters during its prerelease and it is stellar! This book compares foods for every major restaurant in the US and gives alternatives that will save you thousands of excess calories per week.

Here are a couple of basic tricks I have learned to prevent overeating when going out with friends:

Do not go to a restaurant if you are starving. Maybe slightly hungry but nothing more. What if you have to wait 30 minutes to get seated then another 45 minutes to get your food? Then what? For sure, you will blow it.

Drink a tall glass of cold water while waiting for your food. Studies show that water expands your stomach and gives you a “full feeling” and the cold water stimulates calorie burning since your body has to work much harder to keep those organs at the right temperature.


Never, ever, ever eat the bread sticks, chips, or anything like that served as appetizers! There’s no telling how much fat and carbs they have – not to mention salt!

SALADS – Yes, salads can be almost as bad as appetizers. Only get field greens and vegetables – preferably not carrots but it isn’t the end of the world if they’re in there. No croutons, No cheese, and always get your dressing on the side. Only use fat-free dressing if possible. A low-fat dressing occasionally is fine if you don’t go crazy with the amount. And by all means, No Caesar salad. Ever.

Be very careful of appetizers. This Is The Silent Killer! Even a cup of soup can easily have close to 1000 calories. Choose appetizers very carefully – or not at all!

Sandwiches are a great way to get protein/carbs/fat all in one!

Here Are Some Other General Things To Look Out For:

Fried, au gratin, crispy, escalloped, pan-fried, sautéed or stuffed foods are high in fat and calories. Instead, look for steamed, broiled, baked, grilled, poached or roasted foods. If you’re not sure about a certain dish, ask your server how it’s prepared. You can request that visible fat be trimmed from meat and skin be removed from poultry before cooking.

• Request that your meal be prepared with vegetable oil (made from canola, olive, corn, soy, sunflower or safflower) or soft margarine instead of butter. Ask for soft margarine for your bread.
• High-sodium foods include those that are pickled, in cocktail sauce, smoked, in broth or au jus, or in soy or teriyaki sauce. Limit these items. Ask that your food be prepared without added salt or MSG.
• Have gravy, sauces and dressings served on the side so you can control the amount you eat, or skip them completely.
• Ask if the restaurant has fat-free or 1 percent milk instead of whole milk.
• Even if they aren’t on the dessert menu, many restaurants can offer you fruit or sherbet instead of high-fat pastries and ice creams.
• Many supermarkets and specialty stores offer prepared entrees to take home when you’re in a rush; the same tips listed here for restaurants also apply to take-home foods.

The key here is knowledge and preparation. Once you have that then you have most of the battle won. Maybe 20 or 30 years ago I could see it was truly hard to eat healthy on the road, but nowadays every dining place in the US has at least a chicken sandwich with some fruit or salad on the side. There should never be a reason to ever blow your diet again.