Thank goodness it’s the weekend! The time we look forward to for pleasure moments, good eating and enjoying with our loved ones. Did you know that you can actually eat smart everytime you go out for dining? Do you remember about making smart food choices? Well, to eat smart is possible, even when doing cheat meals. The most important thing is that while you are on a healthy eating journey, you still enjoy the niceties of having delicious and tasty meals.

Things to take into account when dining out

Don’t expect to count calories

You won’t have time to count the amount of calories you are eating. Trust me, if you dine out, you will be more distracted choosing the foods that are appealing to you, plus you want to concentrate on social aspects of sharing. However, if you learn effectively how to eat and choose healthy options (refer to food choices) on a regular basis, then you won’t have to stress about how many calories are in your plate. That is the reason why it is so important to have a healthy eating schedule regularly. Eventually, you’ll get the balance, once you start making the differences in types of foods.

The idea is to share and enjoy the meals you are having

This goes without saying. There is a popular phrase that states “drink and be merry”. This is so true to a certain point. Dining out is a social part of our lives. We enjoy and cherish precious moments with friends and loved ones. We often get invitation to special events. Or something simple like going for a walk at the park and then sharing a smoothie or an ice cream are regular activities that are part of our life. Therefore, make sure that you enjoy peace of mind by making good choices, while also living free of guilty.

You must prepared to exceed portion or calorie amount when dining out

When you eat out, most likely the food options you may have may be full of calories. Expect that you may be consuming “hidden calories”. This happens a lot in beverages and certain dishes. If you are on a weight loss journey, for example, you want to look for the “healthier” options when having a variety of foods.

The same applies for beverages. Go for a natural juice instead of diet coke or other carbonated drinks. in terms of alcohol, for example, limit your intake to 2 for the night, especially with drinks like wine. The reason is because each beverage can have around 100-300 calories, and this could slow down your weight control process. Choose smart.

Eating smart can be done, as there are varieties of options

A great scenario to understand this is going at a restaurant or the buffet. There you may have tons of options to choose from. But, among all, you want to focus on the healthier foods. For a instance, if there are barbecue ribs and chicken, it is better to choose the chicken.

The same thing happens with the serving sizes. If you are at the buffet, you can control the amount of portions being served to you. You don’t need to actually serve yourself everything that is available. This is a very common mistake many people make when eating out. Doing this will actually set back your healthy progress.

Tips to eat smart when dining out

Stick to your regular healthy eating regimen during the other meals of the day

Remember that eating out should not imply that you abandon your regular healthy eating routine. You should always make the right choices during the rest of the days and the meal times. Something that really helps is getting your own eating schedule during the week, make yourself the habit of eating regularly at the same hours, keep the eating times 5-6 per day, and the similar amount of portions. That way your body will get used to a good appetite, without cravings. Remember to eat foods from all the groups, making emphasis on fruits, vegetables, protein foods, whole grains, seeds, vegetable oils and dairies.

Drink a lot of water throughout the day

This one cannot be left out! Drinking enough water ensures you stay hydrated. Also, water will help to regulate anxiety and unnecessary cravings. Remember, the goal is to consume at least 8-10 glasses a day.

Don’t abuse! When you eat smart, moderation is key

As mentioned before, enjoying of different foods is awesome as long as you don’t go overboard with the options you have. If you are having a family size pizza, you don’t need to eat a full pizza yourself. The same thing applies with the rest of the meals during the day. Don’t do a full cheat meal day, as you will be sabotaging your own healthy journey results. Limit alcohol intake to once a week, aiming for just 2-3 beverages maximum.

Keep your healthy goals in mind

Having clear healthy lifestyle goals should be enough to make you feel motivated about eating smart. Making the right food choices depends entirely on your own motives. If your goal is weight loss, then bear in mind that this process can be faster or slower depending not only on your body’s metabolism, but on how you eat smart.

If you are on a fitness journey, be careful! Some people tend to believe that because they workout regularly, they can abuse of the cheat meals during the weekend! A full weekend worth of eating dirty will have serious setbacks to your fitness goals as well. It will be very hard to compensate a full day or weekend of bad eating with 3 straight training hours at the gym.

Maintain an active lifestyle

Last but not least, this is something we all know and should be applying. Making exercise is important to staying healthy and keeping your body working correctly. Workout has a lot of benefits: it regulates your blood circulation, helps you burn fat, boosts your metabolism, gets you on the right mood among others.

Finally,

Keep these simple tips in mind whenever you eat smart. Dining out and making smart choices will be easier for you. Bear in mind that moderation and a balanced lifestyle are clue to live a cheerful eating without guilts! Don’t forget to subscribe to get more tips, share this with your loved ones and healthy fit pals!