We have all being there, 10 days of eating healthy and getting into a routine when that one friend rings you to invite you out for dinner. The temptation to go is overwhelming and you find yourself with a menu in hand at your favourite restaurant “what do I do”, you ask yourself? We asked our PT trainer for their top advice on dinning out;

• Make a plan before visiting your favourite restaurant. You work hard to maintain your healthy lifestyle with meal prep, portion control and balanced plates throughout the week, so don’t ruin it all by eating the wrong foods now. Stick to high protein and low carbohydrate dishes.
• You do not need to be scared of your favourite indulgent meals. Let’s say you order a pasta dish, instead of eating the whole bowl of pasta, box up half of it so you’re not filling up on just pasta. Substitute it for a side dish rather than the main dish. Have a small portion and fill up on veggies or salad. Try to add a little protein so you don’t get hungry again right away — eating a lot of carbohydrates is not going to keep you very full for long.
• Many people fall for the ‘salad trick’. They go out for dinner and think ‘oh it’s only a salad’, but they couldn’t be more wrong in so many cases. Toppings and dressings can derail an otherwise healthy salad order. A trick is to ask for the meat, cheese toppings and dressing sauce on the side. Dip your fork in the dressing before taking a bite of the salad. You’ll still get the flavour but with far fewer calories.
• Remember most restaurants have whole wheat options. Whole wheat is a much better choice than regular white bread, that is if you want the bread. Whole wheat has more fibre and will keep you full longer, which means you’re less likely to overeat later.
• Finally, my last piece of advice to anyone deciding to eat out would be do not beat yourself up about what you eat. If you do have a bad meal, remember tomorrow is another day. Enjoy your food people!”

All of our clubs located nationwide provide nutrition advice and support. Please feel free to speak to a member of our team if you need any guidance surrounding nutrition.