Eating for two or more is commonplace, but it’s not ideal. Most of us eat because we’re hungry, which is great when you’re dining with family and friends. However, when you’re eating more than necessary to fill up your stomach, you’re setting yourself up for failure. It’s not difficult to overeat when you’re enjoying food that is not nutritious. The resulting caloric surplus can lead to weight gain and, eventually, obesity. You must learn to control your appetite so you don’t overindulge.
Skip The Restaurant
Eating out costs money and is often high in calories, making it less than optimal when you want to shed weight. Going to a restaurant requires pre-planning, which forces you to consider what you’ll eat. While there are plenty of healthier restaurants out there, you have to be careful with what you order. It’s also easy to gain weight when you eat restaurants’ pre-made food, because you have no control over what goes into it. Your best bet for a healthy meal is to cook your own food or eat at a food court. You can ask for salad dressings and egg white deviled eggs to be excluded from your diet, for example.
Choose Smaller Portions
When you’re dining out, it’s easy to be distracted by the vivid colors and enticing aromas. Whatever your reasons for going out for lunch, it’s easy to eat more than you need. Instead of having a large pizza or burger, opt for an order of fish or chicken with vegetables. Even picking just one portion size can help you stay within your caloric limits and avoid overeating. If you feel that you’ve really indulged yourself and are feeling full even though you’re not, it might be a good idea to order a second portion. This will help you avoid gaining weight, and you can always order a coffee to go with it. You might also want to opt for a dessert menu instead of regular food options, as the small portions look appealing even when piled high on a plate.
Watch Your Beverages
Many diners pour on the pounds while eating out because the food is so tempting. It’s no secret that food always tastes better when presented in visual form, and you’ll be bombarded with images of plump, juicy steaks, loaded burgers and pizzas when you dine out. What you may not know is that the drinks you order can also contribute to your weight gain. Whether it’s wine, beer or even soft drinks, these items contain calories, and the amount you consume can vary widely, depending on the size of the drink.
These foods may not seem like common knowledge when you’re ordering, but the truth is, the server probably doesn’t know either. When you bring this information to their attention, they may be inclined to give you a different drink option or offer to pour your coffee into a cup with fewer calories. By being mindful of your beverage selections, you can keep yourself within your limits and avoid unnecessary weight gain. It’s all about smart ordering and being a bit more attentive to what you’re ordering, rather than just going with what the server suggests.
Consider Ordering Water
If you’re really struggling to lose weight, you might want to consider giving up some of your favorite drinks. Water has zero calories, and it’s easy for your body to process, resulting in faster weight loss than usual. When you’re dehydrated, your body can’t use some of the other foods you may be missing out on, which can in turn contribute to quicker fat burn. If you’re in a dry climate where it’s warm, opt for a glass of wine with lunch, as it may raise your body’s temperature, causing you to burn calories more efficiently. When you’re feeling cold, a good cup of coffee can keep you warm, and it has a delicious flavor that may appease your taste buds while aiding in weight loss.
Avoid The Carbs
Even when you’re cooking your own food, it’s still important to watch what you eat. One of the simplest and most effective ways to shed off those extra pounds is to avoid carbs. When you eat carbs, your body stores them as energy, resulting in weight gain. Instead of having a doughnut or pastry, opt for a steak, burger or chicken breast. Even pasta and rice are high in carbs, so watch out for those, too. If you must have carbs, then opt for low-carb items such as veggies or salad instead of fries or pizza. A common nutritional error many of us make is ordering food that’s cooked in oil. When you eat oil, it doesn’t take long for your body to transform it into fat, so watching out for this, too, is important. Fat never converts to muscle; it always results in weight gain. If you must have oil, then use vegetable oil or olive oil.
Watch What You Eat
To anyone trying to lose weight, this advice may seem obvious, yet it’s one of the most critical things you need to keep in mind. If you want to shed off those extra pounds, it’s essential that you become more observant of what you eat and how much. When you eat something, your body doesn’t just react physically, it also reacts emotionally, so being mindful of what you order can help keep pesky cravings at bay. It’s also important to know how much you actually eat, because too many calories can lead to weight gain.
For anyone trying to lose weight, cutting out certain foods and beverages may seem like an excellent idea for faster weight loss. While it’s important not to deny your body necessary calories, it’s also important not to overdo it and cause yourself health problems by eating too many of a specific food. In the end, it’s all about what works best for you, and what you feel you need to do to achieve your goals.