Credits: Social Media
Dietitian’s advice for foodies to lose weight while eating away from home
Go ahead and make reservations at your favorite restaurant for the weekend because dining out doesn’t have to stop you from losing weight.
It’s the dilemma most dieters face – to eat or not to eat away from home. Although fast foods and ultra-processed foods are best avoided for health-related reasons, you can still shed pounds while dining out by following a dietitian’s advice.
Dietitian’s ‘pro tip’ for foodies
People trying to lose weight are advised to eat healthy and eat at home as much as possible. Preparing your own meals has many benefits – you know what goes into it, and you can control the calorie count while saving a lot of money.
However, everybody wishes to dine out now and then, but weight loss goals can hold back dieters if they are too cautious of what they feed their bodies.
But, licensed dietitian Lauren Hubert advises watching what you eat at home during the week so you can enjoy a hearty meal at your favorite restaurant occasionally.
She explains: “If you actually realize weight loss comes down to hitting your calorie deficit over the course of the week, you’ll realize if you crush your basic balance meals at home during the week like me and you focus on being on track most of the time, you can go out and eat.”
For the unversed, calorie deficit is key to weight loss, especially if you want a flat belly, regardless of how much you exercise. Therefore, sticking to your calorie goals daily allows cheat days that don’t contribute to weight gain.
Make healthier dietary choices
The other suggestion by the dietitian is to choose your menu thoughtfully while eating out. You can still enjoy a fun meal by including essential nutrients in it.
For instance, studies have shown that simply switching up protein and fiber in your diet enables weight loss. So, you can pick a meal with a source of healthy carbohydrates, which naturally reduces the pressure of only eating healthy.
“This way, you enjoy the fun meal” and it doesn’t matter if you go over your calories or relish an extra glass of wine. In fact, there’s little evidence that intermittent fasting can cause health issues or affect your regular diet.
Therefore, you can always eat whatever your heart desires on certain days while restricting your diet for the rest of the week.
Lauren Huber is a registered dietitian and sought-after weight loss expert. She is the owner of The Sorority Nutritionist. He has completed masters of science in clinical nutrition from Boston University.
