All of us struggle to stay healthy. but we all have that occasional slip and indulge in junk food once in a while. Either it’s because we crave it or sometimes, we succumb to peer pressure and the lack of healthy options around. This usually happens when we go out with friends or at a party. When you start your diet, you feel like you’ve been good all week, eating the right things and working out religiously. But then there comes a time when you get a call from your friends to get out for dinner. That’s when you think you don’t have a choice but eat junk. However, that’s not really true. We got in touch with Tiffany D’Souza from The Fitness Cholos. Tiffany who along with two friends (Alston & Rhett), started this fitness blog. They always come up with creatives ways to stay fit. Tiffany tells us how important it is to stick to your diet even if you’re dining out. Here are a few things you could do when you go out to dine and want to stay fit too.
1. Look-Up The Menu Before You Head Out
This helps you choose a healthy option before you head to the restaurant. Instead of ordering those cheesy fries, order a salad with the dressing on the side. The dressing usually has all those sneaky calories.
2. Avoid Eating The Appetizers
The small bites are usually tempting, but you rather avoid them. Instead, stick to the mains.
3. Swap The Junk For Healthy Dishes
Swap that Cheddar Mash Potato for a side of steamed stir-fried veggies. Ask for an extra serving to make sure you fill up on the good stuff.
4. Drink Responsibly
Avoid sugary sodas or high-calorie alcoholic drinks like cocktails and beer. If you must accompany your meal with alcohol, choose an option like gin or vodka with soda. You could even sip on some red wine to get in those anti-oxidants.
5. Say No To Desserts
If you’re really committed to sticking to your diet, you should try and avoid the sugar and maybe have an after meal coffee (side note: coffee increases BMR and promotes fat burning. Who doesn’t want that?).
6. Look For Words Like Grilled, Baked, Roasted And Boiled
These words are your friends. According to Tiffany, anything with these words should be good for an outing. In fact, you could request the staff for a customisation as per your preference.
7. Apple Cider Vinegar, FTW!
Here’s a hack Tiffany often uses when she’s anticipating a heavy meal, especially during the holidays. She has one small spoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, 30 minutes before going out to decrease the absorption of all those undesirable fats.
8. Do Not Skip Your Meals
Just because you’re going out, doesn’t mean you have to skip the other meals of the day. In fact, eating all your meals in good proportion helps prevent binging when going out. It stabilizes your insulin levels making sure you don’t overeat.
9. Make Water Your BFF
Drink lots of water. Water helps make sure you’re full. An added bonus is that it also helps flush out the high sodium that is often found in outside food, reducing that next day water retention and bloaty feeling.
10. Sweat It Out
Try to squeeze in a workout that day and the next, to make sure you’re active and burning those calories! There’s nothing like a good sweat sesh to get rid of those toxins!
So, there you have it. Thanks to Tiffany, we don’t have to cancel plans anymore. We could go out and still maintain a healthy diet. If you’ve started a diet, make sure to stick to it no matter what. No excuses!
Don’t forget to follow us at @missmalinilifestyle to never miss a beat!