Tips For Dining Out

Join the Biggest Loser Club now, click here!

Each week, I speak with the contestants at home who have been eliminated from The Biggest Loser. I answer nutrition questions and share cooking and shopping tips to help them adjust to The Biggest Loser lifestyle at home.

Yesterday, one of the contestants asked me for guidance in sticking with the Biggest Loser eating plan, while dining out. Afterall, it's a real challenge to record your meal in a food journal when you're not sure how to measure the portion size on your plate AND when you have no idea which ingredients (and how much of them) are in your meal.

Now more than ever, restaurants NEED our business. Most of us simply can't afford to eat out as often as we used to and restaurant owners are very happy to see us. They also want us to be happy so that we'll come back. This makes it even easier for you to "have it your way" when you dine out.

That means: be assertive when exploring the menu -- ask your server how items are prepared (fried? steamed? sauteed?) Don't be afraid to request that your chicken, fish and/or vegetables are prepared without added oil; ask to have them baked, broiled or grilled.

If you haven't cut bread out of your diet completely, ask for whole grain rolls, crackers, tortillas (corn or whole wheat -- instead of white)

Like to read more of this entry? Go to Cheryl's Blog