Purposeful Fitness
Online Personal Training, Weight Loss Advice, Fat Burning Tips

This question came into us from Shaun in Adelaide. He writes: When I’m at home I eat pretty good. However when I go out and eat at a  restaurant, I end up eating the wrong foods. What should I be eating when I’m out?

Well, great question Shaun. This is one I see and hear a lot. I did a post some time ago - http://www.purposefulfitness.com/2010/09/13/5-tips-for-eating-healthy-at-restaurants/ but I’d like to go into more detail.

The answer really lies within yourself. Unless you’re having a cheat meal (I’ll tell you about those tomorrow) then stick to what your diet should be. I.e. if you’re on a no card program, then guess what, order a lean piece of protein and a salad. Of if you’re eating some carbs, ask the waiter what exactly is in the meal. That way you can make an informed decision.

Here are some tips to help you –

• Order regular portion sizes instead of the jumbo sizes now common all over the world (especially in Australia). Try a starter, an entrée, or share a meal with a friend and order an extra side salad.
• If you’re offered bread prior to the meal being server say NO THANKS. If it stays on the table, unless you’ve got tremendous will power you’ll eat. Admit it now…..how many times have you said I shouldn’t but did anyway?
• Go for meal choices that promote a healthier cooking way such as grilled, steamed or poached. On the other side, avoid baked & deep fried cooking.
• Look for meal choices whereby there are plenty of salad and / or vegetables. Go for salads and vegetables over chips or French fries all-day, any-day.
• Limit your alcohol intake. If you’ve got a load of weight to lose, then don’t drink at all. Drink water – it’s healthier and much cheaper!

So what does that leave us with? Here are some healthy meal choices I recommend –

• Clear based broth-based soups like Chinese won ton or hot and sour soup, consumée or minestrone.
• Steamed or grilled vegetables.
• Salads with vegetables and dressing on the side. Go for a light olive oil and vinaigrette as apposed to a heavy creamy salad dressing.
• Raw vegetables with a small amount of low-calorie dip.
• Lean Meats that are grilled, broiled, roasted without added fat. Choose seafood that is steamed and lightly seasoned.
• A reasonable portion of steak  – 200g – 250g.; other lean meat cuts with stir-fried with vegetables. Look out for over-the-top sauces that can add unwanted calories.
• Sandwiches on whole wheat, pita, multigrain breads; with low-fat meats and cheeses; mustard, relish, ketchup, or low-fat mayonnaise. Add some lovely fresh salads.
• Fresh fruit is always a great end to a meal.

This brings us to very interesting question – what is the best choice of restaurant for healthy eating. Think of the most popular choices – Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Greek, Mexican, French. The list goes on. Well, truth be told, most restaurants have some sort of food that won’t be ideal for you. My recommendation is choose a menu that gives you choices of the above-mentioned key points. If you don’t see something on the menu – ask. I’m sure they’ll be happy to oblige is possible.

By the way, if you have a question that we can help you with, please use the “Contact Us” section or email info@purposefulfitness.com

Tim

In any attempt to lose weight, whether it be 1kg, 5 kg, 20kgs or more, you must be prepared. Preparation will avoid issues like laziness, lack of  time, structure, no focus etc. Basically, you avoid the excuses. Please see post from yesterday - http://www.purposefulfitness.com/2011/06/11/can-10-minutes-help/

So when I say preparation, what do I mean exactly. Well, here are the top 3 -

1. Buying Food in advance.
2. Preparing meals in advance.
3. Allocating time in your day to train.

Food Shopping – Go on a day when you have some time and you’ve just eaten. That way you won’t be tempted to buy something that really doesn’t fit into your diet plan. Look for fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats where possible.

Meal Preparation – I like to cook my meals I week in advance, put them in containers and freeze them until I need them. That way I have no excuses to be eating rubbish food. By cooking my own meals, I can control exactly what goes into them and what doesn’t (like salt, fat, sugars etc). Again, for me personally, I tend to do this on a Sunday with my family but choose a day when you can commit enough time to make at least 5 days worth of meals in advance.

Allocating Training Time – keep this basic. If you’re a morning person, train in the A.M. However if you can’t get up early, maybe you should train in the afternoon or evening. As I mentioned yesterday, I know of people who have trained for a marathon at midnight so they can make sure they still spend time with their families. I don’t mind getting up early so I work out prior to eating anything (i.e. I do my cardio on an empty stomach). That way, my body burns what is left from the day before and not just what I ate prior to training.

So, to be in control of your health and weight, schedule time for yourself. Before you all yell and scream and tell me you have a family to run, if you don’t take care of yourself then who will? You must start out your day in a positive state – a great training session, a healthy meal that replenishes your energy and a state of mind that makes you believe you can achieve anything.

Go on – tear it up!

Tim