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Diet and Weight Loss on the Menu

Writer: Nina JainNina Jain

As you’ve likely learned from your past attempts with

diet and weight loss in Crawfordsville, losing weight requires permanent lifestyle changes. Even if you follow a strict diet for a short period of time, once you reintroduce old favorites you are going to gain your weight back. The only way to lose weight and keep it off for good is to maintain those dietary and exercise habits that helped you to reach your goal in the first place.

For many people, the concept of losing weight means following a low-calorie diet with the help of meal replacements, and essentially swearing off restaurants and fast food joints. But as you go about your daily life in Crawfordsville staying away from menus forever is not very practical. At some point you will find yourself face to face with a long list of entrees, and it will be up to you to make a healthy choice so you can leave the restaurant feeling great—not guilty.

Tips for Eating Healthy While Out

When you are making your choice of eating establishments, do your best to pick a restaurant that has plenty of options. Remember, the bigger the menu, the more likely there is going to be a few healthy choices for you to make.

And get it out of your head that a salad is automatically the healthiest way to go. With add-ons like croutons, bacon bits, cheese and fattening dressings, many salads are going to add more to your waist line than a warm entrée.

When you are perusing your menu for something healthy to eat, you will do yourself a favor to avoid items with the following terms:

  1. Crispy: Means breaded and fried

  2. Broasted: Not to be confused with roasted, this is just another way to say deep fried

  3. Pan fried: Yet another way to fry meat in oil

  4. Sautéed: Usually means cooked in butter, though could also mean oil

  5. In gravy: In animal fats

  6. Smothered: In cheese

  7. Au Gratin: So much cheese

The way a piece of protein is cooked can fundamentally alter its nutritional content. Frying it in oil or smothering it in butter will only add unnecessary fat to the item. Instead of the above terms, stick with items that are cooked in healthier ways, such as:

  1. Baked

  2. Broiled

  3. Boiled

  4. Poached

  5. Roasted

  6. Grilled

  7. Stir fried

Another thing to remember about eating out is that portions are massive. Have it in your head from the start that you won’t be able to finish your meal, and ask for a to-go box right away. Only eat about 2/3 of your plate at most, and take the remaining portion home for lunch the next day.

Do you have any other tips for a healthy dining out experience, or know of any restaurants in Crawfordsville that are especially healthy for eating out? Share your thoughts and experiences in a comment below!

 
 
 

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