I don’t know about you but I love going out for food. A lot people eat out in restaurants for many reasons..One reason is time, and most commonly convenience. “Ah I’m not in the humour of cooking or I’m too tired or I’ve had a long day”.

That’s perfectly fine because I often say the same thing when I finish a long 14 hour day of  training clients.

I’m really super cool so here’s what I have put together for you. I’ve prepared a few quick tips for you to use when eating out of your home. 🙂

Sure we’re only human right? so we all fall off the tracks now and again! Even I fall off the wagon and have done so recently and I am a personal trainer! We’re superhumans and we never fall off, right!.. Wrong! A personal trainer is just like you, we’re all human and fall off the wagon at some point!

But you know what, this shows what kind of character a person has if they can get up and get back on track again. If you can eat healthily “most” of the time and portion your food sensibly, I can guarantee you will find it much easier to eat healthy for the rest of your days. You should really try to space out your meals over the course of the day and you should also make water a part of every meal you have.

I know how this feels so I can empathise. Not as a deliberate act but due to a busy day training clients usually. Do you ever get that really full feeling when you sit down and have a big meal after a day of not getting anything to eat? Yes I hear you say.. Well, if you’ve any common sense you will know that this is not good for you! After you have a meal and if the rest of your meals are spaced out properly over the course of the day, your stomach should only be half full or less. Make sure to have, with every two parts of food you eat to have one part water.

Your stomach should stay at least a quarter empty for the movement of air. The next time you go to a restaurant for food, as hard as you might find it, only eat half a portion at a time, and wait five or ten minutes for another portion of food. Believe it or not, portions in a restaurant are generally two to four meals on a single or a double plate.

Always keep your stomach half full

For a single sitting this is way too much to eat and if you try this you will see that once you stop and sip on your water, you’ll already feel full. In many restaurants one portion could potentially feed a family of four. is it any wonder that a man of 100kg’s is considered by many people to be thin. At the best of times I can be quite opinionated and especially with something like this I feel that the mentality of people towards food is all wrong!

Too many people look at what the next door neighbour is doing so to speak and make comparisons, ah sure look at what Paul’s eating, so if he’s eating that then so can I.. DON’T!! Try enjoy what you eat and eat to live, it should never be the other way around and just because you see Paul over indulging does not mean you have to also, it’s no excuse for what you do to yourself! Try to establish some control over what you consume, after all you are what you eat!

Are you the type of person who feels guilty for not eating EVERYTHING on your plate? I know I was that type of person, this is how I was conditioned as a child, if you leave some food on your plate it’s either being rude or you obviously didn’t like what was put in front of you.

Don’t let anyone make you feel that way, guilt is a terrible thing and it should not be a reason to be overweight! Erase the guilt and get the rest of the food put into the “doggy bag” 🙂

Have you ever heard someone say “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”? It’s true! You should NEVER skip your breakfast

Do not make comparisons to other people, ah Joe is eating that much so I will!! Eat to live and enjoy your food, but do not use someone else’s over indulgence as an excuse for your own. Establish control over your appetite. Most of us feel guilty if we don’t finish a plate. This is usually conditioning from your childhood.

Bury your guilty past and have the rest “wrapped to go.” Always eat something for breakfast and NEVER “SKIP IT.” When you skip breakfast, you will over-consume for it, later in the day and you will not kick start your metabolism! Eat slowly and thoroughly chew your food. Make sure your last meal, or last “snack” of the day, is small and nutritionally dense.

Examples: Cereal with fruit (BIG NO NO) vegetable salad with olive oil and chicken or fish (BIG YES),if you must have rice have wholegrain brown rice with vegetables, and if you’re going to the cinema and love popcorn, have light popcorn, without the extra BUTTER and SALT. For those who eat meat or fish: turkey, chicken, or salmon salad on top of fresh greens = DELISH!!!

In the later part of your day, skip desserts, sugary cereals, bread, and second portions. If you absolutely must have sugar: Eat low GI fruits such as all of the berries ie; strawberries, blackberries, blueberries etc with natural yogurt or low fat cottage cheese or almonds with yogurt. If you must have coffee or alcohol, beware that these should be consumed in extreme moderation.

Both substances will dehydrate your body, and you will have to drink extra water to make up for it. Wine is much better than hard alcohol, but one or two glasses a day is the limit. Coffee consumption should be held to the same guidelines (one or two a day). Remember that green tea is a good substitute for coffee.

Nutritious food is not an excuse for over indulgence. Even when you eat all the right things, the volume consumed should be in moderation. It will take a lot of High intence metabolic sessions to make up for overeating. Overeating = excess calories = stored fat!!!

Make your meal a meditation and enjoy every bite! 😉

Most of us eat at restaurants for a variety of reasons; time and convenience are the most common motives.

Below is a prepared list of quick tips for eating out of your home. If you eat healthy food or sensible portions, that you like, you can stick with eating healthy for life.