Weight Loss Tips for Dining Out

Nationwide statistics show Americans dining out for almost 1/3 of their meals, with almost 1/2 of their food budget spent at these establishments.[1]

Given our tendency to dine out, it is worthwhile to consider ways you can manage and maintain your weight loss dieting program on the go. Some simple guidelines follow, as well as some links to some of our more popular posts past:

• Dr Aron’s Simple Diet Tips
• Slim Down with Soup
• 7 Easy Eating Tips to Slim Down
• Gain More Self Control, Not Weight
• 5 Unusual Weight Loss Tips
• Your Social Circle Can Make or Break Your Eating Habits
• Fast Weight Loss the Low Fat Way

Simple Tips for Planning Ahead

• Avoid unlimited buffets and junk food franchises. Salad bars are good if you choose the healthy staple items not the dangerous ones.
• Cater to places with extended menus to help you find healthy choices you will like. Favor seafood and salad places for healthier fare. Soups can be good, but know what you are choosing. Ask.
• Best to plan ahead to dine out instead of splurging on surprise outings. Consider reviewing online menu before going so you will know what you will have.
• Focus on eating for nutrition, not as a social activity. Make reservations to manage your cravings and limit the temptations to drink and snack while waiting. You can even have some small healthy crudite before leaving home to settle your stomach.
• Stay away from large portions and fried food places. Know what is reasonable for you to eat and enjoy with your diet.
• Consider sharing entrees with friends to manage your portions. Don’s be shy about tossing aside bread and extra carbs. Send away any extra munchies the waiter puts on your table. Only eat what you intend to eat.
• As always, start to drink water as soon as you arrive and while waiting for meal.
• Ask your server about options — extra salad instead of a heavier side dish. Bring your own dressing if you want to be sure of low calories. Add veggies to your entree to fill you up and slow you down.

Power Tips — Know your Menu Vocabulary

• Bad: Buttery, Breaded, Buttered, Fried, Pan-Fried, Creamed, Scalloped, Au Gratin.
• Better: Grilled, Baked, Steamed, Broiled, Poached, Stir-Fried, Roasted, Blackened.
• Avoid: Cream sauces, made with milk, mayonnaise, cheese or oil.
• Look for tomato based sauces instead. Order all sauces on the side and use sparingly.

Follow Your Diet Plan

As always, follow the diet guidelines presented to you by Dr. Aron. She will have told you your calorie limits and suggested foods for you to enjoy and avoid. Fill up on water, salad and vegetables first. Focus on your friends more than the food. Slow down and pace yourself so you can enjoy your meal and not be left hungry and crave more. Your body also needs time to recognize the food in your system to trigger satisfaction. It is also more than OK to leave the table a little hungry. You never need to stuff yourself, be gentle to your body.

Looking for More Motivation to Lose Weight?

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Taste with Your Brain?

Over recent years many people have been reaching for artificial sweeteners, thinking that it’s healthier than the real thing. It turns out that your tastebuds don’t know the difference between sugar and sweetener — but your brain does.

A new study out of the Netherlands used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain responses in people sipping two different orangeade drinks — one mixed with sugar and another mixed with four artificial sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K, cyclamate and saccharin).

The sugar and sweeteners were found to stimulate the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that detects pleasure. Only the sugared drink stimulated the caudate in the brain, showing that the human brain can tell the difference between a caloric drink and a noncaloric one.

Other research on artificially sweetened beverages include:

• They can activate parts of the brain that create appetite, but do not satiate it.
• Increased appetite has been found to occur in people who don’t consume artificially sweetened beverages often.
• People who drink artificially sweetened beverages regularly tend to weigh more than those who don’t.
• For those who consume a lot of artificially sweetened beverages, however, their brains, can become used to the sweeteners and may not necessarily cause them to eat more.

Sweet Opportunity

Visit WeightLossNYC.com to learn more about medical weight loss and how you can lose weight fast under physician supervision. Dr. Aron is a leading bariatric physician in Brooklyn.

How to Have a Happy Thanksgiving without Really Trying

We’ve prepared this Thanksgiving Survival Guide^* to give you ideas on how to best avoid overeating this Thursday, and keep yourself together on your weight loss program.

Abate Your Appetite; Trounce Temptation

The best way to battle any festival meal, where eating is the presumed focus, is to reduce your appetite thus obviously significantly lowering your temptation. You can follow these steps as guidelines to keep you on track with your diet plan.

Before You Go

• As always, eat an appropriate breakfast as Dr. Aron has provided for your plan.
• Be sure to include a real protein source to invoke satiety.
• Keep up on your hydration. Drinking water will also help keep you feeling full.
• Likewise, throughout the day, avoid alcoholic beverages for their dehydrating effects and of course insane caloric values.

Boots on the Ground

Once you’re there, keep it simple and safe:

• Salad is always your friend. Enjoy the simple greens, not salads overladen with extras you know aren’t helpful to your diet.
• Veggies, again mostly green, also round out your plate nicely and fill you up before looking further.
• 4 ounce skinless white meat turkey as your meal protein. Keeping to the lower fat cut is the obvious choice.
• Small samples of gravy or sauces for flavor are ok yet at a minimum. Avoid alcohol drinks entirely.
• Small portion of potatoes or stuffing are better than breads and rolls.
• Dessert? Only if you must, enjoy a small one. Better to enjoy a little more turkey, or better yet veggies/salad, we suggest.

“When facing the challenges of dieting during the holidays, remember to keep your focus on what’s really important — the people you’re spending the holidays with." - Oksana Aron, M.D.

Remember Why You Came

Truly, the holidays are about getting together with friends and loved ones. Open your mouth more for the laughs and conversation, and keep the focus on the fun not the food. Think ahead when you get back home how much happier you'll be knowing you spent the day in conversation not in consuming unneeded calories.

Leftovers are Left for Others

You’re on a diet plan. You can leave them for others and keep the holiday meal behind as you walk out the door. Weather-permitting, keep on walking … and enjoy more conversation and fresh air as you move your body after a festival meal. When you get home, get back on your regular plan and keep the fond memories of the friends you enjoyed your holiday with.

Happy Thanksgiving, from Dr. Aron and Staff of WeightLossNYC

For more information on safe and healthy weight loss diet plans, visit our website WeightLossNYC.com and start losing weight, today.

^*Thanksgiving Survival Guide, from Oksana Aron, M.D. is a copyrighted work by Weight Loss NYC® adapted from HRI Thanksgiving Success Plan. Image adapted from morgueFile.