Bread baskets, fried appetizers, and large portions are just a few of the things that can scare the pants off of my clients who are working hard to maintain a healthy diet.  Eating out can make you feel like you are walking into a war zone.  For many of you, that is exactly what you are doing.

Walking into a room with the enemy.

The enemy is food.

However, it doesn’t have to be.

You see, I know that the chefs (who cook with all the wrong ingredients) want you to enjoy the dining experience at their establishment.

After all, if you don’t come, they won’t make a living.

You are the customer and you are paying the bill.

So, what are the keys to getting your food prepared the way you want?

KNOWLEDGE AND TIMING.

The knowledge is: knowing how you would like your meal prepared.

The timing is: when to ask.

For example, if you only eat Kosher food, are vegetarian, or follow other dietary restrictions, oftentimes food substitutions can be made.  Heck, if you inform airlines ahead of time, you can even have your meal on the plane prepared to meet your dietary requests.

BUT if you don’t plan ahead and call first (there is that timing thing again) you will either have no meal or you may need to eat something that does not fit with your lifestyle choice.

So let’s say you are not that strict with your eating choices.  You may choose something like chicken with wild rice and steamed veggies.

Great job, right?

You made good choices.  Yes?

Sure, but do you know how they prepared your great choice?

You see, the chef and the restaurant are all about everything tasting amazing.  And that sometimes means taking liberties with the ingredients they use and their preparation.

Which often means: high fat, high sugar, high calories.

So here are some subtle changes you can make to your order when you speak to the server to ensure you have a meal that is 400-500 calories instead of 1400-1500 calories.

“Waiter, could you please ask the chef to go light on the (cheese, oil, butter, cream, sauce) __________?”

Many times, you can eliminate these things all together.

Sandwiches- “Waitress, could you please exchange the cheese and mayonnaise with spicy mustard and a tomato?”

Chicken- “Pardon me?  Is the chicken white meat or dark meat?  I would prefer a white chicken breast please.”

Baked Potato- “When you bring me my baked potato, can I please get the condiments on the side?”  (NOTE: Only eat half the potato and use condiments to taste.  Meaning, don’t drown your potato!)

Fish- “Sir, could I please have my fish (choose baked, broiled, poached or grilled) ___________, rather than deep fried?  And, could you use olive oil and lemon or vinegar for seasoning please?”

Salads- “Madam, I would like the vinaigrette dressing on the side instead of the creamy Italian.”  Then dip your fork in the dressing before you start getting into the salad.  You will be amazed how much less dressing you use and how little you miss the soupy taste.

Eggs- If you absolutely despise egg whites try this- “Can I have 3 eggs?  2 egg whites and one whole egg?”  Similar taste, but less fat and cholesterol.

Italian Sauce- “Can I please have the chicken with marinara sauce rather than alfredo?”

Bread- “Please make my toast whole wheat with sugar-free jam on the side.”

Finally, if you know you are going to have a high calorie choice and it is around dinner time- choose to divide your meal in half before you even start.  Have the rest boxed up and take it home.

You will be amazed how satisfied you will feel.  And I don’t know about you, but I love leftovers!

Whenever I start training a new client I implement a certain system.  This involves adding strength and cardio training to their routine at a reasonable rate so that they feel comfortable with the progress.  I do this to avoid making their program so grueling that every time they get out of bed they feel they need an Advil just to function.
 
After I have made some headway with my clients in the strength and cardio segments of their training, the next logical step is to work on their nutrition.  I am not a nutritionist and in some cases I have to refer to the pros.  However, when dealing with a relatively healthy individual, all they really need is some solid advice and guidance in the areas of cheating, portion control, and making good choices.
 
We are 5 weeks into our semester.  And my current clients are at the point where I have asked them to start to monitor their eating habits.  You see, I can make them sweat, train hard, and feel fulfilled by the training I put them through each and every workout.  However, this is only 75 minutes of their day.  To be successful, I need them to focus on the rest of their day as well.
 
That is where the food log comes in.
 
Below is the way I handle the first three weeks of the food log process.  Note: These are the guidelines I would give a client I see 2-3 times a week.

* Week One- You must continue to eat the way you have been eating.  The reason for this is that I will inevitably use a red marker on your food log the way your third grade teacher graded your spelling tests.  If you eat well, then there is no way I will know where the problems are and I will assume that I need to cut back from your current eating plan to help you achieve your ultimate goal.  And if I cut back from what you perceive as a clean week of eating… then you will probably starve to death.  Not a good start, so you must show me the way you eat so I can help you make adjustments after week two.

* Week Two- Now I want you to give me you best shot at clean eating.  I know you are intelligent and when pushed you will make relatively good choices.  This is where I help you target your weaknesses and help you learn where you fall off the wagon.  Normally, you have no idea what portions you eat, you don’t know that you choose the wrong time of day to eat certain foods and that you cheat a little more than you think.

* Week Three- This is where I give you a plan that was created by a specialist and you will learn how to eat for a truly healthy lifestyle.
Now, you might be wondering how my new clients have done so far.
 
Well I am not going to throw them under the bus and make them feel bad.  Instead, I think this is a good time to mention some similarities that they may have in common with you.  I say this because I believe many of you make the same mistakes and can learn from the feedback I give my one-on-one participants and group training classes.  The following are some common areas my current clients have issues with.  These are areas where they and you might need to improve to achieve the results desired:

* No one eats enough breakfast.  It is the most important meal of the day and the meal most often skipped.  You will have all day to burn off those calories and most people do not realize that the idea is to “break the fast”.  If you haven’t eaten since 6:30 the night before and you choose not to eat until 10am, 11am, or 12pm think of how many hours you have starved yourself.  YOU NEED TO EAT MORE IN THE MORNING.

* Portions are huge.  People have no idea how much they eat.  A measuring cup is your friend and the more you understand the idea of how big a certain item is, the more you will make smarter choices.  The following is a guide for you to use when understanding how big items should look on your plate:
        -  Woman’s fist or baseball:
               1 serving of vegetables or fruit is the size of your fist.
           -  A rounded handful:
               About ½ cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, 1 piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or
               pasta.  This is also a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels.
        -  Deck of cards:
               1 serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don’t count your fingers!).
               Examples: 1 chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium-sized pork chop.
        -  Golf ball or large egg:
               ¼ cup of dried fruit or nuts
        -  Tennis ball:
               About ½ cup of ice cream
        -  Computer mouse:
               About the size of a small baked potato
        -  Compact disc:
               About the size of one pancake or small waffle
        -  Thumb tip:
           About one teaspoon of peanut butter
        -  Six dice:
           1 serving of cheese cubes
        -  Check book:
           1 serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.)

* People cheat more than they think.  Once I break out the red marker it is obvious, but on a daily basis you need to work on not making the choices you tend to make.  It is ok if you are on a maintenance program.  But people need to realize that getting to the body fat and image they most desire takes work and a little bit of sacrifice.  It is much easier to maintain than it is to get there.  Do the work and you will reap the rewards.

* There is WAY TOO MUCH SALT in most people’s diets.  Most don’t know how much salt is already in foods.  You should never need to add salt to any item and you probably already have a ton of salt from other choices.

* White Flour and pretzels are NOT good choices.  Too much salt and bad carbs.  Enough said.

* Skipping meals is the death of your food log later in the day.  Skipping meals makes you hungry and more likely to make bad choices.  You are not doing yourself any favors by missing meals.

* Alcohol will destroy any program.  I will not say to cut out alcohol from a food plan.  As a matter of fact, there are plenty of studies that have shown that a glass of red wine now and then is good for you.  The problem occurs when you have a glass of wine and it leads to another and another.  Limit yourself to one or two nights a week and you should be fine.

* Salads are okay as long as you pay attention to the dressing.  Find out what a serving size of salad dressing is and you will see how much you should use.  Restaurants never use just one serving.  They use more like 4 servings.  You think you are making good choices, but you are being sabotaged by the people in the kitchen.

So here is this week’s challenge.  Fill out the food log.  CLICK HERE to download a F*R*E*E* copy of our Food Log!  Follow the advice from above and see what happens.
 
If you see a pattern that is counter-productive… break the habit.  Make a deal to trade food-logs with a friend and you will see the areas that get you in trouble.  Once you start to make good decisions you will see how easy a healthy lifestyle is to follow.
 
In future newsletters, I will show you how to cheat accordingly.  For now, make an attempt to eat clean.  Even if you are off the mark, it is probably better than when you really don’t pay attention at all.