By Ava Alderman
I sometimes hear from people who are worried that once they commit to the Nutrisystem diet, they will never be able to eat out again. And this is a real downer because eating out is an important part of socializing with friends and family. No one wants to have to pass up life’s pleasures, even when you’re trying to lose weight. Sure, you know that you’re going to have to make some sacrifices, but committing to swearing off restaurants is just too much.
Well, you don’t have to do this. Even Nutrisystem themselves concede that there are times when you will want or need to dine out and treat yourself. They even publish a guide to help you with this process. In this article, I’ll discuss some tips that I hope might help in this situation.
Don’t Save Up For The Big Occasion: It’s very common for people to know beforehand that they are going to be eating out and to look forward to it in a big way. You want to enjoy yourself and you want to savor every bite. So, it’s normal to think that you will cut back on your eating a couple of days before hand so that you can indulge without guilt at the restaurant. This is understandable but generally not recommended. Because you’ll likely go into the restaurant famished and you will eat much more than you normally would. We’re talking appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Of course you want to enjoy your meal. But you don’t want to go and undo all of your hard work. I’ve found that it’s perfectly fine to indulge as long as you are reasonable about it and as long as you don’t use it for a catalyst to going off your diet regularly.
Don’t Feel Shy About Making It Work For You: You want to enjoy your time with those closest to you, but you don’t want to feel peer pressured into eating something that you will later regret. It’s very common to have a bread basket, endless nachos, or free reign of appetizers when you are eating with a larger group. And it’s easy to forget how much you are eating when the conversation is flowing. Try to be conscious of what you are eating. You can enjoy good conversation and company every bit as much if you are not eating constantly, probably even more so. And, there is nothing wrong with making good choices when you eat out. You can load up on salad. You can box up some of your meal (as the portion sizes at restaurants can be quite excessive.) You can get vegetables as your side item rather than fries. And you can get sauces on the side and chose lean, grilled or baked protein. It is absolutely possible to get a healthful meal while eating out. And it’s also possible to make a not so healthful meal more so by controlling your portion sizes or the condiments and sauces that you use.
Give Yourself Permission So That You Are Not Self Conscious: The whole idea here is to enjoy yourself. Don’t allow yourself to feel guilty so that you don’t enjoy your meal. Give yourself permission to enjoy yourself and know that you are more likely to do this if you make at least decent choices. And know that if you get back on the diet, there is nothing wrong with what you are doing. One of the key concepts of Nutrisystem is flexibility and learning how to diet while enjoying your life. It’s unrealistic to think that you are not going to eat out. So learn how to strike a compromise. I totally believe that you can eat out, make choices that aren’t going to ruin your weight loss for the week, and leave the restaurant feeling wonderful about the whole experience.