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Enjoy Eating Out While Losing Weight.

Guest post by: Terri Levine

Article Overview: Dieting is never easy and neither is it a good idea. It's much healthier to stick to a healthy eating plan that you can maintain every day, and this means incorporating situations when you are eating out and not in control of what's on the menu.

Enjoy Eating Out While Losing Weight.

Oxymoron? Depends on your point of view, but it is possible to enjoy eating out with family and friends without interrupting your weightloss goals. First things first. Even babies have to crawl before they can walk, and how can you achieve even the simplest goal if you don't know how, especially a goal a challenging as this one? So here are the basics:

1. "Wording Your Goal"

Negative statements attract negative thoughts, feelings or actions. The statement you choose to word your goal MUST be framed positively. Frame your goals so that you are 'gaining' something, not giving something up. Avoid words like "stop", "not", "non-" in your Goal Statement. Don't use words like "less", "lose", "no", "nothing" or anything that for you has a negative connotation. Also, state your goal as a definite "will", not a sloppy "want".

Which of these sounds better to you?

I want to stop being too busy to exercise.

Or

My schedule will be organized so that I have time to exercise each day.

and...

I want to stop snacking so much on chips and chocolate.

Or

I eat healthy snacks when I am hungry.

Get the idea?

2. Make the statement specific, especially timeframes.

See the difference here:

By the 42nd day of this plan [state the actual date], my schedule will

be organized so that I have 30 minutes of time to myself each day to

take exercise.

Or even:

By (insert date) I will choose healthy salad meals for my lunch.

3. Include a reason, an underlying purpose, for the goal in the wording of the statement itself. Do you know why you want to achieve a particular goal? Is it to create more financial independence? More freedom? More energy? More space? Is it part of a bigger strategy for fulfilling a lifelong desire, like writing a book or traveling the world? Do you have a passion that, up until now, you have not given yourself full permission to pursue or even explore? Do you want to help people in need or create connections? Or in relation to eating and losing weight, is it to look and feel good for yourself? To wear more fashionable clothes? To be more attractive to the opposite sex?

Taking the above example again, you might say:

By [actual date], my schedule will be organized so that I have 30 minutes of time to myself each day for exercising, or walking, or playing sport/dancing/...insert favorite physical activity.

4. Make the goal realistic.

Let's say you are earning $1,000 a week and you want $5,000 a week. Making a leap from $1,000 to $5,000 is certainly possible, yet the timeframe needed to achieve the goal may exceed 6 weeks. For your first goal, and to strengthen those goal-achieving muscles of yours, frame your Goal Statement in a way that feels realistic for you. So, you might want to start by saying $2,000 a week. It is still a stretch from where you are right now, but it might be more realistic.

As it pertains to eating out, you might try something like:

"I lose 2 kilos per week by eating healthy, low-fat food that I enjoy."

5. Don't specify "how" the goal will happen within the Goal Statement itself. Doing so only limits you on executing the goal.

6. Make sure the goal is completely within your control. This is very important. You cannot ensure that you get new clients, make new friends, have better relationships, land that dream job, or will be dining at a restaurant that offers low fat meal options, if you are dining out with clients. Anything that significantly involves the decision-making processes of other people is outside of your control. What you can ensure is that you take actions that make those events more likely to happen. And those actions need to be your goal.

7. Do you want it or is it a "should"? One of the best ways of creating a successful goal is to make sure it is a goal you WANT to achieve, and not a 'should' goal. Do you really want this goal you have identified? Or do you believe you should have it based on the opinions of others and society? It works best when it comes from you.

In summary, for your goal statements:

Keep it positive

Have an interesting reason why you are doing it

Control is completely your own

Keep it realistic

Actually want to do it

Simply a statement, not a "how"

Specific result

8. So now you know how to set a goal, set goals that cover your dining out habits and circumstances. Do you dine out often, perhaps needing to entertain clients? Make sensible food choices - you can ask for your fish without the cream sauce and your salads without the dressing. You can drink water, not wine. You don't have to have the garlic bread or the rich dessert.

9. Each time you dine out choose something different to eat so it doesn't become boring. You can ask for straight grilled fish, chicken or steak and you can ask for vegetables to be steamed and served without sauces, etc. If you have grilled fish and salad one week, mix it up and have a different low-fat meal the next time. Don't be shy about asking your waiter to ask the chef for suggestions for a low fat meal if there is nothing on the menu. Point out you can eat there more often if they can cater to your needs!

10. Depending on how often you dine out, make sure you reward yourself occasionally - not all the time! You don't have to have an entire meal straight from the menu but you can reward yourself with dressings on your meal, or having the garlic bread, or splashing out and have a couple of glasses of wine, or enjoying a dessert. It's when we feel deprived that we are most likely to run off the rails and ruin our eating plans.

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Article Tags: diet, dieting, eating out, losing weight, meals, menu, take out



Related Forum Posts
Re: How does an entrepreneur stay energized? - Hi there, This subject is not only for entrepreneurs. Everybody can benefit from this, that is the reason why 'Healthy Living and Eating' is a multi billion Dollar business. Often I smile, because so much is written about it. So many different business are blooming and doing well. Whilst there is so much knowledge and opportunity to be healthy and well, the need is still growing. There is so much that could be said. The cheapest form of energy is gained by a good sleep.
Richard Branson's Book - Richard Branson's Book "Losing My Virginity" is a must read for people starting their own business.
Re: Just Joined Today! - Welcome to the forums! Enjoy your stay.
Re: What I'm reading this weekend - Oct 22, 2010 - No problem Michelle - Enjoy!
Re: Moderators on vacation - Enjoy the vacation Trent! You deserve it!


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