What to order at a restaurant if you are on a diet? Answers from a wellness coach

Wellness coach Andrei Semeshov, an expert of “Championship”, explains .

The number of extra calories you eat at the dinner table is directly proportional to the number of people at the meal. You eat MORE when you eat with MORE people or you eat MORE when you eat with MORE people. This is the conclusion reached by researchers from Case Western University (Ohio, USA).

If you do not have problems with overweight, you are not prone to overeating, then there is no problem. You eat more now, then eat less later. And you still maintain a healthy balance.

It’s a different story for those who are trying to beat being overweight. And if this is also multiplied by psychological “roughness” in eating behavior, then any public feast becomes a real problem. It comes to the fact that the invitation to dinner at a restaurant such zooginiki perceived as stress. And instead of enjoying socializing and tasty dishes, they either suffer with a glass of mineral water, or suffer from the fact that they sweep away everything that their eyes see. And then still run to “work off” the excess in the gyms …

Alas, but from the standpoint of nutriciology, wellness coaching to help in the case of real eating disorders is impossible. This is the realm of psychotherapy at best and psychiatry at worst. But let’s not talk about sad things, but let’s look at how to go to restaurants for those who are happy and successful in reducing weight and getting in shape.

The most important rule is not to become a social pariah and not to refuse invitations. Weight loss, dietary restrictions – this is not a verdict! After all, no one has ever gotten fat from pleasant socializing with pleasant people. And with calories we’ll deal with it now.

Use the standard subjective “hunger scale”, ranging from “very, very hungry” to “I can’t look at food”. In the case of restaurants, don’t go there in a “really hungry” state, i.e. with an empty stomach.

On this day, slightly reduce the usual calorie intake of meals preceding the restaurant. It will be enough to cut calories 200-300.

It’s unlikely that you’re going to the restaurant completely first thing in the morning, so you’ll probably have time to increase your physical activity a bit on this day. Note, we’re doing this BEFORE the restaurant, not “working out” afterward. A jog, a brisk brisk walk, a couple extra workouts at the gym, and so on will do the trick. Don’t have time during the day? Schedule a workout the evening before.

If possible, choose a restaurant yourself. This way it will be easy for you to navigate the menu, choose the right dishes and do not order frankly unnecessary.

The restaurant is not chosen by you? That’s okay too. Look at the menu on the Internet, find out what dishes they offer steamed or grilled.

Order first (even if it’s not very consistent with etiquette). Research shows that ordering after someone else runs the risk of telling the waiter the dishes that someone else has already chosen. They are unlikely to be optimal for you.

Have you decided on grilled meat? Obviously and insistently ask the waiter to tell the cooks a request – not to add oil. The fact is that although grilling and does not involve the use of oil, the vast majority of technological maps of catering prescribe to use it generously, it speeds up the cooking process and makes the dish tastier.

At the same time specify that salad dressings, whether it is olive oil, mayonnaise and so on, you need to serve separately. You will add the necessary amount yourself. And yes, you don’t need to bring bread or any other welcome snacks.

In general, do not make a tragedy out of a single trip to the restaurant, which will definitely and irrevocably cross out all your weight loss efforts. No, no disaster and obesity will not happen. If you exercise sensibly, adhere to a correctly designed system of calorie restriction, then even if you eat a little more that day, the body will use the excess for recovery, rather than start storing it as fat. After all, a restaurant is just an excuse to get together and exchange news, celebrate a pleasant event. And the main thing here is not calories, but emotions. That’s what you should focus on. Put away the cutlery more often and pay more attention to keeping the conversation going. And you’ll be fine.