On A Diet? Here’s How To Survive The Restaurant Trap

Article by Brad Fiorentine

Most people don’t think anything about eating half a pizza – after a long day of work or class, downing that much food is just “going with the flow” — especially since, let’s face it, a slice up pizza doesn’t fill anybody up. But look at this: a Large Pepperoni pan pizza from Pizza Hut has about 14g of total fat and 270 total calories per slice. And that’s just one topping – pretty modest for the average college student. If you eat 2 slices of that pizza, you will have consumed around 28g of fat and about 540 calories total. Add a couple more slices – that’s 1040 calories. Half your daily intake on greasy filler food. And it’s pretty easily doable if you’re ordering in on a date.

What about KFC? Plenty of parents are raising their kids on chicken. But one original recipe chicken breast is about 21g of fat and 360 calories. If you have 2 chicken breasts from a bucket meals, it’s 42g of fat and 720 calories. This doesn’t even touch on any side dishes that might come with the meal:

Mashed Potatoes?Macaroni and Cheese?Wedges?Biscuits?

It’s a recipe for pain and obesity. In this day and age, convenience has become our friend. Back in the prehistoric ages, you would have scored some Kentucky Fried Sabertooth after days on the hunt, and you would have gobbled up every bit of it because you weren’t totally sure where your next meal came from. Heck, human history has been the story of a malnourished underclass trying to survive on what they could. This is the first time food has been so plentiful — at least in the first world. And who can spend a day in front of a stove when you’re working 2 jobs and going to school? But even though dropping in on a fast food joint is satisfying emotionally, it’s hurting your body in a way you can’t physically understand right away. Even if you go somewhere like Subway, a Chicken Parmesan sandwich will run you 500 calories, and that’s without getting footlong or chips.

So let’s be perfectly clear: when you step into a fast food place, you’re setting yourself up for some major healthy lifestyle failure. But you don’t live in some Biggest Loser dream world where a sassy Cajun man can bake you a meal after you run 23 miles. So let’s talk about how you can walk into a restaurant and come out with your waistline intact.

Don’t Order “The Fun Thing”

Just because you’re going to Burger King doesn’t mean you have to order three Whoppers and a Tub O’Fries. It’s just that you’ve already given up once you walk through the door. Might as well have a little fun while I’m here, you probably think.

Look, the only real reason to eat at a fast food place is convenience. There’s no need to compound that with terrible eating choices. If you go somewhere like Wendy’s, just order a baked potato. If you’re at McDonalds, order a parfait or a Side Salad. All this stuff is inexpensive and decent for you.

Choose Healthier

You’re a free consumer. Why not go to the places that advertise healthier menu choices? Do yourself a favor! And yeah, sometimes those places cost more, but the food is better, and if you really can’t afford it, then you should be buying actual food with nutritional value and learning to cook. Also remember that plenty of places have special sections on their menus for low calorie food choices. It doesn’t always mean they’re healthy, but use your common sense. And remember that there’s an abundance of food in the kitchen. You’d be surprised how easy it is to request something off-menu, even at a greasy spoon joint.

Go “Oil In”

Most sit-down restaurants will cook with- it’s cheaper than usuing olive or peanut oil, or some other healthier alternative. Get on the phone and call in advance. Find out if they cook meals in butter, and ask if your meal can be made without it. This isn’t as much of a hassle as you think – especially if you’re calling a place you eat at pretty often.

Avoid Buffets

The foods that you see in the buffets are foods that restaurants can produce en masse – and it’s fattening you up the same way a farmer would fatten up cattle. Skip the fried foods, skip the never ending pasta avalanches. If you’re following the outline in the ebook, you should never be this hungry during the day. You don’t need to eat as much food as the eye can see or the mind can imagine!

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