Eat Out, Stay Healthy: 5 Smart Strategies for Weight Loss Success

Ever found yourself derailing your health goals the minute you sit down at a restaurant? You're not alone. The struggle to maintain healthy eating habits while dining out is real, but it doesn't have to be your reality anymore.

We're tackling this common challenge head-on with five game-changing strategies that transform restaurant meals from potential diet disasters into opportunities for both connection and continued progress. From the critical pre-dinner preparation that prevents bread basket binges to the mindset shift that reframes dining out entirely, these practical tips address the root causes of restaurant overeating.

You'll discover why arriving hungry sets you up for failure, how ordering first influences everyone at your table, and the simple portion control hack that restaurants never tell you about. We also dive into the psychology of mindful eating and why slowing down dramatically changes how much you consume. Most importantly, we address the dessert dilemma with a refreshing approach that doesn't rely on willpower or deprivation.

This episode goes beyond the typical "just order a salad" advice to provide sustainable strategies that honor both your health goals and your need for social connection and pleasure. The techniques shared here have helped countless people navigate restaurants confidently while continuing to lose weight and feel great.

Ready to enjoy dining out without the side of guilt or bloating? These strategies will change how you approach restaurant meals forever. Listen now, and then let me know how these tips work for you the next time you eat out!

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Connected Body Podcast.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Connected Body Podcast
• 0:59 Staying True While Eating Out
• 1:37 Plan Ahead and Order Smart
• 4:18 Portion Control and Mindful Eating
• 5:51 Enjoying Dessert Without Guilt
• 7:02 Final Thoughts and Goodbye

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hi everyone, and welcome to the Connected Body Podcast. I'm Laura London, founder of Laura LondonFitness.com. I'm a regular mom who decided to stay so healthy and fit in my mid-40s with a family, and I have not the faction. This podcast is for you if you want to feel confident, powerful, connected, and strong body and life and the connected podcast is going to be your new home. Each week we're going to do a new health topic with both leaders to talk about all things health, fitness, mindset, and living your best connected life. Are you ready? Let's go. Hey everyone, it's Laura, and today I wanted to talk to you about staying true to your body when you're eating out and you still want to lose weight. I've got some tips for you. So when you go out, do you struggle or are you scared that when you go out to eat with your partner, friends, or family that you're going to eat too much? Going out can be fun and enjoyable, and you can still stay healthy and lose weight while doing it. So I've got five great tips for you today. The first one, going to a dinner date hungry is dangerous. Have a healthy low glycemic snack one hour before you go out to dinner. This will keep you satisfied so you don't reach for the bread basket and eat the whole thing. I just went out to dinner with some friends, and one of my girlfriends was so hungry, she wound up eating half of that bread basket, woke up the next day, and she was so puffed out, bloated, and just not happy with herself. So eating something so you're not so full while you're waiting for your food to come is super important. It takes away the temptation. Another thing you can do is have a glass of water or a cup of tea when you sit down. It's going to be something that you can hold in your hands and it's also going to help to fill you up. Step two or tip number two is viewing eating out as a time to connect with people, not a time to kick the healthy eating to the curb. You know what I mean. Just because you're going out to dinner, that does not mean no holds bar. Quite the opposite, because you can select exactly what healthy foods you need to eat. So eating out should be the easiest time for making good choices, but for some people it's the hardest. Planning in advance what you're going to eat to and order is key. And I also want you to order first. When you order a healthy dish, watch what happens. People at your table notice your healthy choice, and then they tend to make better healthy choices themselves. Plus, this does not give you a chance to change your mind or be tempted by what other people are ordering. Order a green salad first and skip the creamy dressing and go for a health balsamic or oil and vinegar. Always ask for the dressing on the side so you can control how much is on your salad. Think protein, veggies, and healthy carbohydrate. Make the protein and veggies the biggest part of your meal. If you're given a huge portion of carbs, like you know, a side of rice or even sweet potato french fries, eat only half of them. Better yet, skip the carb and ask for a double portion of veggies. Tip number three: if it's a healthy meal, but a huge portion, um when you when when you get when you order your meal and it comes and it's a huge, huge portion, ask for a to-go box right away. Most restaurants give you huge portion sizes. So size up your meal when it gets to the table. And if it's huge, ask for that to go box right away. If you feel funny doing that, decide you're only going to eat half of the meal and then take the rest home at the end. But make that decision and stick to it. I want you guys to keep your word to yourself. The next tip number four savor your meal and take time to enjoy and find pleasure in what you are doing. Most of us just eat so quickly we're not enjoying it. Take the time to savor and truly enjoy what you're eating. Take a bite, there goes my phone, feel it in your mouth, enjoy the flavor. Put your fork down between the bites. This will force you to eat slower and realize when you're truly full and help keep you from overeating. And also realize why you're eating out with friends and family. It's for the company, it's really not for the food. So make sure to connect with people and enjoy your time. And the last tip what to do about dessert. Life is about pleasure, and we should not deny ourselves because it always backfires. Denial, deprivation, it does not work. So, how do we handle dessert time? If you want it, I say order it, but guess what? You don't have to eat the whole thing to be satisfied. Share it with someone, decide on how many bites you're going to have, and then put the fork down. Enjoy each bite, savor it, and enjoy it with pleasure and no guilt. Because when you do that, your digestion is high. Your body is not stressed out. Once those stressful thoughts come, I shouldn't be eating this, this is gonna go on my butt. Bam, we put the body in a low-level state of stress and it is shutting down our digestion. Bam. So take those tips, listen to this recording again, and let me know how you guys do the next time you eat out. I'll talk to you soon. Bye-bye. Hey everyone, it's Laura.