Going out to eat is fun. We do not have to cook the food, we don’t have to clean up and the food tends to taste better than when we try to cook those same dishes at home. The cost can be pretty high, but the restaurant experience is most often well worth it.
There are many types of restaurants such as:
- “Fast food”: Chains such as McDonalds, Popeyes, Arbys etc
- Italian
- Mexican
- Asian
- Diners
- Steak/seafood
- Buffets, such as Golden Corral
During a long-term weight control journey there are restaurant “types” that will not challenge your weight loss efforts as much as others. As an example, when you go into a Mexican themed restaurant, immediately you are greeted with a bowl of chips and salsa and the wait staff informs you about the drink specials. Then, the menu offers up an array of nachos, encheladas, tacos, chimichangas and other assorted carb/cheese dishes that are very derailing for weight control.
Italian themed restaurants? Usually you are brought that wonderful tasting/smelling warm bread basket, the choices of wines are great and most of the dishes are pasta-oriented. Asian restaurants? Lots of rice and noodle oriented dishes and many sauces on the chicken, pork, fish and meat dishes that also derail weight control.
Probably the best restaurants to go to support your weight control efforts are the steak/seafood places and diners. Salads, appetizers such as shrimp cocktails, main dishes that provide plenty of good protein choices (steaks, fish, seafood, meat loaf, chicken, turkey) accompanied by vegetables will all be quite compatible with your efforts to shed weight.
Cooking at home is still the best approach for weight control success but we can still go out to eat, enjoy a great meal and not harm our efforts to be heathier.
One last point: Stay away from buffets and fast food places…they are likely to derail your entire week of diligent weight loss work.
And the best music played at restaurants? Sorry for the baby Boomer opinion here but the music played at Johnny Rockets (please don’t go there to eat if you are trying to lose weight) is my very favorite. Here is one of the songs on their playlist…enjoy The Four Seasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ckZnX5CbgQ
