I have been eating out a lot more than normal lately.

Between special events (my wife Shelly’s birthday and Mother’s Day) and networking events to promote Fernandes Fit, my health and fitness business…

It’s made staying on track with my nutritional plan a challenge, not to mention a burden on my wallet. There’s only way to resolve the latter issue – by simply not going out to eat. But that’s not easy, given all of the Cape Fear’s great restaurants.

But the former…now, I have some simple and effective solutions you can apply to your plan, even as we head into the beautiful summer months.

* Plan ahead: Check out menus from your favorite eateries online in advance to pinpoint the healthy meal options available. It’s no different than when we head to the grocery store. If you map out what we plan to buy, you stand a better chance of heading home without a bunch of unhealthy options in hand.

* Don’t Head Out Hungry: Have a healthy snack before leaving home to satisfy your hunger. Once again, it’s no different than when you head to the grocery store. If you aren’t hungry while walking up and down each aisle, you stand a better chance of not putting a bunch of unhealthy options in your cart.

* Don’t Eat While Waiting: Don’t fill up on bread and other appetizers while waiting for main course. I used to make this mistake over and over again in my heavier days when unhealthy choices were a staple of my diet. Often, there are fewer healthy versions of appetizers than dinners. So staying away from those fillers leaves much more room for your meal.

* Order Vegetables and Protein: Calorie-dense vegetables and lean proteins such as chicken and fish make you feel fuller faster and stay fuller longer. Vegetables provide fiber needed to make that happen. Proteins take longer to metabolize.

* Have a Salad With Dressing on the Side: Salads are always a healthy choice, especially with your choice in lean protein. But salads high in calories, sugar and saturated fat can make that same salad an unhealthy option very quickly.
I’m simple with my salad dressing, as I have used olive oil and vinegar since I was a kid, but a tasty balsamic vinaigrette can provide the same nutrients while adding some zesty flavor to your meal. Also, dip your salad in the dressing instead of pouring dressing on your meal to savor the flavor without adding extra calories.

* Eat Slowly, Stop Early: Portions at restaurants often are two to three times larger than the average portion size. I immediately cut my meal in half and put one half of it into a box to take home for a meal the next day.
Then I take my time eating. Studies show it takes our brain 20 minutes to send signals to our stomach that we are full. So when we eat quickly, our stomach often is full long before we know we are full.

These tips all seem simple, don’t they? That’s because they are.

The work we do each day to stay healthy and fit is hard. But the process we should follow doesn’t need to be. It can – and should – be simple and straightforward.

If you would like to learn more about what steps you should take to achieve your health and fitness goals, contact me at 814.504.7774 or by email at [email protected]. You can also get more information on my website at fernandesfit.com.