Going out to eat while dieting…

Going out to eat can be so tough in the beginning when trying to lose weight. I used to have thoughts of:

a- saying screw it I am going to get a chicken finger sub with ranch because I don’t have control over where we go

OR

b- saying I am just going to order a small salad and be miserable with my life and still not make progress.

Does that sound like you too? #bueller?

I learned that there was a 3rd option- a FOOD FREEDOM option, which was called Flexible Dieting. The theory with this is that you learn what is in certain foods, aka fats/carbs/proteins, so that you can make INFORMED decisions, stay on track at restaurants and enjoy your time with loved ones!

How does it work? You start by learning the portion sizes for common foods you normally eat, and measuring them out. Here are a few examples:

4 oz chicken= 3g fat, 0g carb, 34g protein

5.3 oz potato= 0g fat, 26g carb, 0g protein

1 serving (32g) of Jif PB= 12g fat, 6g carb, 5g protein

1 apple= 0g fat, 22g carb, 0g protein

1 slice Dave’s Killer Bread = 1.5g fat, 13g carb. 3g protein

1 TBSP olive oil= 15g fat, 0g carb, 0g protein

4 oz 93/7 ground turkey= 9.5g fat, 0g carb, 21g protein

1 egg = 5g fat, 0g carb, 6g protein

1 serving (30g) of Chocolate Cheerios cereal= 4g fat, 21g carb, 3g protein

Wait….cereal? Bread? Peanut butter? You can eat that and lose weight? YES! Flexible dieting allows you to eat foods that you currently love, but in a way that is geared for weight loss. You have certain grams of fats, carbs and proteins that you need to meet each day, and can fill those foods with whatever you want!

My clients say it’s like a game of tetris in the beginning. Then, as you start to take notice of the serving sizes of things, you no longer need to measure them and can go out to restaurants and be confident in what you are actually eating during a certain meal. Understanding the food you are eating more than just the “calories” will tell you how much of it you should be eating. If you are someone who is trying to lose fat and “tone” up, you are probably going to need to increase your protein levels. The numbers are tracked in an app on your phone…yes that thing that is constantly in our hands, lol.

How do you know what your starting numbers should be? There are MANY free calculators online that can assist, but that is also where I come in. As a nutrition coach I create custom packages for clients to get them on a path of sustainable weight-loss. With Flexible dieting, there is no need to cut out certain food groups unnecessarily or feelings of guilt for eating certain foods.

This has completely changed my entire life and outlook on food, weight-loss and never having to “diet” again. It is about education on food and how foods can HELP you reach your goals, instead of separating food into “good” and “bad” categories.

Have you ever tried Flexible Dieting to lose weight? It is a LIFESTYLE approach and can completely change your game! Let me know below 🙂