Fit for Life: This May Ruin Your Dinner

Fit for Life: This May Ruin Your Dinner

The nicer weather is here, and a lot of folks eat out more frequently.

You see the posts on social media of people sitting on a patio somewhere with the frosty cocktail raised high. “Cheers to summer time” and the “normal” life again.

Eating out is fun and all, but if you are not conscious of what you are eating, your gains in the gym will come to a halt, and your waistline will expand over the summer.

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The last time I ate out, I added up the potential calories, based on a “somewhat” healthy meal.

Many people are unaware of how many calories they are consuming, so I am going yo give you a few examples of how calories add up when you dine out.

When you sit down for dinner, you order a drink.

Let's say a glass of nice chilled white wine.

Ok, now let's start adding.

 

That's 80 calories of sugar on an empty stomach. Tasty and refreshing, but also a great way to get the insulin in your system jacked up and out of control.

Because you do not want to get tipsy too fast, you reach for the bread.

But you are health conscious, so you opt-out of the butter for the healthier olive oil. Which by the way still carries 120 calories per tablespoon. When you dunk that bread, expect about 2 tablespoons to seep into the bread.

Add an additional 80 calories just for the bread. (I’m being conservative here)

So, with a conservative figure 1 glass of wine 1 piece of bread w/ oil = 400 calories before you touch a utensil.  

And I say conservative because after the first drink, inhibitions get weak, and spiked blood sugar causes excessive hunger, so one piece of bread or drink is unusual.

When multiple couples dine, usually appetizers are ordered family style.

Unless everyone is health-conscious, there is a good chance pizza or calamari will be ordered, but you order a salad, dressing on the side.

Figure another 120 cal worth of oil/dressing, some blue cheese crumbles, and the salad, plus just one bite of something, a taste even, and that brings the appetizer round to a modest 200 calories.

Now add in the pre-appetizer bread & wine, and you are at 600 calories going into the dinner round.

 

Now we are primed and ready to eat, but trying to be fit requires sacrifices, so you shoot for the healthy omega 3'and order the salmon with sweet potato and vegetables.

 

As healthy as it is we still need to add 157 cal per 4oz piece of fish which is about 1/2 order in most places, and quinoa carries 170 calories per 1/2 cup, and cooks are more concerned about taste than calories, so the olive oil runs rapidly in the kitchen adding hundreds of calories to a meal.

So, let's figure 450 calories on dinner + the previous 600 from bread, wine and appetizers and now we have 1050 calories if we pass on dessert, and that’s doubtful at this point.

And BTW, many people eat out more than once a week.

That is 1/2 of what most people's daily requirements on one meal. (Most people in my last challenge were on 1500 or fewer calories divided by 4 meals, and some still couldn’t get all those in by eating clean food.)

Now don't get me wrong, I am not a big calorie counter/ pincher, and I advise people to up the quality of their food first, and in most cases, they lose weight, feel less bloated /inflamed, by eating quality food.

I won't start counting calories until results hit a plateau or need to clean things up a bit, but I always recommend grazing and spreading them out amongst 5-6 feedings, not 1 or 2.

When you consume that many calories in one sitting, you will gain weight.

Guaranteed.

 

And I just detailed someone ordering with some concept of healthy food.

THIS IS A MODEST ESTIMATE of a meal in a restaurant.

I want to make it clear that I am not trying to deter you from eating out and being social, because there are many good restaurants around, and I want to support them after a rough couple of years.

I am just trying to create awareness as to where your calories are hiding and remind you to pay attention to small details to live healthier.   

So go out and enjoy food, just don't kid yourself about the amount of calories you are eating, and be aware of how fast they add up.

 

Committed to your success

Matt