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How to Dine Out and Stick to Your Healthy Eating Habits

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Hi, I'm Tina!

I’m the owner of Carrots ‘N’ Cake as well as a Certified Nutrition Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). I use macros and functional nutrition to help women find balance within their diets while achieving their body composition goals.

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Good morning! Happy Saturday!

Here’s my second post for GNC‘s “Total Lean Challenge.” For this one, I was asked to share my favorite kind of cardio exercise, which, I’m sure you already know, is CrossFit. I’m a tad in love with it!

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Since I love CrossFit so much, I decided to create a CrossFit-inspired workout for you guys. For this workout, all you need is a kettlebell and a clock or timer. Set the timer for 15 minutes and start with the first exercise, which is 15 Kettlebell Swings. Complete all 15 reps before moving onto the Air Squats. Once you have completed 20 Air Squats, pick up the Kettlebell and bang out 15 more reps. Continue to move from one exercise to the next until you complete all 6 exercises, which counts as one round. Keep moving for 15 minutes and see how many rounds you can do in that amount of time.

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I hope this workout inspired you to get moving and spend some time doing your favorite type of cardio””either indoors, outdoors, or with a group. It doesn’t really matter””just be sure to get your heart rate up!

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How to Dine Out and Stick to Your Healthy Eating Habits

The second part of my post involves tips for dining out and sticking to my healthy eating habits. When I dine out, I want to enjoy the food I’m served, so I order whatever I’m in the mood for at that moment. Sometimes, it’s grilled salmon on top of a bright green salad and other times it’s a juicy bacon cheeseburger with French fries. For me, sticking with my healthy habits isn’t so much about what I eat (I think there’s room for all foods in one’s diet), but more about the portion sizes I consume. With that said, here are my go-to tricks for keeping my portions (and calories) in check while dining out!

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“2 out of 3 rule”

My top trick for dining out is what I call the “2 out of 3 rule,” which allows me to indulge (within reason!) by picking two splurges from a meal’s typical options: the breadbasket, a cocktail, or dessert. I don’t want to miss out on any of the fun of dining out, so I allow myself to enjoy two out of three of these choices. So maybe I’ll pass on the breadbasket, but I’ll enjoy a cocktail and share a dessert with my husband at the end of the meal. This method allows me to indulge, but not overdo it.

Taste the appetizers

The appetizers at the beginning of the meal are supposed to stimulate one’s appetite for the main meal, but they’re not suppose to be a meal themselves. Do you get what I’m saying? So I keep this in mind and only taste two or three bites of each appetizer served at the table and then put my fork down to save room (and calories) for the main course. If I consume too much at the beginning of the meal, I inevitably end up overeating when more delicious plates are placed in front of me.

Keep It Simple

When I’m looking at the menu and considering what to order, I try to look for entrees without a huge, long description. I’m sure I’d love a bacon, Swiss cheese burger with sun-dried tomato aioli on a cheddar-crusted jalapeno bun, but I know a plain burger (ok, cheeseburger) with guacamole (and, ok, maybe bacon) is a more waist-friendly option. Of course, I want to enjoy what I order, so I make sure my meal includes a few fun and tasty options, but not ALL of them.

Visualize half of my entrée

As you probably know, restaurant portions are usually supersized, so once my entrée arrives, I visualize a line down the center of my plate. I eat half the food and then save the rest to pack up with me to take home for later. This way, I don’t end up eating too much, and I have tasty leftovers for the next day’s lunch!

Slow down and focus on what I’m eating

You’ve probably heard it takes someone about 20 minutes to recognize that they’re full. With this in mind, I slow my eating pace and really focus on my meal when I dine out. Chewing my food, tasting and savoring it instead of inhaling it, makes the meal so much more pleasurable. Slowing down also helps me better read my body’s hunger signals so I don’t overeat. A little trick I use when dining out: Try not to be the first one finished eating!

Question of the Day

What are your tips for sticking with your healthy eating habits when you dine out?

Fitfluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.

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