Dining out can be stressful when trying to ditch the diet. Remember you deserve to live a life you love and I hope that life involves eating good food with great people!
Here are some tips to leave the diet mentality at home and still feel your best!
- Nourish yourself ALL day
Don’t skip meals to save room for eating out. If you get there overly hungry you are going to feel miserable then want to overeat and feel more miserable. It’s a lose-lose situation!
- Order what sounds good to YOU
There can be so much pressure to get the salad if other people at your table are ordering the ‘healthy’ option, but why miss out on enjoying some great food in life! You are going to feel more satisfied and not feel the need to grab something when you get home if you trust your body (and your taste buds) now.
- If you are stressed about what to order, check out the menu ahead of time!
Most restaurants now have an online menu or at least a picture of it on their social media. If it is causing you a lot of stress and anxiety knowing you have to decide there. Try checking out the menu at home. Then you can decide what really sounds good to you and give yourself some encouragement to order what you want! Not to mention the anticipation of an awesome meal!
Now don’t let this fall into the diet culture trap of finding what fits that diet mentality. If this is triggering to you maybe keeping it spontaneous might be easier to not feel the need to over analyze your meal!
- Don’t be afraid to take home leftovers, but don’t plan on it
There’s nothing worse than starting a meal thinking you’ll have left overs the next day and feeling cruddy about yourself when you eat the whole thing. Satisfaction is important too and sometimes you will overeat. That’s okay! Our bodies are way more complex than we give them credit for. You body knows how to handle that meal and move on!
On the other hand, there is no need to stress over finishing the whole meal if you check in with yourself and you are satisfied. Ditch the ‘clean plate club’ mentality.
- Make sure it will satisfy you or you have a plan for the rest of your day
Some days when I go out to breakfast I can just get pancakes and a couple pieces of bacon and feel satisfied for hours. Some days I can just tell I need a little something more, in this case usually a little more protein and fat to help me feel satisfied until lunch. This could mean I order a completely different meal or just an egg on the side.
Pay attention to how you are feeling before, during and after your meal to better plan your day. If I got something that really satisfied my tastebuds, but I know I’ll be hungry in a couple hours I need a plan to be able to nourish myself throughout the day! This could be packing a snack or having an earlier lunch.
I always felt pressure to eat what was acceptable from the diet rules I had in my head before, since finding food freedom I absolutely love trying new foods and new places when I go out to eat!
And if you are just starting your journey and can’t imagine that you will ever crave another salad or vegetable, in my experience salads taste so much better when you aren’t stressed about all of the delicious (and usually nutritious) toppings and don’t feel forced to choose a plain salad.
The food is all a part of the experience.
What foods have you been able to enjoy since ditching diets? Do you still struggle with food rules when going out to eat? Share some thoughts below!
If you need more help navigating ditching diets, check out our one-on-one coaching to help you find peace with food and your body!
