Oh ....the joys of eating out

Eating Out...oh Eating out.

How many calories is in this chicken ceasar salad?

Think about it and I will answer the question at the bottom.

A. 546 Nordstrom Cafe B. 1010 Chili's Bar and Grill C. 767 Cheesecake Factory

So here is the reality of eating out. It is not really that good for you even if it is at whole foods. It is always better to cook your own food because you know what is in it. You know if it is fully organic or not and how much fat and oil is in it. When you eat out there is always that question..."What am I really eating?"

Yesterday I could not make my food while I was out with my family. Because I am a stay at home mom, I do cook most of the time, but there are those times where you are out and you can not cook your own food. So what do you do? I find that it is very stressful and sometimes overwhelming to where I think, "I am not doing this anymore!" I don't care." A secret, it really is a simple task to complete and there are some things that you can avoid doing.

So here are some tips:

If you choose to eat a salad, ask for the lettuce to be romain or green leaf. Ask for more veggies rather than crutons. Since most salads are tossed in dressing, ask for it on the side. You will save yourself a lot of calories since most of the fat is in the dressing.

If you choose to eat a meal. Ask for it grilled or steamed. Don't get something that you know will be fried or cooked with tons of oil or sauce. Again, ask for you sauce on the side. Order poultry or seafood. You should only eat about 3 to 4 oz of meat and most restaurants give you more than that. Control your portions and eat half of what is given to you. Your food is not going anywhere, enjoy it the next day at home. :)

For dessert, share it with your guest and enjoy two or three bites together. Also, choose a dessert with fresh fruit. It will taste delicious and will be less that fat and calories.

I know this seems like it can be so hard but try to think of it as an easy task that can be done quickly. The more you eat like this when you are out the easier it will be. Use self control. It usually takes you 20 minutes for your body to know that you are full, eat slow and enjoy your food. Again, it's not going to crawl off your plate so what is the rush?

The answer to the question above is 1010 calories! I can not believe a salad can be that many calories. I used to work for Chili's. Not the best place to eat at. Along with this salad and many other things I thought were healthy, I gained 30 Ibs eating there my freshmen year of college. I went from a size 4 to a size 14! Think about that ...it only took my 7 months to gain that weight eating like that. Make sure you know what you put in your body, it is really important!

Please, if you have any questions or comments please share!