Anu Morgan, Author of Get Real About Weight Loss

This is a weight loss nutrition counseling session I did with a client.  We discussed a lot of issues that are common problems for people who are having trouble making progress on their weight loss efforts.

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by Anu Morgan

Just about anyone trying to lose weight will tell you that one of the most difficult situations is eating out.  Most dieters do not know how to handle this issue, so they just forget about their diet all together, and order anything they want off the menu.  People do not understand that you can enjoy a meal out with friends or family, and still stick to your diet.  Here are a few tricks to help you keep from sabotaging your diet when eating out at a restaurant.

Choose Your Beverages Wisely

Beverages can pack an astounding amount of calories.  Why would you want to waste all of your calorie allowance on just one or two drinks?  A great way to avoid a diet mistake is to only drink water for your beverage.  Cocktails, beverages that contain sugar, and sodas can add hundreds of empty calories.  Sip on your water throughout the meal, and keep it coming!  If you simply must have something flavored, ask for a wedge of lemon or lime, or opt for unsweetened coffee or tea.

Avoid Appetizers

As much as we all love them, do not order an appetizer before your meal.  The only time you should break this rule is if you chose a fruit or vegetable platter.  A Fruit or vegetable platter (without any dipping sauces) is fat free, it will fill you up a bit (which may keep you from eating more of your entrée), and it allows you to enjoy an appetizer with the rest of your party.

Bypass The Bread

As tempting as that basket of warm delicious bread is, try to skip it.   Bread can add a great deal of calories, sugar, and even fat to your meal without you even noticing.  Add some butter, jam, oil, or other type of spread to the bread and you have a diet disaster on your hands.

Choose Your First Course Carefully

If your dinner comes with a first course, such as soup or a salad, choose carefully.  Opt for a vegetable based soup rather than a cream-based soup, and choose low fat or fat free salad dressing instead of full fat versions.  If the restaurant does not have reduced fat dressing options, ask for oil and vinegar.  Always request that your dressing come on the side so you can control how much is added to your salad.

Choose Low Cal Or Dieter Friendly Options

Today, many restaurants have low calorie, low fat, or dieter friendly menu options.  If this is not the case, order a simple salad, a piece of grilled or broiled chicken or fish, and steamed vegetable sides.  Try to avoid heavy, starchy sides such as mashed potatoes.

Skip Dessert

As much as we all love it, and as hard as it may be, you should skip dessert.  However, if you absolutely have to have a sweet treat at the end of your meal, choose a fruit cup, or ask for just a few (no more than three) bites of your companion’s dessert.  This will save you a good deal of extra fat and calories.

by Anu Morgan

Just about everyone has some experience with the issue of weight loss.  We all know how easy it is to pack on the pounds, and how difficult it can be to get rid of them.  Today, there seems to be more pressure than ever to be thin, and more ways than ever to achieve this.  With all of the various fad diets, diet books, DVDs, and weight loss professionals offering their help with this process, there is actually one simple thing you can do to give yourself the best chance of achieving your goals.

A food log is one of the best ways to help you work toward your weight loss objectives.  This simple method is free, takes just minutes per day, and gets to the bottom of the number one problem when dieting: not knowing how much you really eat in a day.  The process of keeping a log forces you to stop what you are doing, assess what you are eating, and record it in a manner you can track.  You will be amazed at just how insightful this process can be.

It is estimated that the majority of dieters underestimate how much they really consume per day by as much as twenty-five percent.  For this reason alone, you should keep a food log.  Recording every single thing you put into your mouth allows for a truly accurate representation that you cannot avoid or dispute.  As well as “forgetting” or leaving out food items during the day, most dieters do not count meals they eat out toward their daily consumption.

The unsettling reality about this fact is that most dieters eat at least one meal out per day.  This means that the underestimation factor may really much higher than twenty-five percent and may actually be closer to thirty-eight percent.  Another dieting problem when calculating calories is that most people do not consider portion size either.  Portions, especially when eating out, are often very large.  One restaurant portion may actually be equivalent to three appropriate servings.  All of these factors need to be fully noted in your log in order to really assess your progress.

The process of recording your intake in a food log also encourages you to examine everything you eat, not just your main meals.  Everyone can tell you what they had for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but almost no one can tell you all of their little nibbles here and there.  Most dieters think that the couple of chips they had while making their child’s lunch does not factor into their diet, and that cookie they grabbed in the break room between meetings does not count or matter.  However, these small little “tastes” really add up and can add several extra calories and fat grams to your day.

Keeping a food log allows you to confront your dieting mistakes head on.  Your log will expose all kinds of information, such as behavioral patterns and stressors.  You will begin to get a better idea of why you eat what you eat and when, and you will able to adjust your behavior.

Finally, when you truly make the commitment to use this system, food logs can yield wonderful results.  An honest log provides you with a clear picture of your overall diet success.  By monitoring this information you can better determine what changes in your life have worked, what else you could be doing, and what changes still need to be made.  Your log will become an an excellent source of self-encouragement.  This type of positive reinforcement is key to sticking with your weight loss goal and achieveing your desired results.

For Marinade -

• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts

For Sauce –

• 1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red and yellow bell peppers
• 1/4 cup finely chopped purple onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Stir all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl and coat the chicken evenly. Place the covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it marinate overnight or for several hours.
2. After finished marinating, grill the chicken until the center is no longer pink.
3. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor until it is a smooth consistency. Place sauce in a pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Spread sauce over the chicken and garnish with bell peppers, onion, and cilantro.

• 2 chopped carrots
• 3 chopped celery stalks
• 1/2 chopped medium onion
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 3-5 fresh basil leaves chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 4 cup low sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. After chicken is cooked pull it apart/ shred it.
2. Slightly saute carrots, celery, and onion until slightly tender but crisp. Add the shredded chicken.
3. Add chicken broth and 2 cups of water.
4. Season with garlic, basil, sage, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Simmer and cover soup for 1 hour. Add the milk and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 medium zucchini sliced (1/4 inch thick)
• 2 medium yellow squash sliced (1/4 inch thick)
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet, melt butter, add shallots, garlic, zucchini, and squash. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until zucchini and squash are slightly tender, 5-7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add cream and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
3. Put mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs and Parmesan. Bake 10-12 minutes until the top looks golden.