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Eating Well Out
One of the most common excuses I hear as to why people can’t stick to a diet is because they are traveling to much or just don’t have the time to cook.
Please skip the croutons and the sundaes…unless you’re planning to cheat!
While I think it is always possible to be able to prepare quick and easy meals that you can take with you, you can also ALWAYS find a fairly decent Primal option on any restaurant menu.
Ryan and I packed up all of our kitchen stuff and had to eat out for about a week while we were moving.
We didn’t have to sacrifice our diet though just because we ate out. For example, when a friend invited us to sushi, we went and got sashimi.
PURE PROTEIN!
Honestly, eating out is just AN EXCUSE to not eat well.
For one, there is almost always some MEAT option on the menu. There is usually some chicken option even if you have to ask for the sauce on the side. You can even get a burger and take off the bun. Yea so the meat won’t be grass-fed, but still….it isn’t fried or carb-laden! AND you don’t have to get the carb-laden side! You can get a side of veggies or skip the sides all together if there aren’t any great options.
Secondly, there is almost always a SALAD option on the menu. Most places have some sort of vinaigrette or will supply you with vinegar and oil. And you don’t need to eat the croutons even if they are included!
There is always a way to get something healthy when you are eating out. Sometimes you do have to ask for a slight special request, which can feel awkward, but is worth it if you are eating out often!
No, most meals we get at restaurants won’t be perfect, but they also don’t have to ruin your health or set back your weight loss like totally cheating would.
PLUS, if you can choose a place, you CAN select places that have HEALTHIER options. There are places out there that offer PERFECTLY PRIMAL dishes.
When friends ask me to eat out, if it isn’t a cheat day, I choose a place that has delicious options that will satisfy me and allow me to eat healthily.
If I don’t choose the place, I will try to at least look at the menu before I go so I know my options and won’t be tempted by seeing all of the bad foods there when I’m super hungry.
I mean is it really that much effort to plan ahead?
Isn’t it worth it?
Saying you can’t eat well when you eat out is just an excuse – it is just a way for you to LET YOURSELF GIVE IN.
If you WANT to eat well, you will find a way. Go to a restaurant with a game plan and I guarantee you will always be able to find something that allows you to stick to your diet and feel satisfied!
Travel
I have lots of clients that travel often and have used it as an excuse to either not eat well or not exercise.
But traveling is no excuse.
Some of my clients who have long plane rides to different countries claim that the problems all start because of jet lag.
Can I just say…”THAT IS A FREAKING LAME EXCUSE!”
Just because your body is tired and a bit out of whack doesn’t give you the excuse to eat crap and not move. AND your body doesn’t have to feel like crap when you travel if you FAST.
Yep! Studies have proven that fasting may help with cancer, weight loss and even JET LAG!
An article called “A “Fast” Solution to Jet Lag” states:
Dr. Clifford B. Saper and colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston now think that food — or, more specifically, the lack of it — may resynchronize body rhythms faster than light and dark. They have studied a second “master clock” in mice, located in a cluster of brain cells called the dorsomedial nucleus, that can take over when food is scarce. Sure, humans aren’t mice, but both have a dorsomedial nucleus that responds to hunger. The researchers reason that because food is as essential for survival as sleep is, hunger can influence circadian rhythms as much as changes in light/dark patterns do.
So maybe if you fast to help reset your “master clock” you won’t suffer from jet lag…aka you have no excuse to eat crappy and not workout!! Here are suggestions from the article about how to make fasting work to prevent jet lag:
So, why not manipulate your feeding clock, rather than your sleep clock, the next time you try to fend off jet lag? Specifically, as Saper has discussed in the press, you can try fasting both before and during your long flight, then eating in a pattern that puts you in sync with local time. For instance, if you’re taking a 14-hour flight from New York to Beijing, it would work like this:
- Avoid all food from the time you get to the airport (i.e., about two hours before departure)
- Don’t eat during the flight — but still drink plenty of water
- Eat soon after you land, as close to a local meal time as possible
Because it is hard to workout when you are staying in a hotel, right?
WRONG!
There are exercises and workouts that you can do anywhere…including a hotel room, office or even outside. I even wrote a post about the 10 Best Exercise to do ANYWHERE!
You can even bring your own resistance equipment with you if you don’t want to miss a strength training workout. Resistance bands are easy to pack in any piece of luggage and weigh next to nothing. And they aren’t expensive. It is about $30 for a set.
Shoot you don’t even have to do strength training when you travel to remain active and healthy. You can even just go out for a walk around the hotel and get in some nice slow cardio!
And if it is too cold outside to walk or run, most hotels either have a pool or a small gym with a treadmill. Why not go for a swim or walk on the treadmill and enjoy a nice light magazine?
Honestly, there is no excuse to be a huge lump when you are traveling. I mean just even walk around and go sight-seeing for goodness sake!
Now…eating when you travel…
This section isn’t for the person planning a family vacation or taking a nice relaxing vacation. If you are going on vacation, of course indulge and enjoy. IT’S A VACATION.
This section is for the person that travels often and uses this as an excuse as to why they can’t be healthy/in shape/lose weight or WHATEVER.
For one, you don’t have to buy a crap snack at the airport. You can bring your own healthy snacks with you. You don’t even have to put your snacks in a separate bag when you go through security.
Second, almost every little snack shop in the airport at least has nuts – you don’t have to grab those Reese’s no matter how tempting.
Third, almost all restaurants have at least ONE thing you can eat.
Take Cheesecake Factory for instance. They have steaks, which aren’t breaded or fried. Yes, some come with french fries, but how hard is it to sub in mashed potatoes, veggies or a side salad?
NOT HARD.
And trust me, most people WON’T realize you are on a diet if you are eating a steak because most of society still follows the low-fat mantra.
And if you’re not feeling a steak? Try a Cobb Salad with Vinaigrette dressing!
There are a ton of different options at most restaurants. Yes, some restaurants, like Italian restaurants, are harder to find things at, but trust me it is possible.
Just take a look at the menu BEFORE you go out. This way you will be prepared for the options and know what you can and cannot eat. You will also be less likely to cheat once you get there and are hungry if you know ahead of time what you can order.
And with all of this I’m not saying you can’t try some “local” cuisine. I’m just saying, you CAN eat well when you travel. You CAN be healthy.
If you want to make something work, you will find a way.
So stop making excuses and try some of this advice. It might make traveling more fun since you’ll be energized from eating well and relaxed from working out!
Man Bicep 