Greetings,
Yesterday, a friend sent me a healthy option menu which was boldly entitled, "The Dramatic Weight Loss Diet Menu" from the new Frank Ski restaurant located in Atlanta Georgia. How you can dramatically lose weight by eating out is beyond me; but hey that is the title of the menu; so I am going to roll with it.
Frank Ski's restaurant is not the first establishment to promote healthy options as part of their overall food offering. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Hardees and Heart Attack grill I am not aware of any mainstream restaurant that doesn't promote some sort of healthy option menu.
In response to mounting criticism, even McDonald's and other fast food restaurants tout their healthy option menus.
Frank Ski's menu is however the first one that I have seen which specifically list the weight of each entrée (instead of focusing on calories) and specifies that a side vegetable must be included. It was also nice to see that their typical dish was 8 ounces; this supports my theory that that is all the food you need in one meal. So all in all, I believe that it is step in the right direction.
http://dramaticweightloss.com/blog/2012/05/24/frank-skis-restaurant-introduces-the-dramatic-weight-loss-diet-menu%e2%80%8f/
So surely I don't have a problem with participants going to a nice restaurant and choosing the healthy option right? Wrong? Or I should say; It Depends!
Dieters who try to choose the so-called healthy options at an otherwise unhealthy (but with tasty food) restaurant are like those executives who bring their work blackberry with them on vacation. They usually accomplish nothing while successfully irritating their family. In essences, they neither manage to truly relax and enjoy the time off; nor get any meaningful work done because they are surrounded by distractions.
The same applies to dieters at restaurants. I am sure that you can recall going out for dinner with friends and noticing that one of them (the one that normally throws down at the table like a caged lion) uncharacteristically orders just a green salad and a glass of water.
She finishes her meal in 5 minutes while the rest of the pride are still working their way through the 20 ounce mixed grilled meat starter. Because we have learned that HUNGER is UNDEFEATED against WILL POWER; we know how this story is going to end.
The next time all of you are out for dinner again; that same friend is back to her Lion King ways. Just when you thought that you had the barbecue pork ribs all to yourself; you feel a paw swooping down pushing yours out of the way!
The point is that most people are not big because they choose to enjoy restaurants. Most people are big because they choose to enjoy restaurants and other high calorie TREATS on a WEEKLY if not DAILY basis.
Remember, there are only 3 food groups. MEALS, SNACKS and TREATS. The moment you step into the restaurant you need to understand that you are entering the MAXIMUM TREAT ZONE. You are entering a place that specialises in making delicious TREATS. This means that you will likely be eating either a TREAT or a MEAL covered in TREATS.
While HUNGER is UNDEFEATED, the MAXIMUM TREAT ZONE is batting a THOUSAND. Hence, if you are struggling with health and/or obesity, (or not for that matter), a restaurant (i.e. a MAXIMUM TREAT ZONE) has got to become an OCCASIONAL reward that you ENJOY with friends and family.
For instance, I LOVE fish camps. Fish camps can ONLY be found in small towns across the Southeast like Clover, South Carolina, the one I grew up in. If a typical restaurant is a MAXIMUM TREAT ZONE; the average fish camp is a MAXIMUM TREAT NEIGHBOURHOOD!
So when I come home to visit my parents, the first thing on my to do list is to go to a nice fish camp. From the moment that I step into the door, it is fried fish; fried hush puppies, sweeten ice tea, tarter sauce, french fries, fried baby shrimp and much much more. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it and eat until I can barely walk out of the place.
So how in the world does my love affair with fish camps fit within the Five Rules for Healthy Living.
It DOESN'T, that is the WHOLE POINT. EVERYBODY needs to take a COMPLETE BREAK from time to time. If you don't, you will drive yourself crazy and eventually fail.
As stated before, half breaks don't work very well. So the question becomes 'how many breaks do I get".
Well, there is only one rule. A break should be a break from the NORM.
Now, I could tell you that you should aim for one break per month; or one every two weeks. I could also derive some fancy formula based on the average number of times healthy people in your area tend to eat out. I could get creative and develop some type of reward system which allows for breaks once you reached certain milestones.
But here is the problem with that. I AM NOT YOU. I CAN'T POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AT THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL.
YOU ON THE OTHER HAND HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED RIGHT NOW TO DECIDE WHEN YOU SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT TAKE A BREAK.
Me telling you when to go out to eat is a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME. AND YOU GOING TO A GOURMET BURGER JOINT AND ORDERING CAESAR SALAD WITH A SIDE OF RICE IS AN EVEN BIGGER WASTE OF TIME.
For example, today is Father's Day. If you are a hard-working father and your family wants to take you out to dinner; then you SHOULD go out and have a nice time. Lord knows that I deserve the BIG PIECE OF CHICKEN!
The Five Rules for Healthy Living, are simply trying to help you form some of the same healthy habits that healthy people observe. HABITS is the key concept that you should remember. I will speak about it more in my next post.
The Rules are not designed to have you exhibit more self-control and deprivation than the average healthy person.
I have a habit of getting up early and going for a run. But if I study and/or work all night, I sleep-in. That doesn't negate my fitness habit at all. The next day, once I am rested; I get back to it. The same is true about being on-time; the same is true about studying and the same is true about eating out.
The only exception to the above approach is when you are forced to frequently eat out because of your job; and a co-worker volunteering to make a Bo' Tyme run doesn't count.
I used to have a job where we were constantly on the road and I was constantly being asked to meet clients for drinks and dinner.
Firstly, if you are eating out for work often, you should become a bit more desensitise to the whole restaurant experience and more immune to some of the lure and temptation to drastically over indulge.
I would hope that you wouldn't routinely order an entire rack of meat ribs during a client meeting (unless of course you work anywhere below the Mason Dixon line; where that sort of eating is considered normal.)
The frequency at which you MUST eat out should allow you to easily implement a few of these suggestions:
1) For many business situations, dinner is one of many ways to connect with clients, co-workers and
others. Rarely of critical importance, dinner suggestions are usually 100% habit and ritual.
The meeting is important, but dinner is normally optional. Given that fact, I normally respond to
dinner invitations with; "Hey I can't make dinner, but I can do drinks around the same time if that is
possible". Most people don't have a problem with meeting for drinks instead of a full-blown dinner.
This saves you a bit of money and provides the opportunity to eat at home before the meeting.
2) At the restaurant, you should still remember, Rule #1 NO sugary drinks (that includes fruit juice)
and try to stick to it as much as possible. You may drink a bit of alcohol which is understandable;
and while high in calories the occasional drink should not detract too much from your weight
management goals. Presumably you are not knocking down several drinks in front of the clients.
3) Still remember, Rule #3 NEVER eat a meal that does not include at least 2 vegetables This should
actually be DIFFICULT not to adhere to.
4) The ONLY time that counting calories makes sense is when a PROFESSIONAL is preparing your
meals; which is the case at a restaurant. Hence, either view the menu online or before taking a
seat and choose which low calorie items you want BEFORE you get to the restaurant or ask the
server to suggest tasty which happens to be low in calories calories (ie 500 to 700) BEFORE you
even open the menu. Try to listen to their suggestions and choose an item that sounds GOOD
without looking at all the unhealthy stuff on the actual menu. The point is that you need to spend
a few minutes preparing to order a sensible restaurant meal in much the same way that you
prepare to have an intelligent and informed conversation with the client meeting.
5) As you order tell the server, "I am actually not that hungry so I will go with xyz meal". By saying
that; you will build a bit of subtle accountability at the table. Think about it. If after saying that you are
not hungry, you order the baby back ribs with an extra side of coleslaw; everybody at the table is going
to look at you and think, "Wow if that is what you order when you are not hungry; you must have them
roast the entire pig when you are hungry". Also, verbalizing that you are not hungry, actually
tricks your sub-concsious into believing that indeed you are not that hungry. Don't believe me?
Try it, the next time you go to a restaurant, ask the waiter to recommend items for people that
are not that hungry. Stick to those suggestions and see what happens. Oh, I know what you are thinking,
but lying about being hungry is a gimmick that won't work in the long run? You are right; that is why you
should not be lying!!! You should NEVER arrive at a restaurant hungry! You should have been snacking
all day!!!
6) Remember that there is always more. Because most restaurant food is frozen and highly
processed. It will only take 10 minutes for them to bring extra food if you really need it. So stick
to a basic order and if after eating the first meal; you want more; order it then. Don't let your eyes
do the ordering!
In conclusion, ONLY overweight unhealthy people (on diets) attempt to choose the so-called healthy option at a restaurant that otherwise serves delicious, mouth watering food that taste great.
Healthy people, on the other hand, go out to eat because they ENJOY the SPECIFIC food and atmosphere that that PARTICULAR restaurant provides.
Hence, healthy people ENJOY their meals in the context of a much needed REWARD. They view going to a restaurant as an opportunity to explore new foods that they don't have the skills to prepare
at home. The next day healthy people get back on the saddle more refreshed and dedicated. You should do the same.
What you don't want to get in the habit of doing is looking at you partner and saying, "I am hungry; where should we go to eat ; I am tired of Golden Corral; and I am not eating at Ryans anymore; let's just pick up some chicken and watch a movie. We all have had that conversation in the past.
Happy Eating,
PS: IN NO WAY SHOULD YOU USE THIS ADVICE TO COMPLICATE THE FIVE RULES OF HEALTHY LIVING. THERE ARE STILL ONLY FIVE SIMPLE RULES TO GET YOU STARTED ON A THE PATH OF HEALTHY LIVING. THESE ARE MERELY SUGGESTIONSS WHICH WILL HELP YOU BETTER STICK TO THE RULES.
No comments:
Post a Comment