You can never really go wrong with a lean protein, a good carb and a vegetable. The calories that get you are the extras: the butter on the potato, the heavy dressing on the salad, the bread basket and the drinks. Be honest with yourself about those, because if you ignore them, the only person you’re cheating is you.
What Should I Order?
Build the plate the same way every time:
- A lean protein: chicken, fish, shrimp or a lean steak.
- A good carb: a potato or rice.
- A vegetable: almost every restaurant has one.
That combination is on nearly every menu, from a steakhouse to an airport grill.
Where Do Restaurant Calories Hide?
Not in the chicken. In everything around it. A baked potato drowning in butter, a salad covered in calorie-dense dressing, sauces, fried sides, bread and drinks can double a meal without you noticing. Ask for butter and dressing on the side, and you decide how much goes on.
What If I Can’t Control the Food?
At a catered work event or a client dinner, find the protein first and build your plate around it. Skip the extras you won’t miss. You don’t need a perfect meal. You need a reasonable one.
Why Does Honesty Matter So Much?
Because nobody else is keeping score. If you leave the butter, the dressing and the drinks out of the count, the numbers look great and the results don’t show up. You have to be honest with yourself, because you’re truly only cheating yourself.
What I’d tell you: Lean protein, a good carb and a vegetable, almost anywhere you go. Then be honest about what goes on top of it.
Words You’ll Hear
- Lean protein
- Protein with little fat: chicken breast, fish, shrimp, egg whites, lean cuts of beef.
- Calorie-dense
- Packs a lot of calories into a small amount. Butter, oils, dressings and sauces are the usual suspects.
- On the side
- Asking for sauces or dressing separately so you control how much you use.
Related Questions
What fueling looks like on a plate
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