I find it absolutely shocking what people stuff in their faces when they go out to eat these days. Our society has become so fast paced that the drive-thru meal is almost more commonplace than actually sitting down at the dinner table and eating a meal with your family. There are many reasons why I feel this is one of the worst things to happen to society, but the one I will focus on today is how these nutritional choices affect your waistline. I know when I was a kid I viewed a trip to the golden arches as a treat, the sad part is I bet every single person reading this knows what the golden arches are without me even saying the name. From the time we could eat solid food we were programmed to want fast food. All of the little cartoon characters and people in costumes made it seem like you were going to Disneyworld. On top of that the food tasted pretty good. How could a young, impressionable kid not want to go eat at these restaurants? No one told us that eating that kind of food would someday lead us down the path towards obesity and all of the fun diseases that went along with it. I find it absolutely appalling that there are kids getting Type-2 Diabetes, what used to be called Adult Onset Diabetes. Oops, we better change the name since that isn’t the case anymore. I’m pretty confident that the restaurants aren’t going to change so we better do something ourselves to take control of our health.

All I can say is watch the movie Super Size Me. It’s a documentary that follows Morgan Spurlock as he undertakes a journey to only eat McDonalds for an entire month. Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that his body wasn’t looking or working too well by the end of it all. All these restaurants care about is making a buck. They don’t really care about the health quality of the food; it would cost too much to produce quick, healthy food. Do a little research on most of the major restaurants founders and CEO’s throughout the past and check their health records. You may find some interesting results. With all of this though, I understand the society we live in demands the quick and easy food options. So even though I know you can eat healthy by packing your own food and finding alternatives, I will follow you straight through the fast food drive-thru and sit down and order off a menu with you and let you know that you can eat healthy, even outside the confines of your own home.Some people seem to be under the impression that you can’t eat healthy unless you make it yourself. When people are on their diets, they make all sorts of excuses of why they can’t go out. First of all, don’t ever go on a diet, they never work and I will write more on that later. Secondly, stop making excuses and learn to enjoy life. That doesn’t mean indulge in all of the crap on the menu, but don’t let your lifestyle choice cripple you from having any fun. What kind of life are you leading if you look great, but you live in a self-made prison? Be honest and tell yourself that the temptation is too great and work on dealing with these temptations, because in my opinion that’s what is keep you from going out to eat. I know I can go into virtually any restaurant or fast food establishment and find something on the menu I can eat. Is it going to be ideal, no, but it is better than nothing.

For the people who just don’t care what they eat when they go to out, you better start. If you don’t mind dying prematurely then by all means who cares. But I promise you that you will die if you continue to eat the crap at the restaurants. I am not going to apologize for that comment because it’s true and you need to realize it. It bothers me that people don’t seem to take any interest in their health and well-being until it’s too late. All of it could have been prevented had you opened your eyes and started caring. It really isn’t that hard to eat moderately healthy, which will make a huge difference in the quality of your lives.

So, where are we going for lunch today, I guarantee I can find something healthy that still tastes pretty good. Right up front, for those of you who are thinking, well I’ll just get a salad, those can be just as bad for you as anything else on the menu. A chicken Caesar salad can have over 1000 calories for a fairly normal portion. So, think twice when ordering a salad, at least be careful with the dressing. That’s where all of the calories are. Your best option is getting a balsamic vinaigrette dressing of some sort, which is the healthiest dressing you can get. However, that doesn’t give you the go ahead to pour three cups of dressing on the salad. Make sure to use dressing in moderation. The best way to do that is, get the dressing on the side, dip your fork into the dressing, and then dip your fork into the salad. In the long run this will save you tons of calories.

For those of us who prefer to eat something a little more substantial for a meal, let’s look at some other options. For the most part I am going to provide some rules with a few examples. These rules can be applied to any menu or any restaurant in the world. Rule number one: never get anything that was fried. You are asking to be fat by eating fried food. Now pan frying is ok, like stir fry or pan fried salmon. I’m talking about dipping your food into a vat of scalding oil and letting it sit in there to cook. So french fries, fried chicken, fish filets, or anything else that would appear to be fried is out. Don’t try to justify why it’s OK to eat it just this once. It is the worst thing you could ever eat for so many different reasons.

What do you replace fried food with you may ask? In terms of french fries, start eating fruit or vegetables. Most restaurants offer this as an option these days for the health conscious. All it takes is asking the waiter or person at the register what alternative options they have. You are also better off getting a second sandwich to help fill you up instead of the fries. There will be a lot more nutritional value in a sandwich than in french fries, which for the fry is virtually zero value. The same goes for onion rings and chips. People need to stop eating all of the nutritionally pointless foods and start eating more beneficial foods.

Rule number two: stop drinking pop, juice, or anything else but water and sometimes milk. Why drink empty calories? It may taste good but it is making you fat for no reason. Pop is an absolute no brainer, nothing about it is good and don’t try to justify diet pop. Diet pop is just as pointless as normal pop and if you are truly serious about getting in shape it must go. Some people may say that juice is good for you, which in some cases is true. The problem is most juice, being about 99%, is absolute sugary garbage. Unless you squeeze the juice yourself there is no reason to ever drink it. Again you are just adding empty calories into your diet. Gatorade and the other sports drinks fit into the same category as juice and I don’t want to hear any arguing. If you really want, call me and I will give you a nice long lecture of why it’s so bad. Water and occasionally some milk is all your body needs to survive, so that’s all you should drink.

Rule number three: don’t get dessert. The same justification applies to this as with the other two. You are not doing yourself any favors by consuming empty calories. Instead of eating a piece of pie at the end, eat some fruit, or again eat an extra sandwich. Don’t reward yourself for eating everything with a piece of cake. Equally as bad is not eating everything to save room for dessert. There is very little sweater in the world than a good piece of fruit. But for some reason we are conditioned as kids to hate fruit. The best dessert you could eat is some plain yogurt, and I mean plain, with some fresh fruit added into it. You will get the sweetness and the fat that your body is craving. Overtime I will help you address the cravings, but for now that is an alternative.

Rule number four: don’t use condiments. As with everything else condiments are adding empty calories for no reason. Sure it may make the food taste good, but it is making you fat. Condiments, in and of themselves aren’t bad. The food manufacturers have made them as profitable as possible, thus making them horrible for you. If you must use condiments, and I mean MUST, then use them as little as possible. For those of you who will listen to me completely, the best condiment you can use is salsa. There are hundreds of different flavors of salsa and they all are healthy for you. You can put salsa on anything from eggs to burgers to grilled chicken. Trust me on this one, experiment a little.

Rule number five: if it isn’t clear enough already, don’t consume empty calories. That would solve most of the world’s weight issues by itself. However, people aren’t willing or able to act upon this phrase alone. So I had to hold your hand a little bit. The only thing empty calories are good for is making you fat. Yeah they may taste good, but they make you fat. Yeah they may be everywhere, but the make you fat. Are you noticing the trend here? THEY MAKE YOU FAT. No beating around the bush necessary. I am not going to elaborate anymore than this. Just know if you eat empty calories, meaning calories that don’t provide nutritional value, like the examples listed above, you will get FAT.

If you are able to open your eyes and pull your head out of the fog you will realize that there are tons of options available to eat if you are will to look. The food may never be ideal, but if you have to eat on the go you can do so while still keeping focused on your health. Some restaurants and fast food places are better than others, and as you look more and more you will start to find your favorites. I know I can go anywhere and get a burger or a chicken sandwich. I could get a piece of fish or even a salad without dressing. I’m happy to skip all of the extra stuff and get a second sandwich or ask for a different side that is much healthier. A little creativity and you will make a huge difference in your overall health. You will begin to not only look better but also feel better.

At the end of the day, it basically all comes down to making excuses, which all comes down to the idea of pain and pleasure, which is a topic I’ve covered earlier. I know it is possible to eat out and still look the way you want to look. Take some responsibility and accountability for your actions. Realize that no one but yourself affects the way you look and feel. I guarantee that anyone can achieve the results they desire. It just takes a little thought and some work. But I can promise you that at the end of the day you will thank yourself. Stop living a life of underachievement. Set a goal and go for it. You can accomplish anything you put your mind to. Always live your life striving to achieve higher endeavors.

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