One thing that used to always kill my diet was going out to eat at a restaurant. No matter how careful I was about eating the best muscle building foods all week, there always seemed to be some reason that I would find myself at a restaurant on the weekend, and I always left ashamed of myself for not keeping it together.
Instead of ordering the foods that help lose fat and build muscle, I would have a personal-goal breakdown and order stuff that sounded amazing but was unhealthy. Not to mention that all of the little "bites" of food that people share with each other at restaurants really adds up.
Here are some of my best tips for ordering the best muscle building foods at restaurants, as well as some of the biggest mistakes to avoid.
1. Chew Your Foods Slowly
When you inhale your foods instead of slowly chewing them, you allow yourself to eat way too many calories before you're body let's you know you're full. What your mom always told you is true... it takes 15-20 minutes for your brain to realize that you're full. If you slow down and take the time to chew your foods well, you'll eat less, and you'll also get a lot more nutrients and benefits from your food than when you eat too fast.
2. Baked-Broiled-Fried-Steamed?
Always avoid foods that are fried. That's a no-brainer if you're trying to lose fat and put on muscle. Go for things that are baked or steamed, and you'll consume far less calories than things that are fried.
3. Avoid Appetizers and the Free Bread
Both of these things are just going to ruin your goal of getting ripped. The bread is flat out bad for you, and appetizers are usually fatty foods that just add unnecessary calories to your meal.
4. Don't Add Salt to Anything
The bottom line is that you'll get plenty of salt just eating what you ordered. Too much salt can lead to heart and kidney disease. Just avoid it.
5. Do Not Order Soda
If you're already dieting, this should go without saying. You can easily cure yourself from wanting soda if you just think about eating 6 spoonfuls of straight sugar, which is what you do every time you drink a soda. Soda is one of the worst foods you can consume when you're trying to add muscle and lose body fat.
6. Don't Be Afraid to Customize Your Order
If you're looking for the boiled chicken breast with steamed broccoli, you won't find it. Most restaurants don't carry menu items that 100% healthy. But, you can definitely ask for certain things. Almost any restaurant will give you a grilled chicken breast with steamed vegetables if you just ask. Don't be afraid to give your waiter your special requests, because most of them will be no problem.
If you follow these tips when you're eating out, you'll find it much easier to stick to your diet and you'll keep adding muscle while losing body fat.