Copyright 2010 and Beyond. Fitness VIP Studios, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1 1
Copyright 2010 and Beyond. Fitness VIP Studios, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1 1
Copyright 2010 and Beyond. Fitness VIP Studios, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2 2
Eat Out, Lose Fat
The Savvy Guide to Leaning
Out While Dining Out
Arnel Ricafranca
www.1000CalorieChallenge.com
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Legal Disclaimer
The information presented in this work is by no way intended as medical advice or as a substitute
for medical counseling. The information should be used in conjunction with the guidance and
care of your physician. Consult your physician before beginning this program as you would with
any exercise and nutrition program. If you choose not to obtain the consent of your physician
and/or work with your physician throughout the duration of your time using the
recommendations in the program, you are agreeing to accept full responsibility for your actions.
By continuing with the program you recognize that despite all precautions on the part of Fitness
VIP Studios, LLC, there are risks of injury or illness which can occur because of your use of the
aforementioned information and you expressly assume such risks and waive, relinquish and
release any claim which you may have against Fitness VIP Studios, LLC, or its affiliates as a
result of any future physical injury or illness incurred in connection with, or as a result of, the use
or misuse of the program.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Big Problem With Eating Out ......................................................... 5
Chapter 2: Prepping For The Meal Out .................................................................. 7
Chapter 3: Navigating Dine-In Restaurant Menus .................................................. 9
Cajun Food ........................................................................................................ 10
Chinese Food .................................................................................................... 11
French Food ...................................................................................................... 13
Greek Food ....................................................................................................... 14
Indian Food ....................................................................................................... 16
Italian Food ....................................................................................................... 18
Japanese Food .................................................................................................. 20
Mexican Food ................................................................................................... 21
Steakhouses ...................................................................................................... 23
Thai Food .......................................................................................................... 25
Vietnamese Food .............................................................................................. 27
Chapter 4: Finding Healthy Items In Fast Food Restaurants ................................. 29
Fast Food Burger Joints ..................................................................................... 30
Fast Food Sandwich or Pita Restaurants ........................................................... 32
Taco Fast Food Restaurants .............................................................................. 34
Pizzerias ............................................................................................................ 35
Chapter 5: Don't Let Drinks Destroy Your Diet ..................................................... 37
Chapter 6: Your Take Home Message .................................................................. 39
Request Changes .............................................................................................. 39
About Arnel Ricafranca ........................................................................................ 42
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Chapter 1: The Big Problem With Eating Out
As soon as you make achieving maximum fat loss your main priority, one immediate
threat comes into play – eating out. For most people, visiting a restaurant with a group
of friends or family has become a favorite pastime and a way they love to enjoy good
conversation along with usually, good food.
Unfortunately, while this may put them in a good mood and be a positive experience for
their social life, it isn't going to have a positive impact on their healthy eating and weight
loss program. In more cases than not, the foods you choose while eating out, whether
it's at a sit-down type of restaurant or a local drive-thru, are really going to wreak havoc
on your diet.
And we're not just talking putting you a hundred or so calories over your daily intake.
We're talking downright disastrous. If you don't choose wisely you may in fact
completely offset an entire week’s worth of hard work resulting in you showing very little
progress.
Over time, these fast food and restaurant meals have become loaded with fat, sugar, as
well as calories, and lack the proper nutrition that's vital for your overall functioning. The
sad fact of reality, is that eating out is one of the biggest causes for the obesity rates we
see today. People everywhere have become lazy with their cooking habits and are
much more quick to turn to take-out, take-in, or eat-in meals where they don't have to lift
much more than a restaurant menu.
Fortunately, with our help in this guide, we're going to show you how it is possible to
have a meal in a restaurant or fast food establishment without completely breaking your
diet. We're not saying that you should opt to eat out on a very regular basis as that not
only becomes expensive but even with the following changes you still may struggle to
see maximum results, but what we are saying is that you can still enjoy a meal out with
your friends or family without having to worry that you're really sacrificing your efforts.
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It all comes down to learning the menu, understanding how to order smartly, and then
making sure to plan the rest of your day and the time following that meal out to
maximize the amount of fat loss that takes place.
When you can do this, then those restaurant meals can be integrated into your fat loss
plan and something you no longer need to fear. Without these strategies however, you
should be in fear because if you don't choose wisely, it's quite possible to gain almost a
pound of body fat over the course of a day if you're really unwise.
Restaurants are not out to appeal to your sense of health and wellness, they're out to
appeal to your taste buds and what satisfies most people's taste buds is butter, fat,
sugar, and calories.
That's what they know will keep most people coming back for more when we're living in
an instant-gratification environment where most people have a very difficult time saying
'no' to what tastes good in favour for saying 'yes' to what will make them look good in
the long run.
So let's get right into it and show you how you can navigate through various restaurants
and fast food places while keeping your overall weight loss mission intact.
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Chapter 2: Prepping For The Meal Out
Now in some cases you may be in the situation where you realize ahead of time that
you will be eating out later in the day and can really maximize your ability to continue to
burn fat.
When it's a spontaneous meal out then there really isn't much you can do in terms of
pre-planning to accommodate for it, especially if it's a later meal in the day, but when
you know in the morning that you're going out to eat for dinner at your favourite
restaurant, there are some key things you should be doing.
Modifying Prior Meals
The very first thing you should do if you know that you're headed out to eat later that
day is start adjusting a few of your earlier meals. Since you should be on some type of
pre-planned meal schedule for maximum results, you already know what you're eating
with each and every meal you have.
Since you can assume that you likely will go over your calorie budget at least slightly
with the meal out, you now want to try and 'bank' those calories from earlier meals to
accommodate for this. By doing so you can still maintain the same weight loss daily
calorie intake, really making sure that this meal out does not set you back in progress.
You should never begin cutting out protein from your meals since this nutrient needs to
form the base of all the meals you eat a day. It is absolutely required on a fat loss plan,
but what you can reduce back on is the added carbohydrates or dietary fat with those
meals.
For example, if your typical meal consists of a grilled chicken breast, a cup of brown
rice, and one cup of steamed vegetables, just for this day eliminate that brown rice and
have another cup of steamed vegetables in its place.
This should save you approximately 150 calories total that you can then add to the meal
you're eating out, expanding your total calorie allotment there.
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Do this for two to three meals throughout the day and you'll easily have more calories to
'spend' on that meal out in the restaurant.
Getting In Your Exercise – Even If It's Unscheduled
Next, if you're planning a meal out, make sure you do take the time to get in a workout
this day. This will help to rev your metabolism so you're burning more calories all
throughout the course of the day, helping to work off the meal that you'll be eating out
later on.
Try if you can to add a bit more additional activity as well – take the stairs a few times at
work, take a 15 minute walk at lunch rather than reading your favorite online magazine,
or get off the bus one stop early and walk the rest of the way home instead.
All of these things will easily contribute an extra 100 or so calories burned to your day
so you can then afford to add to that meal while maintaining the same usual calorie
deficit. Even better, perform one of my explosive workouts to really spike up your
metabolism.
Having a Small Protein Based Snack Beforehand
Finally, the third thing that you should be doing before you head out to eat is have a
small snack that's pretty much strictly protein (possibly with some added fiber from
vegetables) about thirty to sixty minutes beforehand.
What this is going to do is really blunt hunger levels so you're not ravenous as soon as
you get to the restaurant and devour whatever contents are in the bread basket in a
matter of minutes. It's also going to help you not let hunger choose your menu selection
for you but tame your stomach so you can think clearly about the healthiest choice to be
ordering.
By simply having a small 100-150 protein-based snack before you go, you could save
yourself 500 or more calories throughout the course of the dinner meal.
If you can do all of these three things before you head out for that meal, you're already
one foot ahead in winning the game of restaurant eating.
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Chapter 3: Navigating Dine-In Restaurant
Menus
Once you're sitting inside the restaurant and have the menu open browsing through all
the tantalizing dishes laid out in front of you, it's important that you can learn how to
navigate the menu and spot which dishes are going to be the most loaded with fat and
calories.
Each cuisine type of restaurant will have their own 'rules' for what's going to be highest
in calories and most likely to damage your weight loss efforts so it's vital that you take
where you're at into consideration as you feast your eyes upon the menu.
Let's have a quick look at the various cuisine types you may come across so you can
better assess what you should and should not be ordering.
Are you ready for this?
Let’s get started......
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Cajun Food
If you have a taste for spicy foods, there's no doubt about it, you're going to find yourself
in a Cajun type of restaurant at some point or another. Cajun food is typically very spicy
and can be very high in saturated and trans fats, along with high in cholesterol and
sodium as well. While Cajun food may taste great, it's not going to be so great for your
waistline.
General Tips For Eating Cajun
Avoid any type of fried seafood or other meals
Avoid 'hush puppies', which are essential small balls of fried dough – fat and
carbs wrapped up neatly in one small package
Be very careful when ordering 'blackened' entrees as these are often dosed in
butter or oil throughout the cooking process and then covered in spices which
can make them seem to be healthier.
Be sure to ask for any gravy or sauce that's served with your dish on the side to
save significant calories in your meal
If you can follow these tips, you'll already be gearing towards some of the healthier
items on the menu. As you browse through the list, the healthiest options will be:
Boiled crawfish, shrimp, or any other type of seafood
Creole or jambalaya (preferably without sausage)
Turkey or roast beef sandwiches without gravy
Beans with Rice (also without sausage added in).
On the flip side, the menu items that you should avoid at all costs include:
Fried crawfish, shrimp, or other seafood
Gumbo, which is often made with very high calorie cream or sauce
Fried shrimp or oyster Po'Boy sandwiches
Rice dishes containing chicken gizzards, livers, butter, and other high-fat
ingredients
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Any dishes with sausage
Cajun food can be tricky to navigate because often some selections won't appear to be
high fat naturally (like say a hamburger or pizza would be) however don't be fooled, the
way they are cooked can make them really high in fat and calories so something you
need to be on the lookout for.
Chinese Food
A favourite type of cuisine among many, Chinese food actually does offer many
nutritious options if you can understand how to choose correctly. If you can't however,
then you're easily in for more fat and calories than you bargained for so you really must
tread carefully.
General Tips For Eating Chinese
Always opt for dishes that contain the most vegetables – preferably steamed as
you can virtually eat an unlimited amount of these without significantly impacting
your daily calorie totals
Try and substitute chicken for duck as often as possible as it's a leaner, healthier
source of protein
Avoid any added noodles on top of the dish by requesting they are left off to
avoid taking in additional fat and calories
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Always request from the server that the chef uses less oil throughout the cooking
process and avoids adding soy sauce, MSG, or salt. These can quickly bloat you
and make it appear as though you've gained weight overnight.
Since many Chinese restaurants offer more of an a la carte menu where you can mix
and match a variety of dishes, it tends to be quite a bit easier to prepare yourself a
healthy meal if you choose the right selections. As you look over the menu, here are
some of the healthier options to keep in mind:
War-Won-Ton, plain Won-ton, or vegetable soup – especially when made with
chicken rather than pork
Steamed dumplings
Broiled, boiled, or steamed stir-fries with sauce ordered on the side
Steamed rice (usually you cannot find brown rice. However if you can, be sure to
request it)
Plum sauce, duck sauce, or sweet and sour sauce tend to be lower in calories
The main types of dishes that you want to be sure to avoid if you hope to maintain a
lower calorie intake at this meal include:
Egg drop soup, which is very high in cholesterol and fat
Egg rolls or fried wontons
Any type of 'fried' entrée (Ginger Fried Beef for example)
Entrees that contain a high amount of cashews or peanuts – while these are
healthy nuts, they add up in calories very fast
Fried rice
Lobster sauce, oyster sauce, and bean sauce are the higher calorie varieties of
sauces to stay away from
One of the biggest problems with Chinese food is the sodium and MSG content that's
often found so be sure you do make the extra effort to request the chef go easy on the
soy sauce and avoid MSG if at all possible.
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French Food
If French food is what you prefer, then the main things you're going to have to watch out
for when eating out are sauces, high amounts of carbohydrates from bread, pasta, and
potatoes, as well as a lack of protein content overall as many dishes don't contain all
that much meat.
If you can choose wisely and then also make sure to keep portion sizes on the smaller
size while getting in that protein-based snack we talked about in the second chapter,
you'll be able to eat French and still maintain your weight loss.
General Guidelines For Eating French
Avoid any type of entrée that sounds quite rich in nature, especially the desserts
as well as meals loaded with sauce
Choose the simplest types of dishes you can find that often only contain a few
ingredients
Request that the chef uses less butter throughout the cooking process to
significantly reduce back on the overall fat and calories.
If you want to stay slim while eating French foods, you must eat lightly. That's the key
when navigating the menu, so keep the following menu choices in mind:
Appetizers that should contain lower levels of salt such as steamed mussels
Mixed green salad with vinaigrette dressing (and request that this be on the side
as well)
French bread without butter
Bordelaise sauce or anything else that is wine and not cream based
Lightly sautéed, crispy vegetables
Chocolate pudding that's made with skim milk (ask your server how it's prepared)
Peaches or other fruits in a light wine sauce
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As you can notice from the above, not many of these contain very much protein at all,
so that's really something that you must be aware of. The main dishes that you should
be avoiding as they are high in sugar or fat include:
Appetizers that contain olives, capers, or anchovies
Pate
French Onion Soup
Croissants
Rich, creamy-based sauces
Hollandaise, Mornay, Bechamel, or Bearnaise sauce
Anything that is described as "au gratin"
Chocolate Mouse
Crème caramel
All of those items are going to have large quantities of butter or cream added to them
throughout the cooking process and will really pack on the weight quickly. What's worse
is that high fat dishes are the easiest to store as body fat because unlike high-
carbohydrate foods, high-fat foods cannot get stored in the muscle tissue, but will go
directly to body fat when the energy intake exceeds the energy requirements.
While you may not think of French foods as that unhealthy, it is really one type of
cuisine that has the lowest amount of healthy options as far as North American eating
establishments go.
Greek Food
The next restaurant cuisine type that must be covered is Greek food. The Greek's are
known for their high consumption of olives and olive oil and while this is a healthy form
of fat, if you're not careful it can really increase the total calorie content of your dish
quite significantly.
When eating Greek then the key is also keeping portion sizes reasonable and then also
incorporating as many vegetables into the dish as possible.
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General Guidelines For Eating Greek
Ask for all dressings and sauces on the side so you can control how much is
added
Avoid any type of phyllo dishes – while it seems like it would be healthy since
these are so thin, they are actually very high in overall butter content
Watch out for dishes that contain a lot of added cheese as those calories quickly
add up as well
While navigating the Greek menu, if you see any of the following dish options, these will
be your best bet to order for your meal:
Appetizers that include rice or vegetables
'Dolmas', which are a rice mixture that's wrapped in grape leaves
Tzatziki, which is a yogurt and cucumber appetizer
Roasted lamb or chicken
Shish Kabob prepare with lamb or chicken
Couscous or bulgur wheat
Chicken pita sandwich
Plaki, which is fish that's cooked in tomatoes, onions, and garlic
Fresh fruit and yogurt
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On the other side of the equation, the following are some of the main dishes to avoid:
Meat-stuffed appetizers
Fried calamari or other fried seafood
Baba Ganoosh, which is an eggplant appetizer
Moussaka, which is a type of beef casserole or any other type of creamy or
cheesy entrée
Gyro
Spinach pie (Spanakopita)
Pastries that contain cream cheese, almonds, or other types of nuts
If you can keep these points in mind as you look over the menu, you should be headed
on the right track. Greek salad with the dressing on the side is typically a safe bet to
order since then you can also pick through it and leave any of the higher fat, higher
calorie ingredients you don't want on the plate (such as high amounts of olives).
Indian Food
More and more people are starting to discover how much they love eating Indian food
and are starting to include this regularly on the list of restaurant cuisines they frequent.
Fortunately, if you choose correctly there are a number of healthy choices available
however if you're not careful, you can really do your diet in as well.
General Guidelines For Eating Indian
Try and start with a salad wherever possible to fill up first before the main course
Choose chicken or seafood rather than opting for beef or lamb
Avoid dishes that contain 'ghee', which is a type of butter that's very high in fat
and calories
Skip the soup if you are concerned about the sodium content in your diet
Try and focus your meals around protein and vegetables to cut back on the total
calories and carbohydrates consumed
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If you can learn how to navigate the Indian restaurant menu properly, there are quite a
few specific dishes that you can choose from that suite a variety of taste buds. Some of
the main dishes to keep an eye out for that will be safer to order while sticking with your
fat loss diet include:
Papadum or Papad, which are crispy, thin lentil wafers
Chicken or beef tikka or tandoori, both of which are cooked using lower calorie
methods in a variety of spices that don't add additional fat or calories. You may
want to request that this be made with less butter however just to be sure as
some restaurants will still use a larger quantity
Any vegetable, chicken, or fish based curry
Shish kabob's made from chicken, vegetables, and seafood
Gobhi Matar Tamatar, which is a blend of cauliflower, peas, and tomatoes
Matar Pulao, which is rice pilaf with peas
Steamed rice
Chapati or Naan, but be sure to have without butter and just on its own
Fortunately Indian foods tend to have quite strong tastes on their own without a lot of
deep frying or added fats due to the spices that are used. You should be fully satisfied
with any of the above dishes and will have a much healthier meal at that.
The following however are dishes that you should be watching out for as they do
contain more calories and will put a much larger dent in your healthy eating plan.
Samosas, which is stuffed and fried vegetable turnover
Korma, which is braised meat with a rich yogurt cream sauce and is very high in
fat
Any type of curry that's made with coconut milk or cream
Pakora, which is a form of deep-fried dough with vegetables
Saaq paneer, which is spinach with cheese and a cream sauce – quite a deadly
combination
Any type of rice dishes that are heavy in sauce
Fried or stuffed breads, especially if they contain cheese
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If you can avoid these dishes then you shouldn't have too many problems eating healthy
while having Indian foods. Cheese and cream sauces are the big things to watch out
for with this type of cuisine so put those forthright on your radar.
Italian Food
Probably one of the most popular types of cuisines that people eat out at is Italian. This
type of food usually appeals to almost every taste bud preference and since
carbohydrates are notoriously craved by dieters everywhere, it's no wonder why this
would be a popular choice.
Keeping portion sizes under control is going to be the biggest key for this type of
restaurant and then making sure you make some smart selections.
General Guidelines For Eating Italian
Avoid ordering a pasta appetizer and a pasta main entrée as that will really
overload your carbohydrate intake
Try ordering a half order or having half boxed up before it hits the table
Choose tomato based sauces rather than cream based sauces
Avoid putting on added Parmesan cheese at the table
Order without any bacon bits or cheese toppings
If you're having pizza, choose leaner toppings such as vegetables, chicken, and
shrimp and ask for the chef to go lighter on the cheese
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The good news with Italian food is that if you choose wisely, it does tend to be slightly
lower in fat and since carbohydrates do help stimulate the metabolism while you're on a
low calorie diet, you actually can benefit from having those extra carbohydrates in there
for that meal. Just don't use this as an excuse to go crazy or you could still find yourself
adding body fat because of it.
The following dishes are going to be your best choice options for healthy fare that's
lower in fat:
Any type of grilled or roasted peppers
Minestrone or vegetable, tomato-based soup
Pasta primavera with garden vegetables
Pasta with white or red clam sauce
Pasta with marsala or marinara sauce
Thin crust pizza with mostly vegetable toppings
Greens salad with dressing on the side
Piccata dishes
Italian ices for dessert
Most of these tend to be on the lighter side however can be lower in protein so you may
want to request to have a grilled chicken breast on the side if offered. If not, try and get
in a solid source of protein before or after the meal (save room by eating less at the
table) so you can be sure you don't miss out on your protein needs.
Moving on, on the list of the foods that you'll want to watch out for, the big ones include:
Fried calamari or garlic shrimp
Cheese or meat filled pastas (ravioli for example)
Pasta with butter or cream sauces
Parmigiana which is a dish that has been floured, fried, and then baked – really
upping the overall fat and calories in this dish
Italian pastries for dessert
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Usually appetizers should be avoided when visiting Italian restaurants as 90% of the
time they will be a combination of high-fat and high-carb, both of which will wreak havoc
on your diet.
If you must get an appetizer, stick to a simple salad or minestrone soup and then order
a half order for your main entrée. That should help keep your total calorie count much
lower.
Japanese Food
Opposing Chinese restaurants for oriental cuisine and you have Japanese fare. This is
often a favourite among many people as well, especially those who tend to crave sushi.
The good news is that when you choose properly, Japanese food can actually be
remarkably healthy so if you learn to navigate through the menu, this can actually be a
regular stand-by in your diet.
General Guidelines For Eating Japanese
One of the biggest things to watch for with this food is the use of soy sauce, so
whenever possible aim to request that it's made with less or a reduced salt
variety
Even better is to ask for all the sauces to be on the side so you can use a very
light hand when applying them
Try and avoid any food that has been deep-fried, breaded, or battered as these
are going to be the varieties that pack away the greatest number of calories.
Since Japanese is known for their raw fish consumption and fish is naturally a very
healthy food to eat, this does make it top of the list for weight loss diets. You'll be
getting a strictly high-quality source of protein without any added fats and will have no
problem maintaining your diet.
The following food choices at a Japanese restaurant will be great options:
Grilled shrimp or vegetable sushi
Nabemono casseroles
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Yosenabe, which is seafood in a vegetable broth
Shabu-Shabu, which is sliced beef and noodles served with a dipping sauce
Steamed vegetables
Sukiyaki, which is beef and rice
Su Udon soup
Grilled chicken or beef teriyaki
Sushimi, which is raw fish without the rice
Moving on to the unhealthier items when you choose to eat Japanese, the following
menu choices are deep-fried or battered, or contain a lot more carbohydrates than what
you'll typically want to take in when dining out.
Vegetable tempura - is battered and fried vegetables
Shrimp tempura - battered and fried shrimp
Chicken tempura – battered and fried chicken
Tonkatsu – breaded pork cutlet
Oyako Domburi – chicken omelette that's served over white rice
Chawan Mushi – chicken and shrimp in egg custard
California Rolls if prepared with full fat mayonnaise
As much as possible when eating Japanese, try and stick with fish dishes that only use
rice as a side and not added as a large component of the entire meal. This will also
help to keep calories and simple carbohydrates down.
Mexican Food
If you think salsa when you think of Mexican food then you likely already have a fairly
healthy perception of this variety of food in your mind.
Be careful however as there are many fattier and higher calorie options when eating
Mexican that can really damage your diet.
When choosing correctly, you can eat well but when you don't, it's a whole other ball
game.
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General Guidelines For Eating Mexican
Right off the start ask your server to skip bringing fried tortilla chips to snack on
as an appetizer which will quickly contribute both fat and calories to the meal
Always ask for salsa in replacement of sour cream for your dishes when possible
Select veracruz sauce rather than cream or cheese sauces for the main entrée
If you're ordering a taco salad, be sure to leave the shell, which contains the
most fat and calories on your plate
Mexican foods are usually quite spicy which will work to your advantage because most
people will stop eating sooner. Just do watch out though because with all the added
sour cream and cheese in many dishes, you could easily end up with over a thousand
calories at your meal.
Here are some of the healthier picks that you should choose off the menu in order to
maximize nutrition while still keeping the taste:
Corn tortillas eaten in moderation
Grilled shrimp, fish, or chicken breast as your main protein source
Frijoles a la charra
Beans with Spanish Rice
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Salsa or pica de gallo for added flavours to your dish
Cilantro seasoning or jalapeno peppers
Chicken fajitas with plenty of onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and lettuce –
order in a soft tortilla whenever possible to cut back on the overall fat and ask for
no cheese or sour cream
Taco or Fajita salad without sour cream
Chicken or beef enchiladas with salsa and no sour cream
When it comes to eating healthy at a Mexican restaurant, one of the top things that you
should do is request the meal 'without'. Cheese, sour cream, as well as hard tortilla
shells are all what you want to do without.
Some of the other meals that will put quite a large dent in your diet include:
Entrees made with flour tortillas
Nachos smothered in cheese
Carnitas, which is fried beef or pork
Refried beans
Quesadillas that have been prepared with full fat cheese and served with sour
cream
Chalupas and tacos
Flautas or other specialty wraps such as burritos
If you can do your best to avoid all of those foods from the diet then you shouldn't have
too many problems when eating Mexican. A better choice would always be preparing
the Mexican food yourself and serving it with reduced fat sour cream and cheese if you
really cannot do without those ingredients.
Steakhouses
For some people, nothing screams eating out more than sitting down to a nice juicy
steak and potatoes at their favourite steakhouse. While steak can be a healthy protein
source and worked into a diet, you do have to be careful here because many steak
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meals pack in far more calories than you would have ever imagined. No one really
needs a 12 oz or greater steak, yet usually that's what these restaurants are serving up.
General Guidelines For Eating At A Steakhouse
Always order the smallest size steak available – remember 3 oz is your 'typical'
serving size
If you are up for it, consider having seafood rather than steak, which is much
lower in fat and calories
Be careful of how many sides you have with your steak – aim to have mostly
vegetables with a very small amount of carbohydrates on the plate
Fortunately, many steakhouses can easily cater your meal to your own personal
requests so it's not that hard to sub in certain foods for others. This allows you to create
your own meal to an extent so you get a much better offering of foods that would
traditionally be on your diet plan.
Here are some of the better menu items to consider ordering:
Leaner cuts of steak such as London broil, filet mignon, round or flank steak, as
well as sirloin tip
Baked potato or brown rice, not prepared with butter
Green salad with dressing on the side
Steamed vegetables
Grilled chicken or fish
Angel food cake or sherbet if having dessert
Any of these will nicely fit into your diet plan and help satisfy your hunger as well.
Unlike other restaurants where there is often a lot of fat and calories added to the
cooking process, for the most part many of the items at the steakhouse are grilled or
stir-fried, making it a far healthier choice.
There are a few menu items that you do need to be on the lookout for however as they
can break your diet quickly. The list of ones to avoid includes:
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Fattier cuts of meat such as rib eye, porterhouse, and T-bone steak
French fries
Scalloped, mashed, or au gratin potatoes
Caesar salad
Fried vegetables
Pie or cheesecake
These menu choices will be far higher in fat and calories due to the creamy ingredients
added or the deep fried cooking processes. As much as you can, be sure you avoid
these altogether as there really isn't much of a way to make them healthier in a
restaurant.
Thai Food
Thai food is another type of cuisine that's growing in popularity like Indian food, and
does offer some healthy choices when you're smart in looking over the menu. Thai food
dishes also typically contain more vegetables than other cuisine types so in that regard
they are already one step ahead of the competition.
General Guidelines For Eating Thai Food
Aim for lighter, stir-fry dishes as well as spring rolls
Stay away from entrees that contain heavy sauces as often these are much
higher in sugar content
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Lookout for any dishes that are cooked in vegetable oil rather than coconut oil or
lard
Always opt for chicken or seafood over duck
Avoid entrees that are mad with coconut milk as it's very high in overall fat
content
Limit the use of soy sauce in order to watch sodium intake
Often at Thai food restaurants you can actually pick and choose from the sauces that
are included in your meal so it's slightly easier to customize eating in these restaurants
than if you were at a Chinese or French restaurant for example.
The following menu choices are going to offer the least amount of calories while
providing you with the most nutritional quality so are what you should always try to lean
towards:
Fresh spring rolls served with small amounts of sweet and sour sauce
Stir-fried dishes and request that they go easy on the sauce
Tom yam goong – a hot and sour shrimp soup
Nuea pad prik, which is a dish containing pepper steak
Pad Thai, which is a mixture of noodles stir-fried with ground peanuts, bean
sprouts, egg, tofu, as well as scallions
Steamed rice or sticky rice (in limited portions as it is still very high in
carbohydrates)
Fruit ice
As long as you can maximize the intake of vegetables in your meal while minimizing the
amount of rice or noodles you take in (which are far higher in overall simple
carbohydrates), you'll do well eating at a Thai restaurant.
The main dishes that you should be sure to avoid so that you don't add extra fat and
calories to your menu plan are:
Fried spring rolls with heavy dipping sauce
Anything made with coconut milk
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Tom ka gai, which is chicken in coconut milk soup
Gaeng keow wan gai, which is a type of curry chicken with eggplant that's also
very high in fat content
Gaeng ped gai – red curry chicken
Fried rice
Gluay kaeg dessert, which is bananas that are sliced and dipped in coconut
batter and then fried up
Coconut ice cream
As you can see coconut is a frequent ingredient in many Thai dishes and something you
definitely do want to work to avoid because it will boost the fat and calorie content very
rapidly. Stick to lighter based sauces that are made more from vegetable stock and
ones that tend to have a slightly sweeter taste to them rather than a creamy texture.
Vietnamese Food
Finally the last type of food that you may find yourself eating if you choose to go out for
a meal is Vietnamese. This type of cuisine also can be very healthy when chosen
correctly so take some time to learn what you should and shouldn't be eating off the
menu. Unless you're familiar with the names of the different meals, it will be very
difficult to navigate through these ones.
General Guidelines For Eating Vietnamese
Try and avoid any very sweet sauces as they are typically higher in sugar
Limit the amount of pork that you order as it will be higher in fat than chicken or
fish dishes
Choose steamed foods over fried
Here are some of the menu items that will be healthier choices:
Canh Chua Tom, which is spicy and sour shrimp soup
Fresh spring rolls
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Bo Xa lui Nuong, which is grilled beef with lemon grass in rice paper with
vegetables
Ca Hap, which is steamed whole fish
Ca kho to, which is fish that's been steamed with caramel sauce
Lychee fruit for dessert
These foods are much lighter tasting and will fare better nutritionally than the following
menu items that contain more sugar, fat, and calories.
Banh michien voitom which stands for fried shrimp toast
Fried spring rolls
Vit quay, which is roast duck and is higher in fat than chicken or fish
Ca-ri ga or curry chicken
Banh dua ca ra men, which is a classic Vietnamese dessert that's made from
coconut flan with caramel
All of these menu choices should be avoided when eating Vietnamese food as they will
quickly boost your daily calorie intake and make it difficult to lose weight. Unfortunately
many people won't recognize the names of those dishes so will order them anyway
without really realizing what they are taking in.
So by now you should have a pretty solid idea of what dishes you should choose when
eating out in a sit-down restaurant. It's really important that you do take the time to look
through the menu and choose those that are going to best suite the type of diet you're
on as well as provide you the psychological enjoyment of eating out.
If you're very strict on your diet then you may really want to opt for something simple like
grilled chicken and a salad if you can specially order it, but if you're able to have some
flexibility, do try and order something that you'll enjoy and is healthy since it will help to
put the fun back in eating again – which is important in its own right.
As long as you aren't out on a regular basis you shouldn't find it's too damaging to your
diet and you can indulge slightly, particularly if you did the three things we discussed in
chapter two to get ready for eating out.
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Also keep in mind that more and more restaurants are starting to realize that people are
watching what they eat more carefully and are adapting their menu as such.
They're becoming more accommodating with the way they are preparing their dishes so
if you do take the time to ask a chef to make a few adjustments to your meal, typically
they will have no problem doing so.
The sad thing is that most people are too afraid to ask, so instead they'll just 'live' with
the fact that they are going to take in more fat, sugar, and calories.
Don't be one of those people – I urge you to speak up because it will make a dramatic
difference in your progress.
Next we're going to take a quick look through some of the Fast Food menu options to
help you better assess what to order when you're eating on the run.
Chapter 4: Finding Healthy Items In Fast Food
Restaurants
At some point or another, there's a very good chance that you're going to find yourself
sitting at a fast food drive thru, getting ready to place an order on the run. Whether it's
because a craving for a hamburger with fries hit or because you just don't have time to
prepare something yourself, with a
fast food restaurant on just about
every city block, the options are
limitless.
Unfortunately, healthy fast food
meals are hard to come by, so
unless you're really paying attention
to what you order off the menu and
making a few special requests
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when you place your order, you're going to end up with more fat and calories than you
bargained for.
Let's have a look at the common fast food restaurant chains so you can learn exactly
how to steer through the billboard menus and order something that's going to fill you up
and help you stick with your diet.
Fast Food Burger Joints
By far and away, the number one type of fast food restaurant is one that serves up the
classic meal – a hamburger and fries.
Only in today's age we don't just have a hamburger, we have Big Macs, Quarter
Pounders, Whoppers, Double Whoppers, and finally, the king daddy of all burgers, the
Triple Whopper With Cheese. Choose that last one and you've just eaten a 'whopping'
1250 calories. Guess they don't call it that for no reason.
To put this into perspective, for a 125 pound woman who is trying to lose those last 5
stubborn pounds, this is as many calories as she should eat over the course of the
entire day.
Choose wrongly at these restaurants and you are in big trouble – and that doesn't even
factor in fries added to that.
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General Guidelines For Burger Fast Food Restaurants
Choose single patty burgers without cheese
Choose grilled chicken rather than a hamburger altogether
Request that your sandwich be prepared without 'special sauce' or mayonnaise
Feel free to add on moderate amounts of ketchup, relish, and as many
vegetables as you'd like
Consider some of the wraps now available for a typically healthier alternative
By following these guidelines, you'll do much better when eating at fast food hamburger
restaurants. More specifically, here are the menu items that you should feel safe
eating. Remember, even with these you may want to make some alterations such as
having it without the bun, asking for no cheese, or swapping out the sauces as
mentioned directly above.
Single patty burger
Grilled chicken burger
Grilled chicken wrap
Chili (where applicable)
Baked potato with salsa (hold the sour cream and bacon bits)
Salad without dressing or noodles (preferably with grilled chicken if not having a
sandwich)
Most of these menu items will provide you with a nice mix of carbohydrates and protein,
while keeping fat on the lower side of things. All also typically contain between 200 and
300 calories, so can quite easily fit into almost any diet plan.
Now, when it comes to poor choices, the options are plentiful. Here are some of the
main things you'll want to stay away from:
Double or triple patty hamburgers and cheeseburgers
Crispy fried chicken sandwiches
Bacon Burgers
French Fries
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Onion Rings
Hash Browns
Baked potatoes with sour cream
Spicy battered chicken
Chicken Fries
Chili Fries
Poutine (fries with gravy and cheese)
Some veggie burgers that come with cheese and don't offer a lot in the way of
protein
Milkshakes
All of these will easily add up to 500 or more calories per serving and will not help you
win the war against fat loss. In addition to that many contain high amounts of trans and
saturated fats, both of which will really harm your long-term health.
Fast Food Sandwich or Pita Restaurants
The next type of restaurant that we come to are fast food sandwich restaurants. These
are places such as Subway, Quizno's, Extreme Pita, or Pita Pit. They are classified as
being the healthier alternative to a burger joint but if you're not careful, they too can do
quite a bit of harm.
General Guidelines For Sandwich And Pita Restaurants
Choose smaller sized sandwiches to keep the calorie count reasonable
Choose chicken, turkey, and ham sandwiches over beef, pepperoni, sausage, or
salami
Limit the use of cheese and mayonnaise
Load up on as many vegetables as possible
The nice thing about most sandwich and pita restaurants is that everything is prepared
right there in front of you so it's not all that difficult to really have a say in exactly what
goes on your sandwich. As long as you can understand healthy ingredients from
unhealthy ingredients, you can create a sandwich that works within your calorie budget.
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Here are some of the better options to choose from:
Whole wheat small grilled chicken pita without cheese
Whole wheat small (or 6 inch) grilled chicken sub without cheese
Whole wheat turkey sub without cheese
Whole wheat ham sub without cheese
Chicken or vegetable clear broth-based soup
Each place may have their own variation on the different types of chicken, turkey, or
ham toppings to choose from such as teriyaki, honey mustard, grilled, and so on but as
long as you stay away from too much additional sauce added and ensure that it's not a
fried or breaded variety, then you should be choosing a healthier option.
On the other side of things, the following are some of the unhealthy options that you're
going to want to make sure to stay away from.
Meatball sub sandwich
Steak sandwich
Pizza sandwich
Cheesesteak sub
Bacon and ***** Sub (any variety with bacon)
Tuna sub or pita
Spicy Italian Sub
BLT sub or pita
All of these varieties will contain a great deal more fat than you were likely planning on
having. If you opt for the large sub or pita, you'll take in almost twice as much as you
planned for as well, really upping the damage this meal has done. A large Chicken and
Bacon Ranch sandwich from Subway for example will pack in 1140 calories – almost as
much as the Triple Whopper above.
This is far too many calories for anyone to have in a single meal regardless of their body
weight so something that you definitely should be turning away from.
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So keep these points in mind when choosing fast food restaurants. Most important will
be portion control and then after that making sure to avoid special sauces or mayo as
well as cheese. Then if you can be sure to choose leaner cuts of meats and plenty of
vegetables, you can rest assured you're choosing healthier.
Taco Fast Food Restaurants
Moving on, our next type of fast food restaurant is the Taco or Mexican eatery. These
are typically not quite as popular as hamburger restaurants are, however enough
people are still visiting them so they must be included.
General Guidelines For Eating Mexican Fast Food
Always choose a soft shell taco over a hard shell and make sure you don't have
both in the same meal
Request for the meal to come without sour cream or guacamole
Limit the use of cheese
Try and always order the smallest size available to save on calories
Generally speaking, a single soft taco is relatively lower in calories compared to most
sandwiches and burgers so it can be a calorie conscious option provided you eat just
one.
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The following are some of the healthier options for when you choose to dine Mexican
style:
Grilled steak soft taco
Grilled chicken soft taco
Mexican Rice
As you can see there aren't a lot of options at the Mexican fast food restaurant, but in
the end this will make ordering quite simple if you do plan to stay healthier.
On the other hand, the following menu items you really want to avoid because they are
much higher in fat and calories:
Bean burritos
Double Decker taco
Chicken or Steak taco salad
Cheese Quesadilla
Gordita Baja in Beef, Chicken, or Steak
7 Layer Burrito
Nachos
Usually these contain too many fried shells, too many carbohydrates from all the beans
they contain, or they have a lot of added fats from sour cream, cheese, and other
sauces. When it comes to Mexican food, simple is usually best.
Pizzerias
Finally, the last type of fast food that many people will choose to eat is pizza. While you
don't see many pizza drive-thrus around, pizzerias are still relatively quick to go sit-in or
if you like, you can have them ordered and delivered right to your door.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of pizza, there aren't really many 'healthy' options that
you can choose from. They all are going to put a rather large dent in your overall diet.
But, if you do make a few healthier choices then you can minimize the damage and still
get a variety of nutrients.
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General Guidelines For Eating At Pizzerias
Choose the thinnest crust available and never order stuffed crust
Opt for mostly vegetable choices over meat
Choose shrimp, chicken, or ham for toppings
Request for less cheese to be used
Each and every pizza place will differ in the exact variety of pizzas that they offer but
mostly you will find quite similar variations so it's just a matter of looking off their menu
and choosing the combination that's the healthiest.
The best choices for pizza's include:
Ham and Pineapple
Ham
Grilled Chicken (if available)
Vegetarian
Shrimp and Mushroom
Peppers
Eggplant
Tomato and basil
The choices for pizza that you're mostly going to want to avoid because they pack in far
more fat and calories include:
Beef and Onion
Double Cheese
Pepperoni as well as Pepperoni and Mushroom
The Deluxe or Special (often called a different name depending on location)
Bacon and Cheese
Meat Lovers
Thick Crust
Stuffed crust
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These will contain far more fat and calories so even just a single slice could really put
you over your daily calorie target. For best results, avoid these if possible.
So there you have the brief run-down on fast food restaurants. Because fast food menu
options typically contain less 'hidden' ingredients that can go in at the back of the
kitchen (if it's fried, you'll know it), generally it's slightly easier to make a healthier choice
if the option is available. In some cases though, the healthy pickings are few and far in
between so that does make it more challenging. Fortunately there are more fast food
restaurants coming out with 'healthy choice' menu's which are making it easier for the
dieter to choose something that will fit in with their diet nicely.
Chapter 5: Don't Let Drinks Destroy Your Diet
One thing that must be mentioned so it's not overlooked is the impact that beverages
can have on the diet. Many people put so much time and effort into watching what
they're eating in terms of food that they overlook what they're drinking.
Keep in mind some beverage choices can easily contain more calories than the
meal itself, so it's important that you don't overrule this.
For beverages, you're never going to go wrong with water. If there's one drink you
should have, water is it. It's calorie free, contains no additives, and will help hydrate the
body. Perfect!
Apart from water, your next calorie-free/low calorie option would be diet soda, but these
are not ideal due to their high content of artificial sweeteners. Some research says that
artificial sweeteners may cause cancer. My overall opinion: If it is chemically made in a
lab, then it doesn’t belong in your body.
Regular soda is incredibly bad because of the high amount of fructose it contains, so
you definitely do not want to be drinking that.
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Also be sure that you're watching out for many of the fruit cocktail like beverages
because while these may seem healthy since they claim to have real fruit juice, they
aren't. Instead they're packed with real sugar and can easily provide you with 300 or
more calories per serving.
Your best bet (besides water) is just plain un-sweetened ice tea with a squeeze of
lemon and a sprig of mint for just a little touch of flavor. It contains 0 calories (assuming
that you don’t add sugar) that is not only refreshing but has added health benefit from
the tea properties.
Even if you add a teaspoon of sugar to add a little bit of taste, you are still far better than
drinking a glass of soda that may contains 27 grams of sugar for every 8 ounces. That
is equivalent to almost 7 teaspoons of sugar.
Think about that for a second...
Not ideal if you want your body to burn body fat all day long.
Moving on, another topic some people need to address is alcohol consumption. It's not
unusual to find yourself ordering a beer, a glass of wine, or some other alcohol
beverage when you go to a dine-in restaurant, so what's the verdict on that and your
weight loss goals?
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The verdict is that you should be ideally avoiding this too. Alcohol contains 7 calories
per gram and no real nutrition so it's easily going to put you over your daily calorie
intake if you're not careful.
What's more is that it can increase your inhibitions so you eat more at the meal, really
amplifying the damage it creates.
If you absolutely must drink, at least do yourself a favor and opt for a simple glass of
wine or something like Vodka and water or diet soda.
It's by no means a healthy and smart choice, but it's smarter than choosing a mixed
cocktail beverage or creamy liquor, which packs away far more calories.
Beverages can really add up quickly so be sure that you are taking these into account at
all times. If you're going to have a meal out, you're far better off not overdoing it with the
alcohol as then you're really just setting yourself up for trouble from two different
accounts.
Chapter 6: Your Take Home Message
So to conclude your guide to eating healthfully and with maximum fat loss in mind while
at a sit-down or fast food restaurant, here are the main points to remember.
Request Changes
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Never, ever be afraid to request changes to your meal – this could make or break the
positive impact that meal has on your body. Some of the most common alterations you
should consider asking for include:
Getting sauce or dressing on the side
Getting half the order to-go (take it home for another time)
Removing all the high fat 'special sauces' or mayonnaise
Asking for no cheese or less cheese
Doubling up on the vegetables while reducing back on the noodles or rice.
Requesting it's prepared using less butter or no butter.
Swapping a salad for a pasta side.
Always order the smallest serving of steak possible at a steakhouse
Try and avoid alcohol if possible, and if you must consume it, stick to one glass
of wine or vodka/rye with diet soda or water.
Avoid all gourmet coffee or smoothie drinks as these typically contain upwards of
300-700 calories per serving.
When it comes to choosing your meal off the menu, here are some further quick tips to
keep in mind:
Always order grilled. – Battered, breaded, tempera, fried, stuffed, or pan-fried
are all words you should avoid.
Cheese will not be a healthy addition at any restaurant, so whenever possible
order a dish that comes without cheese added or baked in.
Always opt for tomato based sauces over cream sauces.
Stay away from dishes that come in a flaky or pastry-like crust.
Choose salads that do not contain noodles, bacon bits, any type of cheese,
croutons, or whole eggs. If nuts are included, ask to have it on the side and
sprinkle them on yourself. They are healthy but only in limited doses.
Consider a broth based vegetable soup to start the meal to help reduce the
number of calories you take in later on
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Generally speaking, fish without any type of batter or cream sauce will be a
smarter option.
Choose grilled chicken sandwiches most often when ordering fast food.
Consider baked potatoes but only served with salsa rather than sour cream.
Always order the smallest sandwich available - large sandwiches pack in more
calories than many burgers
If you can keep these points in mind, you stand a fairly good chance of coming out of
your meal out with your diet in tact. Remember, nothing tastes as good as looking great
feels, so always repeat this mantra to yourself when you're tempted to give in to that
item that you know is riddled with fat, sugar, and calories.
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About Arnel Ricafranca
Arnel went from 14.6% to 4.7% body fat in 16 weeks
Arnel Ricafranca entered the fitness scene for the first time by transforming his own
body and posting daily updates throughout his journey for the world to see. Millions of
people watched his body transformation while inspiring them to do the same thing.
Arnel also publishes an online fitness newsletter called ”Abs Secrets” that is enjoyed by
half a million readers in over 170 countries. In additional, Arnel was awarded by the
"President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports" for helping America get fit and
healthy.
He is constantly researching new and innovative training strategies from reading over
527 research papers, training hundreds of in-person clients, and working with
thousands of clients online.
He has a degree in Exercise Science with multiple personal training and nutrition
certifications to boot. His goal is to provide you with the most effective workout system
to accelerate fat loss through real research and real life testing.