I’ve had a lot of people ask me if it’s OK to eat out on the 21 Day Fix program. I’m so happy to tell you that not only is that allowed, but it’s easier than you would think! That’s just one of the many reasons that I love this plan, you don’t have to feel like you are missing out on life to be successful with it.
Here are my tips for eating out during your 3 weeks:
Here are my tips for eating out during your 3 weeks:
- PLAN AHEAD. I cannot stress this one enough. Whether you are using one of the meals plans that I’ve created or you designed your own, you should have a pretty good idea of what containers you have allocated for your meal. If you don’t want to re-arrange your whole day, just make sure you order accordingly! For example, if you were planning on 1 red, 1 yellow, and 2 greens for dinner you could order grilled chicken, brown rice, and mixed vegetables. Ask ahead of time what kind of oils/seasonings they use so you can request something different if necessary. Also, if you know where you are going ahead of time, scope of the menu online and decide on what you want before you even get there. Don’t forget to save a yellow container so you can enjoy a glass of wine!
- Drink your Shakeology right before you go. This will ensure that you don’t get to the restaurant starving and binge on the bread basket. It will also help curb your cravings and allow you to pass on dessert (hey, I gave you the wine!). And speaking of bread, unless they have whole wheat bread and you’ve saved yourself a yellow, pass on that too. It’s only 3 weeks…you can do it! You do have to make some compromises if you want to see change. Remember, if you want something you’ve never had you have to do something you’ve never done!
- Don’t bring your containers. This is mostly to keep you from looking crazy. You don’t want to whip out your green container at the dinner table to make sure you aren’t overdoing it on the broccoli. Instead, just try and remember that health class you took in middle school where they talked about portion control. Use this as a guide when you are eating out and you can safely leave your containers at home:
- Get your workout in before you go! Some people will feel a little guilty if they “cheat” by going out to eat. Even when you stick to plan, for some reason the act of eating out can make you feel like you are doing something wrong, so if you make sure you have done your workout this can help you relax at dinner. But don’t use this as an excuse to overeat! Think about WHY you are doing this when you are tempted and remind yourself that you are only in this for 3 weeks. If you can’t stop thinking about the warm brown sundae for dessert, go back and get it in 21 days
- This program was designed for the real world, so it actually comes with a guide for eating out. Re-read page 70 of your 21 Day Fix eating plan and familiarize yourself with the conversion chart. Here are some examples of some restaurant food and their container equivalents:
- Cheese pizza (1/4 of a 12” pie) is 2 yellow and 1 blue
- 6 piece sushi roll with fish and veggies is 1 yellow, 1 red, and 1 green
- Pasta with meat sauce (approx. 1 cup) is 2 yellow and 1 red