If you don’t know it yet, then today is the day of enlightenment! As a personal trainer I can give you the BEST methods, strategies, execution of workouts and top training tips but if your lifestyle dictates where you eat most of your meals then sit back, relax and put down the fork. Your eating habits are just as important as your exercise habits. Get both of them right and you have a recepie for success!

When you eat at home, you know what you’re getting, but head to a restaurant, and it’s another story. The ingredients, method of preparation and portion size can easily add excess calories to your diet. Restaurant menus have so many choices and are often full of unfamiliar words.

Is a food fried or baked? Does it come with a sauce or dressing? If you’re not careful, you won’t know answers to these questions and more until you actually ask them.

Before heading out to a work lunch or dinner with friends, I have come up with some hot tips to enjoy a healthy meal, keep your hard earned body and maintain your social life.

When considering what to choose from so many options, you can easily become overwhelmed. Just as easy, it’s tempting to make unhealthy choices. So thankfully, most restaurants these days include healthy options on their menus and label them accordingly.

For your main course, choose chicken, turkey, ham, or fish over beef. If it comes with a sauce, avoid creamy or cheesy sauces and go with a tomato or vegetable sauce. Additionally, try to include a salad, fruit, or steamed vegetable, and go sparingly on dressings, cheese, salt, and butter. Instead of chips, fries, or fried rice, choose steamed brown rice, pumpkin or sweet potato.

Need some extra seasoning? Leave the salt and butter alone. Instead, grab some fresh herbs or lemon. And if the meal comes with bread, choose a whole-grain option and go with a sorbet or fresh fruit if you can’t say no to dessert.

Menus are often vague when it comes to the way the food is prepared. Be sure to ask if you’re not sure or the menu doesn’t say how the food is prepared. Remember, restaurant foods are full of fats, as fats help keep the food moist and yummy.

To play it safe and to avoid excess fat, choose foods that are grilled, boiled, steamed, stir-fried, or poached instead of fried, baked, or battered. Also, take control of your food order by asking that your meal be prepared with olive oil instead of butter or other fats.

When your salad arrives, opt for oil and vinegar rather than dressing. Or have your dressing on the side so you can limit the amount you use.

Terms to watch for include “lightly breaded,” “wrap,” “baked,” and “vinaigrette.” These may all sound healthy and many are deceiving. Foods that are lightly breaded are often deep-fried and a wrap may sound like a good option, but two slices of bread may have fewer calories than a 10-inch tortilla. Baked sounds better than fried, but it could possibly mean the food is baked deep-dish style and contains high-fat, creamy ingredients. While baked salmon is a good choice, baked lasagne is high in fat. And though vinaigrette dressing sounds healthier than a cream based dressing, it is mostly oil, so order it on the side.

Not only do portions keep getting bigger, so do the plates that hold them! With so much food sitting in front of you, it is sometimes hard to resist the temptation to eat it all—especially when you paid so much for it. To avoid the temptation to eat unhealthily large portions, split or share the entree, then choose a soup, salad, or extra side. If you know you’ll get too much food, go ahead and ask for a take away ‘doggy bag’ when you order. That way you can divide the food as soon as you get it, so you won’t have to stare at it!

Knowing what to look for on a menu and what to avoid will help you choose healthier, low-fat options. If you find that your diet is lacking fruits, vegetables, or whole grains when you eat out, make up for it when you eat your other meals at home. Remember that healthy eating is only half of the battle when it comes to losing weight.

Eating out should really be a luxury, not an everyday affair. If you find yourself eating at restaurants more often than you’d like—especially if you’re choosing all the wrong foods, cut back on your eating out lifestyle and watch your calorie intake drop instantly!

For more information on how to create a Bondi Bikini Body download our FREE eBook, head to the home page at www.bondivixen.com and scroll to the bottom of the page. Add your email and download the eBook into your inbox immediately!