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Weight Loss on the Menu
By: Scottsdale Weight Loss Center
Published: January 4, 2013
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If you think dessert is the only part of the menu you need to be wary of when dining out, think again. In a culture of gigantic portion sizes, dining out can be a recipe for disaster when it comes to sticking to your goals for medical weight loss in Phoenix or Scottsdale. Entrees, appetizers and even healthy-sounding side dishes are often lurking with unsuspecting calorie contents—but that doesn’t mean you need to forego the eating out experience.
Whether you are stuck in a pinch and need to grab some dinner, are meeting friends for a night on the town or are scheduled for a business lunch, at some point as you try to lose weight in Phoenix and Scottsdale you are going to be faced with a menu. By being prepared with a little bit of culinary knowledge and a positive attitude about the dining experience you can leave that side order of guilt on the table as you return home feeling good about your medical weight loss efforts.
Dining Tips for Weight Loss
The best thing you can do for yourself when making plans to go out to eat is to choose a restaurant with a wide variety of options. The bigger the menu, the greater the likelihood that there is something on it you can enjoy.
If you aren’t able to pick the restaurant, find out ahead of time where it is you’ll be going so you have a chance to study the menu before you get to the table. Most restaurants make their menus available online, so have a look.
When you get the menu, remember to pay attention to key terms, which will send out red flags that foods are high in fat and calories. Avoid ordering menu items that have the following description terms:
- Au Gratin: Means cheesy.
- Basted: Cooked in animal fat. Sometimes butter, sometimes lard.
- Batter dipped: More like batter smothered.
- Broasted: A fancy way to say pressure cooked and fried.
- Breaded: Another way to indicate fried, except it is also loaded with extra calories from bread crumbs.
- Crispy: Breaded and fried.
- Cheese sauce: The word “sauce” doesn’t make cheese any healthier.
- Cream sauce: Ditto.
- Sautéed: In what? The answer is usually butter or cheese.
As you peruse the menu, keep an eye out for words like baked, broiled, poached and grilled, as these are all healthy cooking methods that don’t add fat or extra calories. Also, tomato-based sauces or items that are cooked “in their own juice” are going to be much healthier than cream and cheese based dressings and sauces.
Don’t hesitate to ask your server to make some alterations to the item, like leaving the sauce on the side, or asking for your chicken to be grilled instead of fried. Many restaurants are happy to accommodate health-conscious diners!
Nick
Nick's Story
"I wish I would have come here first. We spend all our time reacting to the next great weight loss tip or program. It might work for a while, but does not last and we end up yo-yoing from one fad to the next – as we gain more weight." Read More
Gina
Lost 44.5 lbs
"I had no trouble adhering to the meals and they really helped catapult my progress! The classes were so beneficial to me because they helped change my thinking about how I viewed health, nutrition, and fitness.
I will always have my relationship with Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. They truly helped me change my life forever." Read More
Lauren
Lost 60 lbs
"Dr. Ziltzer and everyone who I have come in contact with at the Scottsdale Weight Loss office have been so encouraging and I look forward to seeing them each week. It is now a year and 2 months later since I started. I am down 60 lbs., which is the average amount a 9-year-old weighs, it is crazy to think I lost a whole person! I feel amazing, I hit my goal weight in November 2021 just before Thanksgiving. Nothing on my body hurts anymore..." Read More
Chuck
Lost 66 lbs
"The best thing I did was call the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. I have a lot more energy, I'm not hungry, and it feels great.
You can take it from me that this is a program that produces results. The staff is always positive, supportive, and never judgmental.
Your visits always result in positive reinforcement, no matter if you had a good week or a bad week." Read More
Emily
Lost 101 lbs
"Here I am at the lowest I have been since high school weighing in at 155lbs. I have lost 101 lbs, BMI of 39 when I started, to 21.6, and of course at body fat % of 47.1 to 26.5%. I told myself by my 30th birthday I wanted to be confident in the way I look and I owe it all to SWLC. The entire staff is so welcoming and they are rooting for you just as much as you are rooting for yourself...." Read More
Reviews
Meet Our Team
Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Diana Bone, FNP-C
Specializing in Obesity Medicine
Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, MFOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Kristen Ash, FNP-C, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Alicia Earley, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
