Following a weight loss program usually requires a strict diet that requires you to prepare at home. This article gives advice on a simple diet that you can easily follow even when you have to eat out.
It recommends the 4-3’s eating principle which you can practice at most restaurants even in fast food. It also covered suggestions on the sequence and speed of eating. Just adjusting your eating habits a little bit can improve the effectiveness of your weight loss journal.
The 4-3’s Principles of Choosing Food
The 4-3’s eating principle means 4 categories of food and 3 meals a day. Simple following the 4-3’s™ principle will help you choose your food easily in most restaurants.
In a day, you can take a total of
- 3 servings of Carbohydrates (Grains, bread, rice… etc.)
- 3 servings of Lean Protein (meat sources: fish, chicken, beef… etc., non-meat sources: milk, egg, bean … etc)
- 3 servings of Vegetables; and
- 3 servings of Fruits (any kind of fruits and vegetables)
This will give you a balance of protein (for muscle development), fruits and vegetables (for antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins) and carbohydrates (for energy). That means one portion from each category for each meal (3 meals a day).
Measuring The Serving Size
How much is a portion when we talk about serving size, some may ask. An easy way to roughly figure out is using your body ratio: it’s handy and in proportion to your body size and weight.
- A portion of fruit is, for example, an apple the size of your fist.
- A portion of protein can be a steak with a similar size and thickness to your palm (without counting the fingers)
- A portion of carbohydrate is a bread or bowl of rice around the size of your fist.
- While vegetables carry no calories there is no limit to your daily consumption. The minimum quantity per meal would be roughly the size of your fist when they are cooked. (raw leafy vegetables about 2 fists)
Eating at Fast Food Restaurants
You can achieve a balanced diet within your goal to maintain a healthy and slim body shape at most of the restaurants with the above simple guidelines. However, some may find it hard to do so if they have short lunch or dinner time or for other reasons have meals at fast food restaurants.
My little tip for that is to bring a handy fruit e.g. a small apple and some vegetables which can be taken raw e.g. a tomato or slides cucumber. This can supplement the lack of vegetables in fast food.
However, in some cases, you can still find good selections. For example, if you lunch at a hamburger fast food, there are still choices of grilled chicken burger and a salad.
Sequence and Speed of Eating
Even adjusting the sequence of eating and speed will help your weight loss program.
Taking the fruit first helps you feel full and the enzyme in fruit is crucial for our metabolism and food digestion. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are broken down into glucose, or blood sugar, which is the main source of energy for your body’s cells, tissues, and organs.
Glucose is fast absorbed by our bodies. So having carbohydrates at the
end of the meal helps us to avoid taking in too much, thus reducing
sugar intake.
Therefore, if possible, try to have your meals in the following order: fruit –> vegetables –> proteins –> carbohydrates.
Another consideration is the speed of eating. It takes time for our brain to acknowledge the situation of our body. We may only be aware we are already too full 10 or 15 minutes after our action. Eating too fast will allow this 10 or 15 minutes time gap for us to keep eating until it’s much more than we need to. So slow down when you eat and enjoy the meal.
Some Extra Help
One of the problem when you eat outside is the food are usually oily. You can choose to have lean meat at home but not in restaurants as fatty food usually appears more attractive and delicious. While you may not have control over the food provided in restaurants, you can still do
some preparation work.
There are supplements in the market made from Cactus Extract which help reduce fat and sugar absorption by the body. So taking the supplements before a fatty meal keeps you on track with your weight loss journal.
Find extra help in your weight management program with this fat and sugar absorbing supplement.
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