How to Tackle the Biggest Challenges of Low Carb Eating – Eating Out!

A few months back, I’d decided I was done with carrying my extra baby weight.  It took me a while to reach that point (over 2 years) but I was so over my joints hurting and clothes not fitting right.  I wanted to go shopping for new clothes and not hate everything I tried on.  I wanted to chase after my toddler and not worry about him outpacing me.  And most of all, I missed the sexier, sassier me.  That’s when I found MedShape Weight Loss Clinics in AZ and started on my goals of healthy fat loss, instead of yo-yo diets that led to unhealthy weight loss (which is usually muscle and fat).  I’ll tell you what though… there were times it wasn’t easy.  Now that I’m 20lbs down and on the MedShape maintenance program though, I’m ready to talk about my biggest challenges of low carb eating – restaurant food!

Yup, for me and many others, the biggest challenges of low carb eating came when I tried eating out at restaurants!

Let me first just say that… this problem seems huge when you’re on the diet but after putting some thought and a little extra effort into it, it was pretty easy to tackle.  There are a handful of healthy ways you can tackle the challenges of low carb eating and eating out at restaurants and here are a few of my favorites.

Sashimi is an excellent option for eating out on a low carb diet. Know that soy sauce has carbs, though!  The biggest challenges of low carb eating can be overcome with knowledge and preparation!

1)      Know Before You Go – Some of my darkest low carb hours have been sitting in a restaurant booth, starving, while looking thru the menu and feeling hopeless.  Luckily, I quickly realized that many commonly known restaurants have their nutritional guides separated out by food and available online.  If you have a lunch with the girls planned or a mandatory office dinner to attend, you can beat the stress by reviewing the chosen restaurant’s nutritional guidelines and knowing your low carb options before you go.  If your friends haven’t chosen a restaurant, step up and suggest one that you know has healthy low carb options you enjoy, like Boston Market.  If you don’t get the chance to prepare in advance, use an app like myfitnesspal to find nutritional info on items you’re interested in.

2)      Make a Custom Order – Another great way to tackle the biggest challenges of low carb eating is to make your order a custom order.  In the end, I used this tactic most often and tried to avoid the rush hours at a restaurant so the kitchen wouldn’t be overwhelmed in accommodating my request.  Typical changes I made included steamed veggies instead of rice or potatoes and all sauce on the side.  A nice plate of grilled fish with steamed veggies or a salad is still a welcome site and fits right in with my lifestyle changes and the MedShape maintenance program!

3)      In Case of Emergency – So in the rare case that you’re stuck at a restaurant that has NO LOW CARB OPTIONS, you need to have a back-up plan.  This only happened to me a couple of times in 3 months and in those times, you have to stay strong.  This is #1 in the biggest challenges of low carb eating!  It’s easy to say ‘just this once’ and order anyway but if you keep a protein shake (the MedShape Cinnamon Bun is delicious), protein juice (MedShape Strawberry Kiwi Juice) or protein tea (MedShape Peach Tea) in your bag, you’ll be ok until you get strong.  Stay strong. You GOT this!!

Tackling the biggest challenges of low carb eating can seem daunting at first but if you stay strong, you’ll be in routine and in healthier shape before you know it!

What do you think the biggest challenges of low carb eating are?  We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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