on 
on 
on 
good advice!
This weekend I’m back in the North East attending a marketing conference up in Connecticut, traveling with my buddy and fat-loss frenemy, John Romaniello.
Now you’ve probably never heard of a frenemy, but that’s who John Romaniello is to me. Part friend, part ENEMY. Allow me to explain.
First, John lives in the North East (enemy), where it’s like 3 degrees right now (double enemy). Okay, maybe not 3 degrees, but once you get under 20, it doesn’t matter.
I had to get on a plane to visit him (enemy), which took like 90 hours (triple enemy) due to delays, 3 guys in orange suits and an umbrella. Listen, I really can’t get in to it right now…
When I finally got there, John took me to the gym (ok, cool…) and then proceeded to take me through a workout that made me vomit about 23 mins and 42 seconds in (immediate jump to quintuple enemy).
On the other hand, John allowed me to use some of his $97 hair product before heading out to dinner, which I suppose makes him my friend.
Anyway, yes, the point of this blog post. It’s coming.
So, I’m on a rather strict diet right now. Why you ask? Because John Romaniello stole $5,000 of my money and has refused to return it to me, unless I come in at less than 212 lbs and 10% body fat by April 19th.
Somehow, he conned me in to signing my name somewhere, and I apparently agreed to this.
Either way, it was John’s mother’s birthday today. And prior to departing for our conference in Connecticut (from where I am composing this post, alongside a snoring Vince Del Monte), we decided to go out to a celebratory dinner at Bryant & Cooper Steak House (Long Island, NY).
Now, you would think that John was trying to sabbotage my $5,000 non-wager by taking me to such an establishment, but the truth is, John knows I’m a ninja.
No, like a real ninja.
And by that I mean that I still managed to leave very FULL and satiated and I even ate dessert without even so much as settling for a pre-mature cheat meal.
How? Simple, I learned a little trick called volumizing my plate (i.e. I chose the right foods and was able to eat a lot of them—while out to eat, without skipping a course, all while never having to “watch” anyone eat while I wasn’t—and without massive caloric damage).
I started with a green bean and tomato salad (tossed in a light vinaigrette), followed by the main course (a 10 oz filet mignon, lean as could be, and 2 “family size” sides of green veggies—the first, lightly buttered asparagus, the second, spinach tossed in olive oil and garlic).
And while John and his mother enjoyed a birthday pecan pie ala mode together for dessert (sweet boy, that John), I didn’t have to forgo the 3rd course either.
Instead of the thousand calorie pie, I chose a heaping bowl of mixed berries, which was, in comparison to their dessert, significantly larger, while bringing in about 1/10 of the calories.
The truth is this, you can EASILY be social, dine out, eat GOOD, and leave full when you make the right choices.
Not sure what to order? Just hit up a nice steakhouse and order what I had. It was, as the Italians say, delicioso.
And tomorrow, I’m having a beer. A really tall one. With some cake. Bring on the fat-loss accelerating Cheat Day.
By the way, for your next Cheat Day, order a birthday cake. It doesn’t matter if it’s your birthday or not, just do it. Trust me, it’s awesome.
Your friend,
Joel
P.S. What’s your favorite healthy “out to eat” meal? Let me know, along with your comments, below! At least 50 comments and I’ll be back early next week with some amazing content I’ve got lined up for you guys. Talk to you below (I’ll be checking in throughout the day ;)
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It’s “delizioso” by the way.
well let’s see, I think the best(out to eat) meal for me would be grilled chicken breast with steamed green beans and broccoli for starters.
I got one question Joel, what’s the truth about the concept ” one’s man food is another’s poison” please explain it to me or desperately include it in a similar blog like this one in much detail.
I think I’m the first to post, YYYAAAAAYY
Oh and Thanks
For a really filling meal, I still can’t beat a huge Cesar salad with a steak.
However, when it’s summer time and I’m hungry, I can’t really go for a nice hot heavy steak, blargh…
So I like to have a nice fillet of salmon (don’t eat the Atlantic, eat Sockeye or King) and as much as I can eat of strawberries or blueberries or whatever I’m “hungry” for that evening.
Another good “filling” meal is sushi. The rice helps fill you, but the protein keeps you going! One $6 block of sashimi salmon (yeah, we live in the NW…) and a cup or so of rice can fill two people pretty easily.
Hi Joel
Favourite is entree of Viatnamese rice paper rolls with lamb, grated carrot and herbs filling, a rocket & baby spinach salad (w. vinaigrette) and a large piece of lightly grilled barramundi. Cup of herbal mint tea with berries for dessert…
Chistine
it was really great my favourte food would be a nice grilled fish and salad with a mixberrytart or any disert with mix berries.
I would definetly have to say that apple bacon cheeseburger from chili’s is my favorite cheat meal, omitting the fries and sugary beverages of course :)
ha ha, you guys are funny. it should be ” peace of cake ” to earn back your money Joel.
favorite healthy food have to be chicken, mmmmmm.
Dude, the advice about the huge veggie sides is the key — you can tell them to hold to potato/fries/cheesy stuff and load up on the good stuff – in fact overloading the plate with it doesn’t make you feel like you’re being deprived and helps keep your hand out of the bread basket and the pie plate! Awesome advice.
last night- “BUILD YOUR OWN SALAD”- huge bowl of Spinach, avacado, black beans, grilled chicken with PICO DE GALLO on top. with brown rice/ beans on side. (also some grilled steak!)
all natural Peanut Butter/ banana/ strawberry blender drink for dessert. When in NJ come visit us in Long Branch! thanks Joel! SHAKA
Oh my gosh that’s how I eat almost ALL the time……in or out……..some sort of lean meat or fish, a salad, and a couple of veggie sides…….no dessert. I always sub the potato or rice or whatever with veggies. Instead of mashed pot , there are some restaurants around here that serve up mashed cauliflower…yum….and I make it home as well.
My favorite is getting grilled Salmon on top of mixed greens with green beans and or asparagus,tomatoes, a little goat cheese and pine nuts with a light citrus vinagairette. Oh a little avocado would great on that too……I’ll have to request that next time I’m out….BTW you can get this salad at Bonefish in Tampa.
There’s a Nepalese place less than a mile from our house. The goat curry rice is to die for. A big pile of meat and fresh veggies in a spicy sauce with a cup of rice on the side. It’s a great size and the whole thing comes in at about 500 calories if you skip the rice and it is filling!
Sushi is another favorite of mine. I’m so glad you can get good food at restaurants now. It used to be a big deal to get them to give you just veggies and meat. Now it’s easy. ^_^
Thank you Joel for reminding me how much I enjoy (sauteed) spinach with olive oil and garlic. I haven’t had that in awhile so will plan for that in next week’s menu.
Healthy out to eat meal huh? When I go out, it’s usually on my cheat day but if I’m trying to be ‘good’, I’ll order the salmon/other fish and veggies. I tend to cave on desserts though; a fruit bowl for dessert doesn’t normally cut it for me. I know; I know it’s something I have to work on.
Thanks Joel and keep up with the posts!
Salmon, have it blackened, with double sides of steamed veggies…Filet with a starter green salad and green beans…Big green salad with chicken, blood oranges, pistachios and orange balsamic vinegarette. Black and Bleu burger, hold the bun, side of black beans and salad. We have lots of little creative grills in our neighborhood. Yum.
I love the steakhouse route as well even though I am a “pescatarian” healthy food nut!
SO, I order a piece of fish (anything but sea bass… way too high calorie for me), grilled with very little oil, a dry baked potato with a little bit of ketchup and horseradish (make your own “cocktail sauce” with more horseradish than ketchup), and a Flintstone’s side of steamed veggies… preferably broccoli (my favorite). Fresh fruit for dessert or just a cup of decaf cappucino with skim milk… looks indulgent, tastes yummy… still healthy!
I’ve lost 155 pounds eating like this… it feels good, it tastes good, it looks good…
OMG! Thank you for this! Today happens to be my CHEAT day, so my day will go something like this:
B: Whey Protein Shake
L: WHATEVER I WANT hmm today will be my healthy home made ckn enchiladas but with some restaurant chips & queso and I did actually think of picking up a cake. I haven’t had any of the stuff since Jan 7th! I am so ready!
D: Marinated (vinegar, olive oil & water) cucumber, onion & tomato salad and another Whey protein shake.
Wish me luck!
Thanks again for the article!
Hamburgers. No kidding. There’s this hamburger restaurant with a salad bar. I get stuffed at the salad bar. I literally pig-out… with greens! Then, the burger: not the fast-food-kind one. It’s a 180 g. (about 6 oz) medium-rare sirloin and filet ground at the moment, and again, you can put your toppings by yourself at the salad bar: mushrooms, onions, spinach, mustard (no ketchup, I don’t even like it)… by that time I don’t care eating the buns. That will be my “dessert”. Yes. By the time I finish I’m so stuffed that I don’t even want that “third course”.
Obviously I don’t want to derail your fitness efforts…but that pie was unreal.
Whenever I eat out I definatly get tempted…. but I resist and as crazy as it is, my friends follow because of the results that they see in me… (plus I’m always buggin them about how easy and great it is to eat good, I actually got one of my friends to eat brocoli on a regular basis and he hated brocoli untill he tries it my way with lemon juice!) so when I go to dine out I usually dont go for the red meat, I either go with a delicious chicken breat or salamon but soup for an appetizer… with (just like Joel) 2 servings of veggies I always ask for extra brocoli… and drentch it with real lemon juice (only when steamed)… its soooo tastey… and I also choose to go with fruits for dessert, or green tea ice cream… Mmmmmm soo sooo good! Love your posts Joel!! Hope one day you come to Winninpeg, Manitoba! and see how nice and COLD its here seeing how much you love the “cold” weather. haha Take care!
Originally Posted By John RomanielloObviously I don’t want to derail your fitness efforts…but that pie was unreal.
Joel: I think Roman is using reverse psychology to keep your $5000. ;) Keep to your plan of having the pie on your cheat day. My fave is strawberry rhubarb topped with cinnamon vanilla ice cream. That or mocha almond fudge Baskin Robbins ice cream cake.
JOEL: IN MY CHEAT DAY I TRULY ENJOY A GREAT PASTA, TOASTED GARLIC BREAD, A GLASS OF WHITE WINE, CAPPUCHINO AND DESSERT!
As funny as it seems, I always get fuller on salads topped with Chicken/Fish and a side of steamed broccoli/veggies rather than eating something with complex carbs!!! I find it sooo bizarre, yet exciting because I love to eat and eat a lot!!! Is there ever a time you CAN OVEREAT veggies? Because I can eat a lot (like a whole crown or broccoli by myself and could prob eat more then that) and was thinking maybe I should portion control better?
***I have a question for you Joel, since I leave for work at 5:30am to beat California Traffic, I got into a routine of making myself a protein shake in the am, instead of egg whites and oatmeal due to time, with 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1/3c mixed frozen berries, 1 scp of protein, 3 ice cubes and water for breakfast and was wondering if that is a healthy shake to have every morning or if there is something that would be more nutritious to substitute? please advise thanks in advance
Also is it bad to eat fruits at night, since they are in essence a carb and processed as sugar? Because sometimes I crave the above shake at night for dessert (without the PB because I don’t want to gain)
Originally Posted By JenniferOMG! Thank you for this! Today happens to be my CHEAT day, so my day will go something like this:
B: Whey Protein Shake
L: WHATEVER I WANT hmm today will be my healthy home made ckn enchiladas but with some restaurant chips & queso and I did actually think of picking up a cake. I haven’t had any of the stuff since Jan 7th! I am so ready!
D: Marinated (vinegar, olive oil & water) cucumber, onion & tomato salad and another Whey protein shake.Wish me luck!
Thanks again for the article!
Come on, You should be a bigger cheater, I cheat all the way on that day.
chicken and veggies or some delicious soup.
when I was in diet i also started eating so much salad that now i actually like it. i look for the ones with a lot of veggies and order sauce on the side. if none of the salads in the menu pleases me, i go for a soup.
desert… only when EVERYONE shares! =)
No way does Vince Del Monte snore.
A hot chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream!, of course before having a great salad, 8 oz. prime rib steak and cream spinach as side order. I usually have a cup of hot tea before any dessert (it is an oriental costume) and then indulge myself.
You might want to reread CYWT and re-think your Cheat Day plans. Note this from the CYWT manual:
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Whoops, let me try that again.
Jennifer,
You might need to re-think your Cheat Day approach. Note the following from the CYWT manual wherein it discusses “cheat meals” vs. a longer period of overfeeding. This is very important it seems as far as sending the “all is well” signal to your body that will boost leptin production and induce your metabolism to burn fat more effectively.
I went overboard in the other direction with Cheat Days at first – making sure I was constantly shoving M&Ms, boatloads of pizza, and doughnuts down my throat at hourly intervals. And that didn’t work out so well either (duh)! I now enjoy whatever indulgences I choose, but try to keep the portions at reasonable levels, and (importantly) I make it a prolonged day of caloric excess. Also, I do eat healthful things through the day along with the junkier treats.
“Q: I’m still a little anxious about a full day of dietary indulgence; can’t I just
have a single cheat meal?
Not if you want to experience the best results. Research has proven that cheat
‘meals’ DO NOT WORK for substantially replenishing leptin levels. For that to
happen, you need a prolonged period of overfeeding (8 to 12 hours), not a single meal.”
Originally Posted By JenniferOMG! Thank you for this! Today happens to be my CHEAT day, so my day will go something like this:
B: Whey Protein Shake
L: WHATEVER I WANT hmm today will be my healthy home made ckn enchiladas but with some restaurant chips & queso and I did actually think of picking up a cake. I haven’t had any of the stuff since Jan 7th! I am so ready!
D: Marinated (vinegar, olive oil & water) cucumber, onion & tomato salad and another Whey protein shake.Wish me luck!
Thanks again for the article!
Entertaining:)
But I do think that I would burst after eating that much. My favorite: raw oysters (I could eat 24 for a dinner :) or any seafood.
Greetings
I like to have a salad at Chipotle with Chicken & fajita veggies with some pico & hot salsa, add a little guac & its awesome. I also love to use the Chipotle flavored tobasco they have.
I go out so infrequently I almost forgot what I like to order, lol. My ideal going out meal would have to involve steak finished with either blue cheese or a pat of butter, lots of green veg, fresh tomato salad, and ideally grilled onions (don’t hate – they are AWESOME).
In fact, I may have this for dinner tonight. :)
My favorite out to eat meal has got to be getting the side salad, plain baked sweet potato, and 6oz steak at the Texas Road House. And I usually only have the water as a drink.
When dining out I always shoot for low carb. It’s just too easy to go overboard when you add the slightest bread…
So usually I’ll order a salad for entrée, then the plate will be some kind of steak (I watch that the sauce won’t be loaded with sugar or something) with as many veggies as I can order.
I rarely eat dessert though. I’ll leave that to cheat days. Just bring on the tea! :D
Hi Joel and company. Well, to some my blindness can seem like an excuse to eat poorly. Since I’ve figured out it isn’t, I like to follow one rule. Get vegitables that taste great. So, I like to have salad, and maybe no more than a full cup of brown rice with either tofu and vegitables, or lentils, or fish. That’s one of three meals. For desert, a smoothie can go down great, or a banana and some small amount of vanilla yogurt mixed in. About 20 minutes after I like to drink either hot water with ginger and a bit of a-gave nectar in it. That would be my ideal meal health wise. This fat burning info is all new to me. It’s an interesting adventure that teaches positive attitude and fortitude. Thanks for letting me post.
House salad with the works (tomatoes, eggs, low fat ranch..) minus the croutons.
12 oz. Ribeye with sautéed onions.
Fresh steamed broccoli by the boat.
Mmm.
Hi Joel,
I use the same strategy.
Salad with the dressing on the side. If you dip a few leaves in the dressing, you eat way less of it.
Main course: fish and two servings of veggies, not potatoes or rice.
Desert. Often mint tea is just fine.
I am part of the over 50 crowd, so sadly late night fruit is too much sugar.
I have two questions:
How much does one or two glasses of red wine mess this up, as it has carbs and alcohol?
Would French cheese be a good desert, without the crackers?
This is great info, thanks! Now I know what to get for dessert, the pies and stuff are just so tempting!
Great post Joel! Gotta love those frenemies! haha! My clients ask me about this all the time and this story type approach will be a perfect way to get the point across to them. Thanks for the help! Keep up the great work with the goals!
My husband loves the local Chinese buffet which, of course, is full of deep fried junk. But there is a stir-fry section where you choose your own meat/chicken and/or seafood, plus a ton of fresh veggies. I forgo the white noodles, and get a ton of veggies and shrimp, scallops, and whatever kind of fish they have that day. I request the stir-fry be done without the solid shortening, and I make it extra spicey. It is so good, and if I really want some carbs, I look for brown rice (but they don’t always have it). They also usually have other healthy options on the buffet, crab legs, steamed fish, sometimes sweet potatoes and lots of veggie dishes. I just avoid the fried egg rolls, and opt for a steamed dumpling over the fried stuff. There’s also a huge salad bar with fresh fruit, melon, and all the usual salad stuff. Unfortunately, I often see people there with their plates loaded with white rice and pasta, deep fried everything, and sugar-coated desserts, without a veggie in sight. It’s all I can do not to say something some times . . .
Ha, I knew it. That Roman . . . beneath that angelic face beats a heart of pure evil. I’m doing his carb-cycle formula for fat loss. Today is a non-workout day, and my carb allotment is miserly. Scrooge-like. A mouse couldn’t live on this. In fact, on this formula Scrooge would eat the mouse, bones and all.
The fact that the fat is melting off is *entirely* beside the point.
Joel, you’re missing an opportunity. If you meet Roman’s criteria by April 19, it’s only fair that you make him give up something. Besides the $5,000, that is.
Oh yeah, my favorite out meal. Either a high-quality steak or shellfish, preferably scampi, with a green salad and dressing I bring from home. My friends are okay with this, as long as I’m surreptitious about it.
Tomorrow is cheat day. A whole cake, huh? If you say so. You da boss.
Great advice. Eating out is the hardest part for me.
Well, if you haven’t been to Claim Jumper, then your missing out on your cheat day! You have to experience it to know what I mean. The entries come in small, medium and large, and man, the large could feed a small family! The deserts are the same, WAY too big to eat on your own, but eveything is VERY VERY GOOD! Not only that, you can eat very light with salmon and salads/vegies like Joel’s meal above. They even tell you the calorie count on most of all the meals along with fats, salt, sugar, etc grams. Getting hungry now, gotta go! ;-)
Nice meal, good on you Joel!
Now, please find JET’s She Is A Genius song on You Tube and enjoy it as much as I do. It is big downunder!
Love fron New Zealand,
Maria.
My favourite meals are
- Vegetable green curry and mango salad in the thai restaurants;
- Seafood salad with dressing on the side and grilled squidin the japanese restaurant. I may get one order of sushi, which is around 400 calories, most are from the write rice. I would eat half the dressing ( ah that dressing is to die for!!!) of the seafood salad
I am sorry I am not a KEG fan anymore, after trying what other cultures do with their greens and veggies, I came to the conclusion that they provide more variety for the dollar spent :)
@ ROBO Again.
I’m sick and tired of dieting. I have too much to lose to keep with slowing progress Actually I created my own diet plan last Monday (it allows 1 cheat meal per week) and to my surprise, in 4 days I lost 3 lbs. I don’t know anything about the CYWT because right now I can’t afford to order the program. I’m just doing the best I can with what I can come up with. I came from always getting under 1000 calories a day and wondered why I was gaining weigh and not losing.
:-) Thanks!
@Jennifer – The fact is, your Resting Metobolic Rate (RMR) burns 60-70% of your calories, workouts take about 20% and the other 10% comes from digestion, so you need to build lean muscle! ;-)
CYWT is a good program. Stay low carb most of the week, then have your cheat day, but be sure to workout the next day!
hmm, lets see…..my favorite healthy meal while eating out….i love meditearean food…..so i start with some hummus, tabuli and a chicken greek salad….then i like to get some chicken kabab skewers or beef minced kababs….and for desert, i know this restraunt which actually serves a combination of ripe peaches, plums and apricots, topped with some fruit jam and greek yogurt…but i always order it with some honey instead of the jam.
Nice! I would have said that was my cheat meal. Now I know betterr;)
When I go out I try to get some sort of fish — salmon is my favorite and a lot of places have it grilled without a lot of butter or glaze, and add plenty of veggies on the side. YUMMY — I got into the habit of checking the website for the nutritional info before I go — it is a REAL eyeopener.. if the website doesn’t have it, a Google search can usually come up with some info. It is great because chains in NY and a few other states have to provide this info. I thin EVERY restaurant should be required to have the nutritional info for people to make informed decisions. Sometimes even a simple Cobb salad is loaded with sodium, even if the calorie count is low.
Splitting a dessert with someone else is another way to enjoy it without blowing your diet.
Hi Joel!
That was a nice story and a great post.
My favorite out-to-eat meal is a rocket (arugula) salad, with cherry tomatoes, balsamico and grated parmesan (in larger pieces). It tastes great but is availabe only in some restaurants. Then I will take a chicken steak and no dessert. If I cannot stand the temptation of eating sweet, I will go for 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate (70 or 80% cocoa).
I have been following your CYWT for 3 months already and have noticeable results (though I am only planning to start exercising i.e. so only diet so far).
So, I have the following question: sometimes it might happen that no healthy food is available where I happen to be, just sandwiches and croissants. Then I have to choose from eating unhealthy food or staying hungry. What would be the better option to you?
Would be great to have your opinion!!!
Thanks!
Originally Posted By Alex
It’s “delizioso” by the way.
Depends on who you ask at google ;)
Joel
Originally Posted By DC
Dude, the advice about the huge veggie sides is the key — you can tell them to hold to potato/fries/cheesy stuff and load up on the good stuff – in fact overloading the plate with it doesn’t make you feel like you’re being deprived and helps keep your hand out of the bread basket and the pie plate! Awesome advice.
Right on, DC!
Originally Posted By Les
Thank you Joel for reminding me how much I enjoy (sauteed) spinach with olive oil and garlic. I haven’t had that in awhile so will plan for that in next week’s menu.Healthy out to eat meal huh? When I go out, it’s usually on my cheat day but if I’m trying to be ‘good’, I’ll order the salmon/other fish and veggies. I tend to cave on desserts though; a fruit bowl for dessert doesn’t normally cut it for me. I know; I know it’s something I have to work on.
Thanks Joel and keep up with the posts!
My pleasure, and thanks, Les! :)
The shake sounds like a great, consistent way to start each day…it’s rather low glycemic, too, so shouldn’t be a problem in the evening…I’d just wouldn’t consume it late, late…around dinner time is OK.
Joel
Originally Posted By Ben
No way does Vince Del Monte snore.
Sadly, you are mistaken.
But Roman is worse.
Originally Posted By Boryana
Hi Joel!
That was a nice story and a great post.
My favorite out-to-eat meal is a rocket (arugula) salad, with cherry tomatoes, balsamico and grated parmesan (in larger pieces). It tastes great but is availabe only in some restaurants. Then I will take a chicken steak and no dessert. If I cannot stand the temptation of eating sweet, I will go for 2-3 pieces of dark chocolate (70 or 80% cocoa).I have been following your CYWT for 3 months already and have noticeable results (though I am only planning to start exercising i.e. so only diet so far).
So, I have the following question: sometimes it might happen that no healthy food is available where I happen to be, just sandwiches and croissants. Then I have to choose from eating unhealthy food or staying hungry. What would be the better option to you?
Would be great to have your opinion!!!
Thanks!
Congrats on all your success! The exercise will surely accelerate things.
You can usually remove the bread from the sandwich…if possible, I’d go that route :)
Joel
Cool! I’ve been ordered to go on a strict weight-loss nutrition plan (“diet” to me sounds a lot like die-to-eat!), and have decided to cut the “lavish” out of my lifestyle. That includes eating out. Obviously, it cost me my relationship (whatever!) but now that I can see from your example that I can still eat out even while on a strict routine. Thanks for the advice there, Joel!
hahahaha laughed the entire time reading this…..yet still educational!!! :)
Deborah on 
Brittanie on 
Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...