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.
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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...