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.
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 ;)
Related Posts
60 comments - add yours
You might want to reread CYWT and re-think your Cheat Day plans. Note this from the CYWT manual:
<>
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
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...