My Top 10 Tips for Eating Out While Losing Weight

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Eating out is one of the places where even the most successful, high-achieving women start second-guessing themselves on a weight loss journey. You can lead teams, manage million-dollar budgets, and raise kids, but suddenly a basket of chips at a restaurant makes you question every decision. In this episode, I break down why this isn’t a discipline problem, it’s a self-trust problem. And the good news? Self-trust is something you can build.

If you’ve ever felt like you have to choose between losing weight or enjoying meals out, this conversation will help you find the messy middle where both are possible. I’m sharing my top 10 practical tips for eating out while still supporting your goals, from choosing restaurants strategically and previewing menus, to avoiding the “show up starving” trap and using my simple Rule of Two when ordering. These are the same tools my clients use to enjoy dinners out, feel in control of their choices, and still wake up the next day feeling good in their bodies.

Because long-term weight loss isn’t about perfection or restriction, it’s about building systems and self-trust so you can navigate real life. In this episode, I’ll show you how to approach restaurant meals in a way that feels confident, sustainable, and aligned with the life you actually want to live.

Check out my Macro-Friendly Fast Food Blog and my Macro-Friendly Fast Food Breakfast Blog 

HOW TO CONNECT WITH ME: Send me a DM on Instagram @thislifeuncluttered or on LinkedIn @laurenlynnmelton

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Transcript

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Welcome to This Life Gets Good, the podcast where we talk about what it actually means to feel good in your body. Because around here, we don't just settle for healthy. We believe you're allowed to feel good everywhere you go, at work, at home, and yes, even whilst you're furring your kids to practice. I'm Lauren Melton, founder of This Life Uncluttered, mom of two, and living proof that life can get really good after 40. I help high-achieving women to lose weight, feel hot and healthy, and bring that confidence into every part of their life without doing more or burning out. Before I dive into today's topic, I want to make sure you know that this is the last week to get your name on the wait list before the doors open for the next round of my six-week reset. If you've been considering it, get your name on that list. Because the wait list is the only place where you get early access, 20% off, and bonuses. So head to the show notes and add your name today while you still can. Okay, now let's get to today's topic. Listen, I've been covering some very heavy topics lately. And honestly, that's important and it's necessary. There's a reason I do that. After coaching hundreds of women, I know that if you don't work on your mindset, the stories you're telling yourself, your limiting beliefs, right? All of that, questioning all of it, you're probably not gonna see results. And equally, you also need to know what the heck to do, right? You need to have a clear strategy with some simple tips, practical tools, things you can actually just try out this week. That's also important. Last week I talked about how self-trust is the missing piece in long-term weight loss and feeling good in your body again. And one of the biggest places that women tend to lose their mind when it comes to trying to lose weight, eating out. And I get it. Like you've got a plan, you're trying to lose weight, maybe you're even seeing results, and then all of a sudden you try to do that while eating out, and it can feel like this just isn't possible. And you start telling yourself things like, well, I guess I'm just never gonna eat out again if I want to see these weight loss results. Or more common, it's the opposite, where it's like, F it, this is just not happening, and I'm not gonna put any more effort in because I really like eating out, and I don't want to give that up in order to lose the weight. But the truth, your results always live somewhere in that messy gray middle. The place where you can eat out, you can enjoy the food, you can even order pasta occasionally, maybe have a glass of wine, and still wake up the next morning feeling good. But that only happens when you build enough self-trust to know you know how to handle it. So today that's what we're digging in on diving into that messy middle. How to eat out in a way that makes you feel good and still support your goals. So you can stop feeling like one dinner out is gonna ruin everything. And here's the challenging part when it comes to eating out. We don't have control over all of it, right? And feeling in control is a big piece of feeling confident in your plan to lose weight. And often I find we feel like guilty that we always want to be in control, but honestly, that's not always a bad thing. Having a sense of control can be really regulating. But we often won't have total control we desire in these types of situations. And this is when I see high-achieving, career-driven women who trust themselves with things like million-dollar budgets, executive level decisions, leading teams, raising humans, but then when they're at a restaurant and there's a basket of chips in front of them, they start second guessing everything. That's not a discipline problem. This is a self-trust problem. And I know this might sound silly, but it really isn't. So if you're on a weight loss journey and you're starting to second guess every food decision and you know eating out comes with a ton of variables, of course, you're gonna feel like you're not in control here. But trust me when I say it is possible to still eat out occasionally and see weight loss and feel good in your body. And we'll talk about what that really looks like. And realistically, it might be less eating out than you're doing today. That's the reality and something I dive into and support my clients to figure out what's the right amount for them. Typically, most of the women I work with, myself included, if you're in a fat loss, weight loss phase, it's usually around one or two times a week. Honestly, even when I'm trying to maintain my weight, that's usually what I stick to, once a week, sometimes twice a week. But when you hear that, no, it didn't mean don't ever eat out, right? Because when we go to that point of saying, we could never eat out to lose weight, or I'm not gonna eat out while I'm in a fat loss phase, that is gonna lead to total restriction. And when we go to that place of totally restricting, it's a guaranteed path to regaining any weight you've lost. Finding a sustainable path is so key. And this means one that includes some level of eating out. And again, yes, it may be eating out less often than you used to, and that's gonna be a long-term habit you're now going to keep moving forward. But fitting it in will need to happen if you want to see these results stick. And this is why I say over and over that the system and method you use to lose weight needs to be the same one that you plan to keep living the rest of your life. So if you're gonna eat out once or twice a week while you lose weight, and then you start to eat out like three, four, five plus times a week after you've lost weight and trying to maintain your weight, it's probably gonna feel impossible to maintain. It's gonna be really hard to do. Is it possible? Yes, and those women are the anomalies. The same method you use to lose weight should also be the same one you plan to also live the rest of your life. So if someone's using a tool like intermittent fasting or keto to lose weight, they're probably gonna need to keep using that method the rest of their life or else they're gonna gain the weight back. So when you build systems that work for you long term, that's when the magic happens. And that's why we need to figure out how to build in tools to feel confident to eat out once or twice a week, or whatever that amount looks best for you, how you can have self-trust in that process and enjoy your meals out. So it doesn't feel like one or the other. Okay, now eating out has a lot of variables that are out of your control. Not knowing where you're gonna eat, the menu options, who you're gonna be with, is it a work meal? Is it a big celebration? Is this a YOLO event? Is it not? Just like I shared last week in dating, I have zero guarantee that this time around we're gonna be able to navigate more family integration without major incidents like we did the last time around. Because there's other humans involved that we have zero control over, that are still players involved here. But I also know rather than just give up and say, oh, it's not worth it, I'm never gonna date again, it's just like saying, I'm never gonna eat out again. Instead, I'm gonna focus on what I can control because I'm no longer going to wait around to live until I can control all the pieces. And this is just like with eating out. So thinking about I can control how I show up to these conversations and interactions when it comes to my dating life, right? And how I can control how I respond if and when when things start to go off the rails a bit. Eating out, it's the same thing, the same thing applies. What can you control when it comes to eating out to help you feel confident and trust yourself? I'm gonna give you my top 10 tips for eating out. These are the ones that my clients and I use to be able to enjoy eating out and have a sense of control so that we feel like we're staying on our plan and feeling good in our body. All right, so let's get to it. Tip number one, don't just eat out anywhere. I know this might sound snobby, but seriously, be selective in how you want to spend not only your money, but realistically your calories. And this may mean you need to advocate or strongly suggest restaurants that you enjoy and that you know aren't necessarily all fried food and that will actually have some protein and veggie options. And it may mean you need to use some boundary statements, like, sure, we can grab takeout after the basketball game if we go to Chipotle or Chick-fil-A. Which do you prefer? I love that yes-if approach because it's not immediately dismissing, right? It's like a comfortable use of boundaries that so many of us, like good girl people pleasers, feel uncomfortable with. So try it out and see if that one works for you. And for fast food options, go to the show notes and check out where I've linked two blog posts I wrote like a bazillion years ago, which outline my favorite macro-friendly food options so you know exactly what to order so you can feel good and enjoy your food when you're at those fast food restaurants. But listen, I have a list of places that I used to eat earlier in my life that I probably will never step foot in again. And I'm okay with that. Because honestly, they just don't taste that good to me anymore. And they don't have the options that I know can make me feel good. So I won't go to them, and that's okay. Now, if you're in a pinch and you're on a road trip and it's all there is, that's a different story, right? That's not what I'm talking about here. But if you've got options, use them and lean into them and don't be afraid to speak up and advocate for where you want to go. My second tip for when it's not fast food, do some homework in advance and look up the menus. As a foodie, I love this. I like looking up menus in advance just for fun. Forget if I was trying to lose weight or feel good in my body. I want to see what they have. What are the options? What are people writing reviews about online that you have to try? So Google the restaurant and check out the menu and see what the options are so you can decide in advance what sounds yummy and what might be more macro friendly. Now, when I use that word macro friendly, I usually define that as having a larger portion of protein and fiber over starchy carbs. Now, that doesn't mean never eat starchy carbs, but it's the ratio here is where we focus. So look up the menu in advance and find out something that looks delicious that you want to enjoy and is also going to make you feel good. My third tip, when you're scanning that menu, look for those items that sound tasty, obviously, because we want to enjoy the food, and will also make you feel good the next day. The ones that I find fall into this category, they always start with a protein first. So it will clearly list a protein in the description. Items like steak, shrimp, and fish are always great options. But also the way that it's prepared. Look for items described as grilled or baked, which will be cooked in the least amount of fat compared to those that are listed as like fried or sautéed. If you're not sure, just ask the server too if it doesn't say how it was prepared. They can explain that to you. Tip number four, set the cadence for how often you'll eat out and then try to stick to it. I tend to eat out once a week, like I mentioned. Sometimes too, but usually once a week. I have plenty of clients who eat out around twice a week, and I have some that eat out more, but this definitely gets into that more tricky place, especially when you're in a fat loss phase. And again, this is a deeper topic for another day, but if you're someone who's currently eating out more frequently and frustrated with weight loss, the reality is it will be 10 times easier to lose weight once you stop eating out so often. So setting an amount in advance and building it into your regular routine is gonna make it easier for you to feel in control of achieving those goals and feeling good in your body. Tip number five, do not show up starving. Avoid saving all your calories for dinner. This always backfires. It leads to overeating. I'm sure you've been there. I've been there. I can think of plenty of times in my 20s and even into my 30s when I tried this approach, right? Where I was like, oh, we have a big dinner or there's a big work event or whatever it was, right? And skipping meals. And then by the time it gets there, I'm like eating every hors d'oeuvre trait item that's coming at me, hitting up the cheese station, getting the dessert right, like it's just a free-for-all. So even on the days I'm eating out, I don't skip my meals. Now, I absolutely may adjust them a bit, right? Maybe I might have smaller portion sizes of some of the things I'm eating, or maybe I will swap out one of my meals for a high protein smoothie, trying to get some protein in earlier in the day, right? These are all some tips that I walk my clients through to help them feel that they're maybe pulling back some of their calories but still feel full enough by the time they get there. But I'm not skipping a meal period. Keeping regular meal cadence is so important to helping your hunger cues and your hunger hormones know when to expect that you're gonna be eating and to not create some of those like energy dips and end up with you being ravenous and eating way more than you expected. Skipping a meal is a recipe for failure, so definitely don't show up starving. Tip number six, portion out your items on a plate so that you're not eating directly from, let's say, like the breadbasket or the chip bowl. Put them on your small little bread plate so that you can see what you're eating and be mindful. When you learn more about actual portion sizes and you can visually see it, it's a great tool for being more aware. Years back I saw this funny meme going around about how, oh, I could never eat six tortillas, but have no problem eating an entire basket of chips. The reason this is funny is one six-inch tortilla is about four chips. And yeah, there's been plenty of times I've probably eaten at least 24 chips in one sitting. So portioning out these items can be super helpful so you don't overconsume. Tip number seven: this is not the funnest one, and not the one that you're gonna want to hear me say, but the one that I have to say because it is important and it adds up. Keep caloric beverages to a minimum or not at all. And when I say caloric beverages, this is all of them. We're talking alcohol, obviously. We're also talking about coffee. What you put in your coffee can add up to four, five, six hundred calories without you knowing it. We're also talking about juice, and we're also talking about soda. If you're drinking regular soda still, do me a favor, please try diet or all the zeros, Coke zero, Pepsi Zero. I know it's gonna feel hard at first. I promise you it's gonna change your life. These caloric beverages, they add up so quickly. And when you can keep them to a minimum, you can enjoy the food and enjoy your company. And if you're reducing the alcohol, you're probably also gonna wake up feeling better the next day, too. If you are having alcohol while you're eating out, try adding in water or a seltzer, something between each of those alcoholic drinks as a way to space it out and reduce the number of total calories you have altogether. Or again, maybe just stick to one or none at all. Tip number eight, don't be afraid to ask for adjustments. This is not the time to be timid, ladies. I know all you fellow Good Girl People pleasers cringe at this idea, but simple requests, things like asking for the sauce on the side or asking that your food not be cooked in butter and oil can go a long way. So don't be afraid to make requests. And as long as you do them in a kind manner, your servers should not be annoyed. I worked in the industry for a long time, and I can tell you they're used to it. It's just part of the business. And if they are, that's probably not a restaurant you want to return to. Tip number nine, try my rule of two for dining out. What is the rule of two? It's quite simple. Pick two things to enjoy rather than all the things. So instead of having an appetizer, entree, drink, dessert, pick two. Maybe you're gonna have an entree and a caloric drink. Maybe you're gonna split an appetizer and enjoy an entree. Or maybe you're going to have some of the chips and the entree. You get what I'm going here. But the idea here is to decide to have some of the things, but not all of the things, and trust yourself. And tip number 10. And this one's an important one. Reminding yourself that eating is part of the experience, but it's not the entire experience. When we're eating out, there's usually other things involved in it too, right? Often we're celebrating something, we're enjoying company and time with other people. So savor that moment, slow down, actually enjoy your meal, and focus on those pieces there. The company, the conversation, and the experience. Okay, those are my top 10 tips. I'm gonna be so curious as you start trying them out, what do you think of them? And while you're looking at the menu, you may want to know, Lauren, what should I actually be ordering? So listen, menus can vary wildly. I'm gonna give you some of my go-to's that I know just work. Tacos. I love tacos, and tacos can be one of your best macro-friendly options when you're eating out. So this could be fish tacos, not fried fish, but more broiled or grilled. This could be steak, it could be shrimp. When I order tacos, I usually ask for all the sauces on the side. So the things like guac, sour cream, pico de gallo, whatever it is, whatever their special sauces, I just say put it on the side and you kind of get like your own deconstructed taco. And then you can put on how much you want. Another option: any type of protein plus veggie plus starch. Honestly, this is how I eat every night for dinner, but these menu items, they usually look like a flank steak with asparagus and mashed potatoes, or it could be salmon with Brussels sprouts and a baked potato, or it could be shrimp and broccoli and rice. You get the idea here, but protein plus veggie plus starch. And they usually will always have a sauce. Again, I always ask for the sauce on the side. That way I can decide how much of it, if any, I want to have. And my third go-to, which honestly is usually my last option, but it is an option: salad and a protein. And the reason is it's not always the lowest calorie option, and for me, it's not always the most filling. But I know a lot of people love salads, and salads can be a good option. So when you look for them, you want to look for ones that have a clear protein or a protein you can add to it. So something like chicken, shrimp, steak, and ask for the dressing on the side. The other thing, just be aware of how many add-ins it has. A lot of those little add-ins, while often super healthy, like nuts and seeds and cheese and all those deliciousness, they can just really add up calorie-wise. So those are my top three tacos, protein, veggie, and starch, or salad under protein. One thing I love doing is helping my clients decide on the items to order in restaurants. And I know it's the Dorky Foodie and Me, like I mentioned earlier, but helping them get skilled at reading menus and finding items that they love and feel good waking up the next day, I love this. And the more women I work with, the more I realize that the best coaching support to help them lose weight has this combination, right? We're diving in on mindset. We're also talking about strategy and execution, and they also have accountability. Because sometimes it's your mindset holding you back. Sometimes it's not having the systems in place to execute what you know is holding you back. And sometimes it's just needing the space and the container to help hold you accountable to do it until it becomes a habit. And that's why I created my six-week reset. It's a focused container where we build that self-trust in your body the same way you build it everywhere else in your life. Inside the reset, we combine strategy with clear workouts, nutrition frameworks, and realistic eating out guidelines just like this. But you also get execution to make that strategy happen, building the systems that work best for you to remove decision fatigue so that you're not white knuckling through based on willpower. And then you also, of course, have the accountability with the built-in one-on-one coaching support from me and feedback in a space that holds you steady when your brain can start to spiral. Because honestly, weight loss after 40 isn't that easy. But it's also totally possible. And it doesn't mean just being stricter or trying harder. It's when you become someone who trusts herself. When you trust yourself to eat out without blowing it up, when you trust yourself to lift heavier than you ever thought you could, when you trust yourself to try again even after it didn't work before, and when you trust yourself in the messy middle. Because when you build that kind of self-trust, you don't just feel in control, you feel powerful when you walk into that big meeting at work. You feel calm when you're deciding what to eat at the client meal on your work trip, and you feel hot in your body again at the pool on your next vacation. Maybe that's Memorial Day weekend. The reset is where we build that. If you're ready to stop second-guessing yourself and start creating traction, get on the wait list now. Because the doors are opening later this month, and the women on the wait list, as I mentioned, you're gonna get first access, discounts, and bonuses not offered anywhere else. So head to the show notes and get your name on the list today. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of This Life Gets Good. I am truly grateful you chose to invest your time to listen. Your feedback matters here, and if you found this podcast to make a difference for you, please take a minute to share a review. Once a month, I'll select one lucky listener who shares a review to win a live 101 strategy call with me, where I'll personally coach you on your exact next steps to see weight loss results and finally feel hot again. And if this episode made you feel seen, share it with a friend who deserves to feel that way too.