Going OUT? Worried about keeping it healthy?

Ok so I know it can be so hard in our society to stay healthy when you are GOING OUT! There are temptations everywhere and even friends and family who might be bad examples in the eating healthy department, or would encourage you to 'relax' on your diet for the weekend. But if you are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle like I am, you've got to be strong and let the Naysayers say NAY and do what you gotta do!
WHO REALLY CARES?! I promise if your friends and family are trying to get you to break your diet, they are just trying to make THEMSELVES feel better and don't really care about YOU if they want you to get sidetracked from your goals! If they supported you and cared about you they would ENCOURAGE you to stick with what good you got going on! Right?
So here are a few tips to staying healthy when you go out.

TIP 1: Brush your teeth! This trick has worked for me on more than one occasion! If you're going out and don't want to be tempted to eat, brush your teeth! Eat before you go out, and your clean mouth won't want you to dirty it up. Or chew gum, that helps too! When I brush my teeth before going out at 8pm for girls night, I am not even tempted! I'd rather spend time talking with my friends!

TIP 2: Eat before you go! If you KNOW there will not be healthy options available to the shindig you're going to, don't let yourself fall victim! Plan and prepare! Eat your healthy meal before you go, and stay in charge of what you put in your body.

TIP 3: Order something healthy! Know what restaurants have healthy options and what options are healthy! Getting a salad is usually a safe bet! Just watch out for those croutons, creamy dressings, cheddar cheese, bacon, candy nuts, etc. Get a vinaigrette dressing, or just use basic balsamic vinegar and olive oil! Make sure its loaded with dark leafy greens, veggies, and even grilled chicken (not breaded/fried).
Soup is also a great option, just watch out for creamy soups, stick with those that are in more of a broth rather than cream. And beans, chicken and veggies are good rather than noodles:)

If you're going for Mexican, avoid all the fried things! (Chips, chimichangas, flautas, fried ice cream (really, lol!), etc.) Go for a salad or get a whole wheat tortilla with your burrito. Or get corn tortilla tacos (my fav!) Keep the meat lean like steak or chicken. And go for the rice and beans (not refried beans). Also load up on salsa for dressing and avoid the sour cream and guacamole. Mexican CAN be very yummy and healthy, but you gotta know what to watch out for!

If you're going for Italian, watch out for cream sauces! (Alfredo! or creamy anything). Try to get whole wheat pasta, and make sure you get protein with your meal, chicken, shrimp, even meatballs are probably fine! Red sauce is always safe too. And get a side salad or veggies. Keep your portion small, if you know its a big  portion, make sure you save enough for leftovers!

Also watch out for DRINKS. I suggest WATER when you go out. Soda, lemonade, or alcoholic drinks can be loaded with sugar and calories. So steer clear! Go for a water with lemon!

What about CHINESE food? My fav! Go for SUSHI!! Watch out for that ORANGE chicken which is probably breaded and fried! BLEGH! Also watch out for the fried noodles! They usually are covered in oil and have no fiber. Go for brown rice, or just stick with meat and veggies. Soy sauce is a great low calorie sauce (although high in sodium).

TIP 4: BRING it with you!! One time when I was doing a cleanse, I just made extra of my salad that was to be my dinner and brought it to my church potluck to share! That was my dinner, and I made enough for others to have some as well. See, I'm sharing HEALTH, rather than being ashamed of it! People want to be healthy, see! You're helping OTHERS now!
I've also brought a pre-made salad as my dinner to a fast food restaurant with my family. Just a little odd, but HEY I'M in charge of my body, and it's worth a little embarrassment to stay strong and feel good! But really its not that embarrassing, just be confident and don't apologize!!

TIP 5: NO SWEETS or DESSERT!
I know it should be obvious, but seriously sugar is addicting, and one dessert can easily add 300 to 1000 calories to your day! Better to just avoid dessert and sweets all together and drink some water and have some fruit or GUM:) If you must have ONE bite, it won't kill you. But can you really have just one? If you can, then you ROCK:))

I hope these tips have been helpful! What have you done to stay healthy when you go out??

Would you like to know more specifically what restaurants I go to and what I order?
If so comment: "what do YOU do??"

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Healthy stuff to buy at COSTCO? I got you covered!

Do you shop at Costco? I DO!!! I love COSTCO!! I've had lots of friends ask me WHAT TO BUY there that is HEALTHY!? Costco is great at offering healthy and even organic stuff. But they also have a lot of deceiving items! I've compiled a list of healthy things you can get at Costco, so here you go!:

*Quinoa (white or red/mix)
*Brown rice
*Coconut Flour
*Dave’s killer bread or whole wheat bread
*Granola (any low sugar, high fiber cereal)
*Chia seeds
*Whole grain pancake mix, I've heard its great!
*Raw nuts (almonds, pine nuts, walnuts)
*Cheese (mozzarella is less fattening than cheddar)
*Natural or Organic Peanut butter
*Natural Almond butter
*Organic Coconut oil
*Olive Oil (I get light and extra virgin)
*Flax meal
*Himalayan pink salt
*Organic eggs
*Skim milk
*Greek yogurt
*Lean meat (hamburger (93% lean, lean steak (sirloin or flank NOT Tbone), chicken (boneless skinless, not roasted), salmon, seafood, etc)
*Turkey burgers
*Protein Bars (Pure Protein are good and low in sugar, high in protein)
*Whey Protein (whey isolate)
*Edemame (frozen)
*Spinach (any produce if you’ll eat it before it goes bad)
*Berries (fresh or frozen)
*Dried figs
*Pure Maple syrup
Of course there are other things I get at Costco like baby wipes, toilet paper, and laundry stuff...but this post is about healthy food!:))

Things to stay away from at Costco:
Processed foods, breaded foods, drinks other than water or milk, samples (lol), Naked juice (all the vitamins and fiber are processed out), white breads, bagels (they don't have whole wheat!), obviously the ice cream isle, already prepared foods like egg rolls etc, and soups (way to creamy and fattening) . Also stay away from the temptation to buy lunch when you’re done. Unfortunately none of those foods are healthy (even the smoothie and the salad! Very deceiving)

I hope this helped! Is there anything I forgot? What do you buy at Costco?
#costco #healthy #deceiving #health #organic #buyinbulk #stockup