And you thought it was all those late-night raids on the fridge that were causing you to pack on pounds …
It turns out that if you have a weight problem, one of the major culprits might be all those restaurant meals you’re eating. At least that’s what a study reported in the Western Journal of Nursing Research suggests.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing found that women tend to eat between 200 and 300 extra calories on those days when they dine out. They also consume some 10 to 16 additional grams of fat.
Although the study looked at women, experts note that many men and children probably over-consume when dining out, too. They say the solution is obvious: Choose deliberately to dine out a bit less often.
Another tip: Don’t try to save up calories in anticipation of eating out. It doesn’t work. If you skip meals or eat too little earlier in the day, you’ll be tempted into binging at the restaurant.
Here’s an idea that I’ve implemented successfully in my household. If there’s a particular restaurant that you and your family just love to eat at, learn to make your favorite menu items from there at home.
Making restaurant “copycat” dishes at home is not that hard. There are even inexpensive e-books you can download from the Internet that are full of secret restaurant recipes from all of the big-name chain restaurants.
Try it – you’ll save money, and maybe some extra poundage as well.
