Eating out and traveling can derail weight loss plans and frustrate you, which can quickly undermine success. The following strategies can help you stay on track with your weight loss goals while eating away from home. Will they bring instant gratification and quick weight loss? Probably not. However, they can help you achieve long-term success.

Remember Your Goals

Quick weight loss might be nice, but it doesn’t have to be your goal. It is also often unsustainable. Instead of sprinting to a lower weight, think of losing weight more like a marathon. Use that image to keep your ultimate objective in mind and use it to help you make good choices when eating out and traveling. 

Allow Yourself a Splurge

Placing certain food items off-limits can set you up for disordered eating. For example, if you know that chocolate cake is “bad” or “forbidden,” you might feel guilty after a slice. Those feelings can derail your entire weight loss program.

Instead of putting them off-limits, know that if you eat something high in calories and low in nutrients, you can adjust other areas of your diet that day or the next. This will help you maintain a positive relationship with food and enjoy local favorites while traveling. 

Take Charge of Your Appetite

Restaurants are a sensory overload. The smells of delicious food surround you, and almost everywhere you turn, a steaming plate passes by. These would trigger your appetite to kick in, even if you weren’t hungry a minute before walking through the door. That is not helpful when you are trying to control your impulses.

Work to manage your appetite by employing proven strategies. For example, choose your meal from an online menu ahead of time, eat a healthy snack before going out, or try Phentermine to help curb your appetite. 

Losing weight and keeping it off is challenging. However, products like Phentermine can help you by reducing hunger and helping you stay in control, no matter where you are.