How to navigate a menu without nutrition facts

You thought I forgot about my real food challenge, didn't you?

In the last couple of weeks, I've eaten from a restaurant more than several times. I've ordered everything from salads to burgers to french toast.

And I haven't looked at the nutrition facts.

Guess what? I still fit into my clothes. My arms are getting leaner. And I feel great.

As this experiment continues, I'll post photos, measurements, progress. My point is: you CAN eat out and still reach your goals, WITHOUT meticulously counting every calorie you put in your body.

It's all about thinking before you eat: about how the food is going to make you feel, about what you're craving, about what you can do without.

Here's a couple of easy modifications I've used on more than one occasion:

• Substitute steamed vegetables for French fries
• Ask for your protein to be cooked without added butter or oil (a lot of restaurants add oil or butter before grilling)
• When ordering a burger, order without the bun. If you're like me and don't love cheese, leave it off.
• Ask for your salad dressing on the side. Dip your fork in it before getting a bite of salad - I find I actually taste the dressing more this way, and I use a lot less.
• Just say no to the bread basket. Most places will gladly not bring it out, if requested.
• If they have sauteed vegetables on the menu, they can likely do them steamed instead or with light oil.

Healthy eating isn't about cutting entire food groups out of your diet or sacrificing the things you love - it's about learning to choose these things in moderation. For example, if I'm eating dinner out, I will ALWAYS skip French fries and cheese on my burger and eat some dessert. For you, it might be the complete opposite.

Good luck navigating the menu. As always, I try to track some of my eats on Instagram, so you can see what I'm nomming on :)

Happy weekend!