• The Ins and Outs of Dining Out
• The Beachbody 100 Club
• Smart Restaurant Examples
• The Commuter Workout

"All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.
Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant's revolving door."

Albert Camus

One sad thing about learning how to eat healthfully is that dining out takes on a whole new, much darker dimension. What was once a bliss-filled, belt-notch-loosening pleasure becomes an exercise in culinary terror. Servings are Matterhornesque in size. Supertankers of soda abound. Fries come with your order whether you want them or not. Nary a veggie can be seen for miles.

It's a tough slog, but not insurmountable. We're here to help.

There are a few tricks to consider. But before we start, remember that, even with all the care in the world, restaurant dining is still fraught with danger. It's just not something you should do all the time if you're trying to live a healthy lifestyle. There's a reason diner food tastes so good. The powers that be take every opportunity to shove as much sodium and fat into their food as they can because, sadly, that's what most people find yummy. What you make at home is almost always going to be healthier.

But when you are out, here are a few pointers.

1. Make smart choices. Almost every menu has grilled chicken or fish hidden in it somewhere. That's what you're looking for. Look for words like "grilled," "broiled," or "steamed." Avoid "sautéed" and "fried" like the plague.
   
   
2. Skip the appetizer. "Appetizer," by definition, means a little food meant to get your appetite going. This may have been chic in ancient Rome, where purge buckets were also quite popular, but obviously, most Americans don't need their appetites increased.
   
   
3. The big salad. Greens are also a great option, but remember that all salads are not created equal. A restaurant tuna salad, for example, is probably going to be a mayonnaise nightmare. Watch out for bacon and croutons. Finally, ask for your dressing, which should be vinaigrette, on the side and just put a tablespoon or two on there.
   
   
4. Side dishes in your mouth mean sidecars on your thighs. You don't need fries, a baked potato, or coleslaw. If that's all that's available, just go without. Even if not on the menu, most restaurants will usually bring you a side of steamed veggies or fruit if you ask.
   
   
5. No bread. There's just no nutritional value here. It's all empty carbs. If buttered, it's carbs and artery-clogging saturated fat. If you take anything away from this article, please make it this: Don't eat the bread. You just don't need it.
   
   
6. Eat half. America, for the most part, finds value in volume, so restaurants do their best to cater to that. They feel the more they give you, the happier you'll be. But remember, nobody's got a gun to your head. You don't have to eat all that pasta. In fact, 99.9% of the time, you'll be fine with half. So when you order, ask for a doggy bag and, when your order comes, chop it in half and dump half of it in there. Close the bag. It's gone. Don't even think about eating it now. If you ordered wisely, it'll be a fine lunch for tomorrow.
   
   
7. No soda? No duh! For those of you whimpering out there because, for some weird reason, the idea of water with a meal is abhorrent, go for iced tea. Because tea is caffeinated, and therefore a diuretic, it shouldn't replace regular water, but it is calorie free (provided it's unsweetened) and it doesn't have any weird artificial sweeteners in it, so drink up!
   
   
8. Dessert? You're joking, right? Really, though, if it can't be avoided, maybe suggest that everyone at the table split a desert. That way, everyone gets a taste of something sweet, but nobody pigs out.

After eating out, you want to get back on track with your diet, don't you? Use your Team Beachbody® Club customized meal plan to find out how to shed the extra pounds and keep them off for good.

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Check out the amazing Success Stories of people who were able to turn their lives around by losing over 100 pounds with Beachbody programs. Learn more about the dramatic body transformations of these dedicated 100 Club members and how Beachbody helped them get spectacular results.

As Christine L. says, "Now I am outgoing and smiling all the time. I talk with people everywhere about anything. I am no longer shy in front of the camera. I have lost the baby weight I gained with my pregnancies and I am now a size smaller than I was at 18 years old. My new healthy lifestyle includes good, healthy food, lots of sweat, and play." See Christine's "Before" photo and read the rest of her 100 Club Success Story.

Christine L. After

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Given that this is the restaurant issue, there's no real point in throwing a recipe of the week at y'all, since we don't really see you popping back into the kitchen at Olive Garden and whipping something up yourself. Instead, we thought we'd offer you some decent options from the vast, fatty waste(waist)land that makes up America's many eateries. Now, we're not recommending these restaurants. We're just suggesting a few things you can eat that aren't, well, disgustingly fattening and just plain bad for you.

In the mood for Italian? Well, odds are there's an Olive Garden within walking distance of your house—and you should walk there, by the way. Once you arrive, your best bets are the Salmon Piccata or the Pork Primavera. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the salmon is about 440 calories, 21 g of fat, 6 g of saturated fat, and 420 mg of sodium. The pork is about 340 calories, 9 g of fat, 3 g of saturated fat, and 420 mg of sodium. Whatever you eat, stay away from those bread sticks, garlic bread, or whatever it is they plop down in front of you. Free for the pocketbook, sure, but not free for the waistline.

If south of the border suits your fancy, Rubio's offers a HealthMex Burrito. Order it without the side of rice, and you're looking at 520 calories, 10 g of fat, 2 g of saturated fat, a whopping 14 g of fiber, and 1,320 mg of sodium. If La Salsa is easier to get to, consider the Mexico City Taco Basket. Depending on which kind you order, you're looking at about 620 calories, 19 g of fat, 4 g of saturated fat, 6 g of fiber, and 740 mg sodium.

Finally, if all this exotic, international food just isn't for you and you want some good old 'Merican fast food, your best bet, last we checked, is Wendy's Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich Combo Meal, which comes with salad and iced tea. (Can you believe it? Salad and iced tea! Wacky!) We're talking 510 calories, 10 g of fat, 2 g of saturated fat, and 1,450 mg of sodium.

You may notice a trend that the faster the food, the higher the ratio of sodium to calories. The best way to rid yourself of sodium is to sweat, and the best way to sweat is to exercise. This means that the more you eat fast food, the more you need to work out to keep your diet balanced.

Of course, the best meal options are at home, but these options are certainly better than most. Enjoy!

And, if you miss the recipe of the week, visit the Team Beachbody® Club recipe archive, which includes dozens of delicious, healthy recipes that you can enjoy right at home!

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Whoa, in this issue things are lookin' pretty bleak. Not only are you stuck eating at chain restaurants, but your workouts have also been relegated to time in your car. You're probably wondering how effective this sort of workout can be. The answer: not very.

But just because it ain't P90X doesn't mean you need to treat your commute as a pure loss of time or, worse, a time to pick away at some convenience food occupying the passenger seat. Here are a few tips to help turn being stuck in traffic into something positive. It won't just make you fitter, but you'll also be more alert as you drive. Repeat each as many times as you like. There's not much chance of overtraining.

• Take deep breaths in through your nose; slowly exhale out your mouth.
• Bring your shoulder to your ear in a circular motion. Alternate.
• Rotate your wrists in both directions while opening and closing your fingers—one arm at a time (of course).
• Exhale quickly and contract your abs. Hold. Breathe in through your nose.

And during the stopped part of stop-and-go traffic, try this:

• Make circles with your feet, repeating in the opposite direction.
• Rotate your trunk—turn toward the back, keeping your face looking forward, gently twisting the spine.

As you probably know, Steve is one of the Team Beachbody® experts who are here to help you reach your fitness goals. See Steve's bio page and meet the other Team Beachbody® experts today!

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