Navigating Staten Island's Culinary Scene
A Weight-Loss Adventure with My Partake Restaurant Formula
Hello, health-conscious folks!
Join me on a recent escapade to the Alamo Drafthouse in Staten Island, where I put my Partake Restaurant Formula to the test. I'm your friendly neighborhood health coach, always on the lookout for a good time without compromising my weight-loss goals. Let's dive into how I made it happen.
Can Restaurant Trips and Weight-Loss Live In Harmony? Yes!
The diet industry says no. But since losing 100 lbs in 2018, I’ve discovered a simple formula that allows me to make this happen!
I lost weight and I ate at Staten Island restaurants multiple times a month. And here, years later, I’m still out here maintaining my weight-loss and trying all the new places that have popped up! And the dine-in movie theater, the Alamo Drafthouse, is no exception.
The Partake Restaurant Formula Breakdown:
For those of you who’ve seen my Partake Restaurant Formula articles before, you know the drill. But for those of you who are new, here’s the 6 easy steps I used to I approach restaurant trips with my weight-loss goals in view:
1️⃣ ⚪Surround your restaurant trip with light and filling meals.
2️⃣ 🫡Honor what you’re actually craving, not the “diet-option.”
3️⃣ 📉Reduce the portion to match what you normally have at home.
4️⃣ ⚖️Balance your order with something nutritious and filling on the side.
5️⃣ ✨Sprinkle a fun addition to make your trip special.
6️⃣ ❤️Enjoy your plan and don’t let anyone pressure you to change it.
With this formula, you create a restaurant plan before you leave the house. That way, you don’t have to struggle making decisions with “hungry-brain.”
(“Hungry-brain” is notorious for causing ill-advised decisions)
My partner and I were headed out to see the Marvels last Tuesday. The Staten Island Alamo Drafthouse showing was at 7:15 PM, so we figured we’d have our dinner there.
Movie popcorn with all the butter is notoriously hard to fit into a weight-loss journey. But my tips can help!
⚪Surround your restaurant trip with light and filling meals.
To kickstart the day, I went for a breakfast that's not only light but also packs a protein punch. I went with my favorite yogurt bowl topped with coconut and sunflower seed butter. It's about 300 calories and 27 grams of protein, and trust me, it keeps me going for hours.
Lunch was leftover green curry chicken, rice, and veggie bake. Another 25 g of protein in the books!
Topped off with an afternoon snack featuring pretzels and a DIY high-protein peanut butter dip, I strolled into the movie theater dinner at 7:15 PM feeling satisfied, not starving.
Remember, avoiding the "hangry" zone is key to weight-loss comfort!
2. 🫡Honor what you’re actually craving, not the “diet-option.”
Now, let's talk about the Staten Island Alamo Drafthouse menu. They include calorie info for almost all their food items, which is incredibly helpful for weight-loss!
I decided to go for something savory and a bit spicy/sweet: fried cauliflower bites with gochujang sauce.
I know, I know, there were salads and avocado toast options, and a personal trainer would say “GET THE GRILLED CHICKEN WITH NO SAUCE.”
But that Tuesday night, I craved something fun for a movie night. Not the “diet-friendly” picks.
Check out those bites!
3. 📉Reduce the portion to what you normally have at home.
Those cauliflower bites were a surprisingly reasonable-sized plate. The portion was on the smaller side (just 6 bites), but hey, quality over quantity, right? So I didn’t feel the need to take half of this plate home, since it was already a small serving.
I skipped the ranch on the side, and decided instead to savor every bit of that gochujang goodness. No need to cover up the flavors with an unnecessary extra dip.
Pro tip: Ask yourself, "Do I really need this side item?" It's a game-changer for staying within your calorie budget.
4. ⚖️Balance the order with nutritious & filling items on the side.
Adding a side salad to my order brought a bit of freshness to the table. A crunchy green sidekick to complement my cauliflower bites—balance achieved! And for only 60 more calories, too. A little extra green never hurt anybody!
5. ✨Sprinkle in a fun addition to make your trip special.
As the movie rolled across the screen, my personal "sprinkle" included Diet Dr. Pepper and two single-serving bags of Reese's Pieces. It's the little things that make a night out special, right?
This is the arguably the most important part of your weight-loss restaurant plan. A gung-ho personal trainer might say “Wait, artificial sweeteners? Candy with real sugar? This is completely against your health goals.”
But as a health coach focusing on the behavioral aspects of lasting weight-loss–and as someone who has lost 100 lbs and has been keeping it off since 2019–I know that including your favorite flavors in your meal plan HELPS you hit your weight-loss goal.
You no longer feel the need to “cheat” on your plan (and fall off the wagon) when your plan already includes your favorites, without guilt.
I don’t restrict foods from my diet; I ask myself curiously “What are you willing to change? And what are you NOT willing to compromise on?”
6. ❤️Enjoy your plan! Don’t let anyone pressure you to change it.
The menu had some fun-looking holiday specials, like peppermint chocolate shakes and cranberry cocktails. Since I had already planned ahead, I told myself “These look fun! If I want to enjoy these, let me put another movie date on the calendar coming up.”
I didn’t say “you can’t have these!” I simply said “If you’d like these, when can we fit them into your plan?”
This mindset is abundant, not restrictive. Getting in the habit of speaking to yourself with love and compassion is HUGE for successful weight-loss. The less you feel restricted, the more your plan feels livable for the long-haul.
Can this work for you? Yes!
As you can see, this formula isn’t really hard to understand. But it does take work to implement it! As I share with my weight-loss coaching clients, planning is 95% of the battle.
I made a free resource to help you apply this.
If you need help remembering to plan (so that you can lose weight, feel awesome, and enjoy all the fun food that Staten Island has to offer), take this free printable and put it up on your refrigerator. It’s got tear-off sheets so that you can make copies and use it anytime you need it.
Do you need help with this?
If you need a partner to guide you through the ups and downs of your weight-loss journey, including any of the 6 steps above, my 1-on-1 coaching program is for you.
Can’t wait to connect!