Zero to Hero
Eating Out & Travel

Your Social Life Is Not the Problem.

No plan for restaurants, travel, and events is the problem. Use these playbooks and stop letting weekends undo your week.

You don't have to choose between progress and your life. The clients who get the longest-lasting results are not the ones who say no to every restaurant, dinner, and trip. They're the ones who walk in with a plan. That's all this guide is.

The 6 Hero Rules

Use These Every Time You Eat Out

  • Lead with protein. Pick the option with the most lean protein, then build the plate from there.
  • Pick your one. One drink, one dessert, one indulgence. Not all three.
  • Eat 80% of your day on plan, then go enjoy the meal. Skipping food all day to save calories almost always backfires.
  • Skip the bread basket and chip basket by default. Order it only if you actually want it.
  • Ask for dressings, sauces, and butter on the side. You decide the dose.
  • Order doubles of protein, half of starch when possible. Most kitchens will do this for free.

Restaurant Playbooks

One go-to order and one common swap for each of the most-frequent spots. Memorize 3 or 4 of your regulars and you're set for life. Estimated cost is for the suggested order, U.S. national-average pricing.

Chipotle / Burrito Spots

45-60g
Go-To Order

Double chicken or steak bowl, rice, black beans, fajita veg, salsa, light cheese.

Swap / Skip

Skip queso, sour cream, and chips. Add lettuce for volume.

Est. Cost$13-16

Subway / Sub Shops

35-45g
Go-To Order

6-inch grilled chicken or turkey on wheat, double protein, all veggies, light sauce.

Swap / Skip

Skip mayo and oil. Baked chips over regular if you want a side.

Est. Cost$10-13

Steakhouse

50-70g
Go-To Order

Sirloin or filet, side of broccoli or asparagus, side baked potato no butter.

Swap / Skip

Skip creamed sides and loaded potatoes. Sauce on the side.

Est. Cost$32-55

Italian

35-50g
Go-To Order

Grilled chicken or shrimp with marinara, side salad, half portion of pasta.

Swap / Skip

Skip creamy sauces (Alfredo, vodka). Marinara, pomodoro, or olive oil and garlic.

Est. Cost$18-28

Mexican (Sit-Down)

45-60g
Go-To Order

Fajitas (chicken, steak, or shrimp), corn tortillas, black beans, pico, side guac.

Swap / Skip

Skip the chips and queso. One margarita max, on the rocks not frozen.

Est. Cost$17-25

Sushi

35-50g
Go-To Order

Sashimi or nigiri, edamame, side of miso, brown rice rolls (chicken/salmon/tuna).

Swap / Skip

Skip tempura, cream cheese, and 'crunchy' rolls. Low-sodium soy.

Est. Cost$22-35

Burger Joint

35-55g
Go-To Order

Single or double patty, lettuce wrap or 1 bun, side salad or fruit cup.

Swap / Skip

Skip fries by default. Sauce on the side. Pass on the milkshake.

Est. Cost$12-18

Asian / Stir Fry

35-50g
Go-To Order

Grilled or steamed chicken / shrimp / beef, steamed veggies, rice on the side.

Swap / Skip

Skip fried rice, sweet sauces, and tempura. Soy and sriracha instead.

Est. Cost$14-20

Breakfast Diner

30-45g
Go-To Order

3 egg whites + 1 whole egg, turkey bacon or sausage, fruit, dry English muffin.

Swap / Skip

Skip pancakes, hash browns, and biscuits and gravy by default.

Est. Cost$11-16

Coffee Shop

15-25g
Go-To Order

Americano, cold brew, or drip with a splash of milk. Egg bites or oatmeal.

Swap / Skip

Skip the syrup-loaded lattes (400-600 cal). Get sugar-free if you need sweet.

Est. Cost$7-12

Travel & On-the-Go

Travel is just nutrition with fewer kitchens. The strategy doesn't change, just the tools.

Airport Game Plan

Pack 2 protein bars, beef jerky, a fruit, and an empty water bottle. Buy a Greek yogurt parfait, fruit cup, or grilled chicken sandwich at the terminal. Hydrate aggressively, planes dehydrate you fast.

Hotel Hack

First stop on every trip is a grocery run. Grab Greek yogurt, fruit, jerky, protein shakes, deli meat, and bottled water. You just turned the hotel room into a kitchen.

Convenience Store Wins

Fairlife Core Power Elite (42g protein), Oikos Pro, beef jerky, hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, apples, almonds. You can eat well from a gas station.

Alcohol Strategy

Pick clear spirits with soda water, wine, or light beer. Set a cap before you go out (2-3 drinks). Eat protein first. Don't skip food all day to 'save calories', it almost always ends in a 2am binge.

Parties, Weddings & Social Events

Six moves that turn a buffet, holiday, or wedding from a derail into a non-event.

  • Eat a 30-40g protein meal before you go. You will make better choices when you're not starving.
  • Survey the spread first. Decide what's actually worth it before you start eating.
  • Build the plate: 1/2 protein, 1/4 veggies, 1/4 starch or dessert.
  • Stand away from the food table. Proximity is destiny.
  • Have a non-food job, the bartender, the photographer, the kid wrangler. Keeps your hands busy.
  • One indulgence, fully enjoyed, beats five 'just a bites' that you didn't even taste.
At Home

Hero Grocery List

When you cook at home you're in control. Start the week with the right cart.

Open List Daily Default

Meal Templates

Plug-and-play meals so you don't have to think about it every day.

Browse Dial It In

Macro Calculator

Know your targets so eating out fits the picture instead of breaking it.

Calculate

Want a coach in your corner for the hard weeks?

Travel weeks, holidays, weddings, vacations, this is where coaching pays for itself. Custom strategies, real-time check-ins, and a plan that bends instead of breaks.

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