1. Order your main dish from the appetizer menu. Not only are appetizers more reasonably-portioned, they will save you some money as well. (This is a great way to save enough calories and cash to split dessert with someone!) Too peckish to be satisfied with just a starter? Order a side salad, too -- the fiber-rich veggies will round out your meal. Soup is super-filling, so its an awesome appetizer add-on, too (just steer clear of cream-based ones).
2. The meat is on. As tempting as that bucket of fried chicken looked on the commercial before you left home, order poultry steamed, poached, roasted, broiled, boiled, grilled or baked. Ask for skinless chicken whenever possible or remove it yourself. If you do treat yourself to fried chicken, choose white meat as it has fewer calories than dark. Of course, chicken, chicken and more chicken gets old after a while, so if youre asking, "Wheres the beef?" allow yourself red meat a few times a week -- just be sure to choose leaner cuts of meat like loin or flank.
3. "Wrap it up, Ill take it!" You know youre at a nice restaurant when the server takes your plate away and wraps up your leftover food for you at the end of the meal. (And if youre in a really nice restaurant, youll get the eating out equivalent of a balloon animal -- the tin foil swan!) To ensure you dont leave sans swan, keep temptation at bay and ask the server to wrap up half of your as soon as it is served.
4. Take control of takeout. You dont have to swear off takeout when youre dieting -- there are many healthy options at ethnic restaurants. Portion control is key, though: Take out half of your takeout before dishing up your dinner, put the food in microwave containers and tuck it away in the fridge before you even start eating. (Instant will power and instant next-day lunch!)
5. Modify the menu. In my neck of the woods, anything and everything can be batter-dipped and fried, so I make special requests all the time. Many restaurants will take your dietary needs into account so youll be a happy customer and return. Dont hesitate to request anything on the menu to be prepared in a more diet-friendly and for sauces or dressings to be served on the side. Its not likely that you will be denied.
6. Banish buffets. Portion control can become a foreign concept for even the most determined dieter at an all-you-can-eat buffet. (Who can practice moderation when there are new, clean plates just beckoning to be filled?) The sheer variety of foods available at buffets is also daunting -- studies have shown that when were given more choices, we tend to eat more without realizing it. Simply avoid buffet restaurants and you wont have to face this temptation.
7. Mini meals are a must. Its smart to eat smaller meals during the day when youre planning to dine out. Just dont eat too sparingly, though -- you dont want to be so famished by the evening that you overeat. (It was a dark day when I ate too-mini mini meals and -- clearly ignoring my own tip number 9! -- visited a buffet in a ravenous state with a fellow waist-watcher ... the look of sheer horror on her face as I went for round number four is not something I will soon forget!) If mini meals dont tide you over, have a small, healthful snack in the afternoon to curb your appetite and youll be much more in control come dinner time.
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