Restaurant Dining on a Diet

Eating out is, in a sense, eating blind. You don't usually have access to nutrition labels, so you don't realize how the cheese, butter, oil, sugar, and oversize portions are adding up. The veggies may arrive dripping with butter and cream. The bread's heavenly, but it's white and loaded with oil and butter. That salad that seemed so healthy may have more calories and fat than a cheeseburger.Have a strategy. Don't let yourself get too hungry, especially before a dinner out. When you're hungry, your resistance to high calorie foods and snacks plunges. How can you achieve and maintain your weight while still enjoying a night out for dinner? These strategies will help.Plan Your Experience * Spoil your appetite. Before you leave for dinner, eat something small, like a bowl of soup, a piece of leftover chicken, a piece of toast with low-fat cheese, or yogurt with fruit. Any healthy minimeal will be lower in calories and fat than an over-the-top restaurant appetizer. * Know where you're going. Become familiar with the menu of your favorite restaurants, and try to picture what you're going to eat before you even walk in the door. Don't let the menu sway you! If you know what you are going to order, don't even open the menu. * Avoid the bread, or chip basket. It's one of the leading causes of overeating at restaurants. Tell them, "no bread" or "no chips". If that's unthinkable, take one slice of bread to enjoy with your meal, or count out a few chips.