Tips for Eating Out

Eating out is great way to spend time with loved ones, celebrate special occasions, and just have a good time on a Friday night. But if you’re trying to lose weight, sometimes eating out can be a challenge. Most dishes are loaded with hidden calories and even things that sound healthy aren’t always what they seem to be. And then, of course, there’s all of those extremely delicious, but extremely bad for you dishes that are oh so tempting to order.

I’ve figured out a few tricks since I started Weight Watchers that have helped me enjoy eating out without completely ruining all of my weight loss efforts. Here are my top three tips:

1.  Plan Ahead

If you already know that you’re going to be eating out, and you happen to know which restaurant you’ll be going to, look up the menu before you go! Chain restaurants now have their menus online, and a lot of them also offer nutritional information with their online menus. Look up the menu and find a few healthy options. For me, choosing a meal before I even leave the house eliminates the temptation to order something unhealthy. Also, if you know you’re going out later, you can plan your previous meals accordingly. If I know I’m going to Chili’s later, I’m not going to have pizza for lunch. I’ll eat low-point meals for breakfast and lunch so that I have plenty of WW points leftover for dinner.

2. Cut it in half!

If you have a favorite dish at a particular restaurant, but you know it’s a high-point/high-calorie meal, you can still enjoy that favorite meal without the I-just-ruined-my-diet guilt. Just cut the meal in half! When your plate is served to you, take your knife and fork and cut the food in half. Eat until you get to that cut line, then save the rest of your meal for later. You just got two meals for the price of one! (Most restaurants now serve outrageous portions anyway, so you won’t be starved by only eating half of what is served to you.)

If you think you lack the self-control to stop eating at the half way mark, ask your server for a box when your meal arrives. Cut your food in half and place one half of your meal in the box. Tuck the box away and now that food is no longer staring you in the face, tempting you to devour it. Out of sight, out of mind!

3. When All Else Fails, Order Off the Kids’ Menu

The kids’ menu at most restaurants features similar entrées as the regular menu, but with much smaller portions (not to mention cheaper prices). And nowadays a lot of kids’ menus offer healthy side options like apple slices or mandarin oranges. If you didn’t get a chance to research the restaurant’s menu before going out, first look at the kids’ menu. If the kids’ menu only has chicken strips and French fries, though, you might as well order a regular entrée.