Eating Out -- Eating SMART

[ohMom]

I thought i'd share some of the info i have received from a recent weight loss class i atteneded. One class focused on eating out strageties:

1. Plan Ahead -- determine where, with whom, how many calories?
   
   
2. Choose a familiar restaurant -- you'll feel more comfortable making special requests
   
   
3. Review menu ahead - if you are trying something new have them fax a menu for you to review or check it out online
   
   
4. Be the first to order -- listening to others order my tempt you
   
   
5. Know the menu lingo -- avoid foods that are "crispy, fried, breaded, battered, 'biggie', supreme, deluxe" or served with gravy/cream sauce
   
   
6. Start off with green salad or broth based soup -- generally low in calories but can still help you feel full
   
   
7. Deal with the bread basket -- if the bread basket is one of your triggers try: asking server not to bring a bread basket or put on other end of table; if you are eating with others ask the server to remove the basket once everyone is finished
   
   
8. Eat your vegetables -- plent of them! Vegetables add volume to a meal and help you feel full without adding many calories. Ask for plain steamed
   
   
9. Cancel your membership to the clean plate club -- share an entree or have the server wrap up 1/2 your meal before serving the food
   
   
10. Be the last one to start eating -- enjoy your meal slowly and stop eating when you feel satisfied. Satisfied is not that awful feeling of fullness, it is the absence of hunger
    
    
11. Be aware of super-sized salads -- Pay attention to the toppings when choosing an entree salad, and full fat creamy dressings
    
    
12. Watch the alcohol -- Alcohol provides empty calories and can relax your resolve and increase your appetite

 

[lajones81]

Thanks for all of these tips! They are great!

 

[MelanieC]

Thanks Molli,

I am proud to say I canceled my membership to the "Clean plate club" last night.

We are in Niagara Falls now and last night we ate at an Italian restaurant. I ordered a dish that I wanted, but I made a pac with myself prior to ordering (even said it aloud to my family) that I would only eat half of it. I was very happy that at the end of my dinner I still had half left on my plate!

 

[SeaSpray]

Great tips!

Here's one that I like to do: As soon as the waitress comes to the table, I order a glass of ice water and ask her/him for lemon and lime. When I get my water, I squeeze the lemon and lime into the water, stir in a packet of SweetNLow or whatever sweetener they have, and voila' - a calorie-free, great-tasting drink to start off with and to help you feel a little less hungry before you eat.

I actually started ordering that way before I started dieting because I don't like soda, so I usually order iced tea and add my own SweetNLow, but sometimes at night I don't want any caffeine, so this makes an excellent drink alternative.

Also, we like to go out for breakfast a lot. My DH and I are both doing South Beach, so when we order our eggs (I usually get the western omelette and tell them light on the ham and cheese, and then immediately cut it in half and eat half for breakfast and take the other half home for another time), we tell them to not even put the potatoes or toast or anything else on the plate, this way we wouldn't be tempted to have some. This morning they accidently put potatoes on our plates but I'm happy to say that neither my DH or I were in the least bit tempted to eat them.