| Did you know the average restaurant meal | | | | if possible. If you love Ranch or Bleu |
| contains more than 1,000 calories? Even | | | | Cheese, order it on the side, and try dipping |
| breakfast fare such as pancakes, waffles, and | | | | your fork into the dressing before each bite. |
| French toast, served in restaurant-sized | | | | That will give you a nice distribution of |
| portions can contain as many as 900 calories. | | | | flavor and you might be surprised by how |
| And studies show that kids eat nearly twice | | | | little dressing you have used once your salad |
| as many calories when eating a restaurant | | | | plate is clear. |
| meal compared with eating a meal cooked and | | | | |
| served at home. | | | | When choosing your entree, opt for something |
| | | | that has been grilled or broiled, not fried. |
| With all these extra calories, it's easy to | | | | You'll save fat grams and calories, and |
| sabotage your diet. Plus, we all want to get | | | | you'll also eat fewer of those unhealthy |
| our money's worth and because we're often | | | | trans fats. |
| paying a lot more for food served at a | | | | |
| restaurant, we may use the prices themselves | | | | Ask your waiter or waitress to replace the |
| as justification for cleaning the plate. | | | | starch with a second order of vegetables. |
| | | | You'll save on calories and get another |
| The truth is, you don't have to sacrifice | | | | serving of the good stuff. |
| flavor and nutrition when you are treating | | | | |
| yourself to a night out. Just follow these | | | | Skip the cream. When ordering soup, opt for |
| simple guidelines. | | | | clear soups instead of cream soups. When |
| | | | ordering sauces, choose the tomato-based |
| Be wary of your drinking glass. It's easy to | | | | sauce over the creamy one. You'll save even |
| consume vast quantities of empty calories | | | | more calories if you ask for all sauces to be |
| through a straw. A large Coke at McDonalds | | | | served on the side. |
| has more than 300 calories. And when we are | | | | |
| sitting in a restaurant, we often find our | | | | When the meal comes, split it. Make a mental |
| drinks refilled over and over. The bar is no | | | | line down the center of your plate and stop |
| better: A pint of beer will give you about | | | | eating once you've reached the halfway point, |
| 150 calories. And a glass of dry wine will | | | | if not before. If you have a hard time |
| contribute 100 or so, while a jumbo margarita | | | | quitting when it's time, ask for a takeout |
| can get up in the 400-calorie range. You can | | | | container at the beginning of your meal and |
| save lots of calories (and a few dollars, | | | | remove half the meal from your plate before |
| too) by opting for unsweetened iced tea, a | | | | you even begin eating. |
| diet soft drink, or simply water with lemon | | | | |
| or lime wedges. | | | | If you can't skip dessert altogether, choose |
| | | | fresh fruit or another low calorie treat. |
| Skip the appetizers. Some of these pre-meal | | | | Many restaurants are offering at least one or |
| splurges contain more fat and calories than | | | | two dessert choices that are lower in fat or |
| the entree. And many appetizers are deep | | | | calories. Give these a try. Or simply order |
| fried and served with rich and heavy sauces. | | | | one dessert for the entire table and make a |
| An order of cheese fries with Ranch dressing | | | | point to eat very, very slowly. Before you |
| can exceed 3,000 calories, for example. Cut | | | | know it, the dessert will be gone and so will |
| this part of the meal altogether. | | | | all that temptation. And here's food for |
| | | | thought: Have you ever noticed that it's the |
| Go for a salad. Replace those fatty | | | | first three bites of any big indulgence that |
| appetizers with a pre-meal salad. Fill up on | | | | we truly enjoy: way more than we enjoy |
| the good stuff before the main meal begins | | | | subsequent bites? So take a few nibbles and |
| and you will eat fewer calories by meal's | | | | truly enjoy them. Then put down your spoon. |
| end. And be careful not to ruin the healthy | | | | Order a cup of coffee (with some skim milk) |
| salad. Skip the Caesar option because Caesar | | | | if you still need a little something to cap |
| salads are often saturated with creamy | | | | your meal. |
| dressing. If there's an option between | | | | |
| spinach and iceberg, choose the former. Make | | | | Many restaurants are offering more healthy |
| sure that you ask for no cheese or croutons | | | | choices than ever before, so it is becoming |
| (or remove them once the salad arrives at | | | | easier to stick to a healthy diet and have an |
| your table.) Opt for a vinegar-based dressing | | | | enjoyable dining experience, as well. |