Even the most ardent cook can grow tired of preparing meals at home. Eating out offers a break from the kitchen and a chance to socialize with friends and family or try new cuisine. Most U.S. cities and towns offer a variety of restaurants to tempt any appetite. Restaurant meals, however, may feature large portions and high-fat dishes made with plenty of cream, butter and oil. You can still lose weight and eat out, if you make wise choices.
Menu Tips
Learn to translate menu language. Avoid anything battered, fried, in a cream sauce, mornay sauce, special sauce or Bernaise sauce. Ask for a salad or a plain baked potato instead of french fries. Ask for salad dressing or gravy on the side and use the smallest amount possible to flavor your meal. Try dipping your fork in the dressing or gravy, then taking a portion of the salad or entree onto the fork. You get the flavor without a lot of excess calories. Ask your waiter how foods are cooked and request the chef leave off excess butter or oil. Many restaurants feature lower fat or "heart-healthy" options. Look for these and give them a try.
What to Order
The University of Wisconsin offers some suggestion for what to order when you're eating out. If you love Italian food, stick with pasta with red sauce, such as marinara, and skip high-fat meats, such as sausage. In Chinese food restaurants, skip anything breaded, such as sweet-and-sour pork or lemon chicken, in favor of lo-mein, stir fries and soups. Ask for your entree to be made with broth instead of oil. In a steakhouse, order a lean cut, such as sirloin or London broil, and a plain baked potato and salad. Stick with vegetarian pizza; eat only a slice or two instead of half the pie. Opt for fajitas at a Mexican food restaurant, or tortilla soup. When it comes to fast food, order a regular-sized burger with mustard instead of mayonnaise. Check the children's menu for smaller servings.
Dining Strategies
Restaurants tend to serve large portions. Ask for a to-go bag or box with your entree. Immediately put half the food in this box and set it aside for another meal. Or split your entree with your dinner companion. You may have to pay a small split-plate charge, but you'll still come out ahead both financially and calorie-wise. If your meal comes with bread or chips, ask the waiter to take the bread basket away. Order water or unsweetened iced tea with your meal instead of soda or alcohol.
Advantages
Some people have successfully lost weight eating out exclusively. For example, Subway spokesman Jared Fogle lost 245 lbs. eating at Subway sandwiches twice a day for a year. They key to this weight loss plan is to make smart choices and skip the to-go bag for leftovers. Keep limited or no food in the house so you won't be tempted to snack between meals. Mail-order diets that deliver controlled portions of prescribed meals operate on a similar plan. If you restrict yourself to small servings of only healthy food you can lose weight, even eating in restaurants.
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