This weekend is my moms birthday and we are going to this upscale restaurant and of course i'm freaking out because i've been doing so well on my diet but I feel like i'm going to want dessert. What would be the best options for me to order?

Skim milk. Bowl of fruit.

when i go out with my family, we usually order just one and share....However, the portions are crazy these days so even when we end up splitting it is still alot. So maybe you could look for a lighter dessert on the menu which most places should have.
For me a huge turn off is those menus that have the caloric content in it. One time when my mom and I were going to order the chocolate downunder cake we found out that it had over 2000 calories, and I love desert so I can finish it off....
But more importantly enjoy the time with the family cause that is what is important and it is not about the food.

What's the restaurant? Does it have those mini flight things? Seasons 52 is one example. Olive Garden also has mini. Houlihan's. Like in little shot glasses. One of those wouldn't be too bad.

Otherwise go with fruit.

A.

On January 9th at precisely 2pm I learned that the gourmet icing on a typical restuarant cake was precisely 300-600 calories per half a teaspoon. I remember the time and day because it pretty much changed my life. Not worth it. Dont do it.

That's impossible. A tablespoon of oil--which is pure fat, the most calorie-dense of all foods--has 120 calories, so a teaspoon has 40 calories. Even if you somehow mixed that with sugar without increasing the volume (and I am not sure that's even possible), there's no way half a teaspoon of anything contains 600 calories.

That said, restaurant desserts do have an obscene number of calories. Saying "I think I am going to want" means you need to start planning to say "no" to yourself, not accepting the inevitability of "I want it, therefore I'll give in".

If you must, must have dessert, skip dinner and just have dessert. Better to have 2000 calories than 4000. Or, order a single scoop of ice cream. Anywhere can do that, even if they don't have in on the menu. That's better than baked goods.

Another option is skipping the baked goods and having a cappuccino or similar after your meal. I find that very satisfying and a nice way to end a meal. You'd be saving BIG TIME on calories, but you'd still have something going on as everyone else is eating dessert.

If you want dessert...have dessert. I really don't see what's the big deal about it. It doesn't have to be ALL or NOTHING. If you've been eating on plan, and feel confident that you can just have one slice, and be DONE with it, then do so. Stressing about it, or even worse, denying yourself something you really want, will only make it worse and lead to binging down the line.

Note: No one's ever gained a single solitary pound of fat from eating 1 slice of cake... Maybe plan ahead though..keep your calories on the low side during the day, so you can splurge a little on dessert without going too far off plan! Have fun!!!

Order something small AND shareable. Order something you will really, truly enjoy. Eat and love it and don't feel guilty, then jump right back into your usual daily plan.

Upscale restaurants almost always have at least one dessert item geared to expensive-suit-wearing types who want to keep fitting into their luxe clothes and don't want huge calorie-bomb desserts. Chances are good you can choose one of the lighter options (none of them will be light, most likely, but a shot-glass of a fruit-based dessert is less calorie-dense than a massive serving of something baked, filled, and frosted).

You know you better than we know you. Will a bite or two make you feel satisfied and happy at having fully shared a celebratory meal, or will it cause you to endure cravings for days? Will skipping dessert in favor of a cappuccino make you feel happy with your adherence to your plan or woefully deprived? What's it worth to you to eat none, a bite, half, the whole thing? Decide in advance and stick to your decision. An accounted-for cake is always better than a sneak-attacking ninja cake.

Thanks for your suggestions so far. i think i'm going to let everyone else order dessert and i'll just sneak a taste from them. it will be satisfying and i wont feel deprived. The restaurants a Bistro so they have like bread pudding, red velvet cake (which i love), a few moussees like choc & strawberry....looks like i'll be working out twice that day!