Eating out
 

Congratulations lovegoddess!! It sounds like you made perfectly reasonable and healthy decisions. I completely agree. I don't think there is any need to feel guilty IF it's only an occasional thing. And yes, a lot of people say that a day of upped calorie intake or calorie splurging sort of revs their metabolism back into gear after a week or two of calorie restricting, helping them to beat their plateau and lose even more weight afterwards.

Personally, when I go out to eat I always have the idea that I need to order something I "wouldn't normally eat at home, or too much work to make at home", so I just can't talk myself into ordering a salad or soup or sandwich. When I go out to eat, I want to order something that's a bit more decadent, or at least something that's fun, not a salad which I already eat every single day for lunch at home. I've learned though that even if I've ordered something that is a treat, there are still other things I can do to keep myself from turning the restaurant outing into a complete binge - like not mindlessly eating from the bread basket (with butter too!), not drinking high-cal alcohol or any alcohol at all, not ordering a fried appetizer, splitting the dessert with others and just having a bite or two, watching things like sauces and dressings (ask for them "on the side" when possible), etc. I do also usually bring a tupperware with me in my purse (at least at restaurants where I know the pasta portions are enormous), and I don't force myself to finish everything at the restaurant. For some reason I feel more comfortable and powerful when I bring my own tupperware and then can put away some of the portion as leftovers whenever I want, rather than asking the server to pack it up for me (for some reason I find it awkward to ask that, I think it comes from my time in Europe). All of these strategies help me to feel like I'm still in control even if I am indulging in something that's off-diet. So I look at it as a "controlled cheat" rather than naughty cheating.