Sometimes I just think it's inevitable. Tonight my family and I are going to an Italian restaurant (Bravos) to celebrate my little sister's birthday. I tried to look up the nutritional information online and it doesn't seem to be available on the website. I know the pastas are carb-filled, but I plan on getting a salad. I just don't know which one would be my best bet.

When you go out to dinner, how do you determine what will fit into your daily caloric intake? The menu doesn't even have a lighter options section, so I'm stuck.

Stick with what you know - if you order a salad loaded with cheese and meat, it's going to be high in calories. But, if you stick to veggies, and maybe some turkey or chicken, you've made a smart choice. Talk to the waiter about what's on each dish if the descriptions on the menu aren't clear, and ask to have it made without the high calorie stuff if necessary. And of course, ask for the dressing on the side so you can control how much goes on the salad.

Another possibility for you - a lot of Italian restaurants will have some nice fish selections, consider ordering one of those with some steamed veggies. That makes for a nice, healthy meal. (But check how the fish is prepared - sauteed in butter tends to ruin the low cal approach )

You may have to work at it a bit, but most restaurants these days will work with you if you're trying to identify a lower calorie option - believe me, it's not the first time they've heard it.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Italian restaurants sometimes have a whole wheat pasta option. I would probably order a small green salad to start (no cheese, no croutons, dressing on the side). I would stay OUT Of the bread basket (not even have it anywhere near me). I would order pasta with marinara sauce (no cheese). I would eat half of it (since portion sizes at restaurants are ridiculous).

When I go out to a restaurant, I do the best I can. I definitely concentrate on portion control as the best way to manage calories.

If I feel like I don't want ANOTHER salad...ANOTHER chicken breast... more veggies. You know that stuff youg get tired of. And especially if I can't find the nutritional info, I usually get somethng off the kids menu. Not the fattyiest lookin thing there, thought (like alfredo or chicken strips and fries). But usually I can do that without having to worry about portions and stuff, cause their usually pretty small... well except at mexican restaurants. A kids meal is like the size of a normal meal at them places.

I usually order pasta and just eat half of it (unless it looks like a real portion size~usually isn't.) I try to stay away from the cream sauces and anything laden with cheese.

In regards to salads, I order my dressing on the side and use the fork trick to keep the fat and calories down.

If you haven't left yet. Bravo's has an amazing grilled Portabello mushroom that really is enough for a whole meal. I don't even like veggies and I absolutely love this dish. If you feel the need for something more I would get a hearty soup. The bread and oil is also amazing so for my own sake I ask them not to bring it to the table because I know I'll cave if I smell it. Have fun

You shouldn't have to sit and watch everybody enjoy their meal. Get a small side salad and just have a small pasta. (something light like angel hair with grilled chicken and marinara.) If you can trust yourself to have a small chunk of bread, go for it. (If I know I can't do it, I just avoid it all-together.) I felt the same way when I went to cheesecake factory last night. I 'couldn't' order my usual favorite, so I found a healthier alternative, only ate half, and limited myself to a tiny bit of bread. (I even tried the pumpernickel, when I'm usually just a 'white bread' girl.) I felt like I actually enjoyed myself, and didn't 'punish' myself for being on a diet. It felt really good not to feel like I needed to be rolled out on a gurney like I usually do. (A whole loaf of bread, my meal, cheesecake..........etc...)

Hi there, what's the fork trick?

Next week I will be eating at restaurants for 6 days I need all the help I can get

I don't eat salads so I'm not 100% sure - but I think the trick is to order the dressing on the side then dip your fork into the dressing and then pick up some salad. That way you eat a minimal amount of dressing overall.

Oh, okay that is a cool trick! I will try that next week whenever I have a salad. Thanks

Well I ended up at dinner before I got the chance to read everyone's advice. It was my first really big challenge, and I won't lie- it was HARD. They don't have nutritional information available, which made it even harder for me. Carbs have always been really bad on me, because all of my favorite foods seem to be loaded with them- cereal, bread, pasta, etc. and my carb count is always on the high side. Looking at the menu I literally welded up and honestly felt like crying. Not because I was craving a certain dish that I couldn't have, but simply because I didn't feel in control of my meal like I would like to be. I knew WHAT I was ordering but I didn't know the exact nutritional information, and I just didn't like that. I had a pretty tough time at first. Eventually I decided on a grilled chicken salad, no cheese, Italian dressing on the side. The bread and oil came, and I didn't even let myself be tempted. Actually quite proud of that one! The dinners came, and surprisingly I wasn't even jealous by what everyone else was getting. In fact, I was almost appalled at the amount of food on everyone's plate (as well as my own!) and even more so that they all came close to finishing their meals. It just seemed like so MUCH. I ended up eating a little less than half of my salad and about 1/4 of the dressing that came in the container, but ate all of the chicken out of it (which was just plain grilled chicken, no sauces or anything except for the dressing). After a difficult start, the whole thing was pretty much a success. Even when the dessert came, I was able to resist even tasting it, because I don't feel that I'm at the point just yet to be able to keep with just one bite.

Thanks everyone for everything you've said on the topic, it definitely helps for the next adventure out to eat!

Ohhkay8, you should be really proud of yourself, you did great!

I usually pre plan and go to calorie king to get a general idea. I also box half of my food when I get it, that really helps me with portion control!!!