So I think one of the reasons I had gained so much weight in the last two years is because me and my boyfriend ate out all the time. We finally both joined Weight Watchers and so I think I've solved that problem but my friends still like to go out to eat a lot or cook dinner at their houses which makes it difficult for me to stay OP. At a lot of resturants I can't always figure out what the healthiest choice is. And some of the resturants don't seem to have a particularly healthy choice at all. I want to be able to eat out with them but I need help trying to figure out how to make it so it wont ruin my diet. What do you guys do when eating out to insure you don't eat too much?

Man, I'm all over these boards today.

A few suggestions for restaurants:

If you know where you're going ahead of time, do your research. A lot of places are offering lighter options and many have their nutritional information available online. And if they don't, try a website like http://www.calorieking.com/foods/.

Don't get fooled by salads. Seriously, some of the salads are so loaded with cheese and dressing they're not worth eating.

Eat something before you go. Even if it's just a tiny snack (like a few almonds or some veggies) it'll take the edge off your hunger and make sure you don't order more food than you need.

Drink water. This one's pretty obvious. And drink LOTS of it with your meal.

It might also be a good idea to let your friends know if they make a choice that doesn't work for you. For example, before I started dieting I was a big fan of the local Chinese buffet. Not anymore. And now when my roommate wants to go there, I have to remind her that I can't. No big deal.

Good luck!

Avoid foods with cream sauces , gravy , fried foods and desserts, for salad order dressing on the side. Someone has already mentioned calorie king , you can get calorie counts for fast foods and restaurants.

Drink lots of water before you go and while you are there! Try to remember that going out to eat with friends is about the company of the friends and not the food you are eating

A lot of restaurants have soup and salad. You usually can't go wrong there. Pick soups with a broth base instead of cream... and of course make sure you get your dressing on the side. This is the first thing I look for when I'm at a new restaurant.

Okay, this is long, but at work we put together a whole list of strategies that I think are really helpful to share.

Plan Ahead:
Eat light during the day and save most of your calorie intake for your meal out.

If you are going out to eat and you are really hungry, have a small snack before you go. It will help you pass up the steak and go for the salad.

If you know where you are going, you can check the menu online. If it is a chain restaurant, you may be able to check the nutrition facts. If not, you can still make your healthy decision when there is less pressure and you are less hungry.

Know the Lingo:
Know which descriptive words connote high fat foods: alfredo, au gratin, basted, batter-dipped, buttery, breaded, cheesy, creamy, crispy, deep-fried, fried, pan-fried, scalloped, tempura, sautéed, or in cream or butter sauce. Also beware of portion size indicators: jumbo, grande, mega, extreme, and supreme

Know which words connote lower fat foods: baked, broiled, grilled, roasted, poached, steamed, in marinara sauce

Beware of words like “Light” which may seem healthy, but a “light cream sauce” is still packed with fat. “Fresh” can also be a tricky word. “Fresh” Mexican chains may sound healthy but load up dishes with sour cream, cheese, over sized flour tortillas, be deep fried, etc.

Don’t be afraid to ask:
It is often hard to judge an item from the menu (just last week my scallop salad turned out to be a “deep fried scallop salad”). Ask the waiter how the food is prepared if you are unsure. Don’t be afraid to ask for things to be made more lightly, with sauces and dressing on the side, or baked instead of fried.

If the portions are large, ask for a to-go box and the beginning of the meal. If you remove the extra food from your plate, you won’t be tempted to eat it.

The same goes for chips, bread and appetizers that are hard to stop eating. Either have the hard-to-resist items removed from the table, or at least move them out of arm’s reach.

This is all really good advice! I usually go to resturants when I'm already fairly hungry so I think eating a snack first would be a good idea. Being hungry and having a platter of bread infront of me never turns out well

And thanks for the CalorieKing link! I'm going to go check it out right now..

I know it's weird, but depending on where we're going, I will either just eat before I go and order something to drink (diet coke, water). Or I will just get a plain salad with vinegar and oil.

Don't be afraid to be picky. I almost always end up ordering my food special. For instance:
* Toast with butter on the side
* Baked/Sweet potato with butter on side
* Veggies steamed and plain
* Veggies (or a side salad) instead of potato
* Egg beaters instead of eggs
* Fruit instead of hashbrowns
* Sauces and dressing on the side

I figure if I am paying for the food I can order it how I want. I also try and order a house salad before my main course and then take the main course home.

Good advice! this is what i do! Most restaurants/ waiters do their best to accommodate your requests. Whenever I get chinese food anymore (which is hardly ever) I always ask for the sauce on the side. Sometimes I feel like I'm being a pain, but it's your food, you're buying it. Get it the way you want it.

I find smaller portions are the way to go. Unfortunately my friends are very spontaneous... we will be hanging out and suddenly its "lets go to carvel!" I solved that one by ordering a kiddie size. It definitely is an issue when everyone wants to go out!

As others have said it's helpful is to ask for dressings and sauces on the side, then you can control how much to put on, if the restaurant puts it on your food is usually swimming in it!

Also don't be afraid to substitute, veggies instead of mashed potatos, dinner salad instead of french fries, etc. And don't be afraid to personalize your order, ask for it without cheese, no butter, steamed, etc. ANY place will be happy to accomodate you, even burger king!

Also, something that is especially helpful to remember when you end up at a restaurant that doesn't seem to have anything remotely healthy is that the one thing that you control 100% is the portion size you eat. The restaurant may serve you a huge portion but you and only you control how much you put in your mouth. If you can't eat part of it and leave the other part without picking at it for the rest of the meal ask for them to bring you a take-home container when they bring out your meal, don't be embarassed, I was a waitress for a long time and this request is very common!

Dinner out with friends is a big part of my social life, so I know first hand how difficult this issue is - learning how to deal with this issue was critical for my plan. In addition to the good advice you've already received, here are a few additional thoughts - first, consider ordering an appetizer as your dinner instead of a full sized entree - given portion sizes these days, it may be more than enough food. Second, remember that you don't actually have to eat everything put in front of you. These days, when I order a full entree, I quite regularly go home with a doggie bag full of leftovers.

I am a big believer that you shouldn't deprive yourself too much, or you'll wind up going back to bad habits, but if you can find ways to manage what you're eating to moderate portions, nothing really needs to be off limits. Good luck!

Skip the alcohol! I used start off my meal with a drink at the bar while we waited for our table and that was the end of it. It's hard to pick what's healthy when you're tipsy, too, LOL.

I am the QUEEN of substitutions. People always say, you remind me of Sally from When Harry Met Sally