I'm sure it's been asked before, but I was hoping you ladies (and gentlemen if there are any) have any advice about what to do when eating out.

I'm sure avoiding doing so would be the best idea, however sometimes it's just unavoidable.

Get yourself a calorie king book. It has many many restaurants listed.

Everything on the side: dressings, sauces, control your own portions, dont let them do it for you.

Go somewhere that will let you build your own meal, salad bars, sub shops, etc..

Certain restaurants have diet menus, weight watchers menus, look around your favorite eateries website and see what they have.

Lately I have been asking DH where he plans on taking us, and then I look up the nutritionals online so I know exactly what I am going to order in advance. I don't even read the menu, I don't need the temptation. I order water with lemon to drink. I start with salad with dressing on the side. If I want something that is like 1200 calories, I give half of it to my kids, and save $ from not having to order kids' meals, so it ends up being like 600 calories. Yup I feed 3 people with 1 entree. Most restaurant portions are really huge anyway.

Otherwise places like subway, etc, have really good options for people watching their calories anyway. And every Mcdonald's has their nutrition info posted somewhere in the restaurant or you can ask for it at the counter and they'll give you the sheet of paper (it's on the back of the paper they lay on the trays)

You could also keep a list in your purse of common restaurants you go to and what you can order there and the calorie content of the items, so if someone is suddenly saying "hey let's go to olive garden" or something, you can go without feeling guilty because you already have a meal plan for when you go there.

The only place you run into problems is restaurants that don't have their nutritionals publicized, but even then if you have a good idea of the calorie content of basic foods you can keep your portions in check (like know how many calories are in a piece of grilled chicken, etc), and even ask if someone wants to split an entree, so at least then it wouldn't be as bad as if you ate the whole thing.

Don't be afraid of not cleaning your plate, either. There's no rule that says you have to clean your plate. If you feel full, stop. No shame in leaving leftovers (or taking them home for later).

I choose what I'm going to eat before I go there- I pick a few options in case.

You can also do something like have an appetizer or two for a meal. I always get water and during the day I watch my calories to help compensate

Hope that helps!

Same message here so there must be something to it. I go online and get nutritional info and choose the meal before I go. If that option is not available I stick with grilled meat- chicken, fish, beef- any sauce held. Salad dressing on the side. The more control you can take over your meal the better. I eat out alot and it hasn't been a problem.

The UK isn't all that big on offering the nutritional value of food in restaurants, clearly they haven't cottoned on yet! The advice about grilled meat and sauces on the side is an excellent piece of advice.

I calorie count by grams, but I'm really bad about estimating the amount food weighs - have to use the scales all the time. Sadly I suspect pulling out scales in a restaurant is a bit of a faux pas!