1. Plan or Be a part of the plan: If the choice of the restaurant is completely out of your control, look over the menu before you get there. Have some ideas of what you can order so you aren’t super tempted by the other people’s plates as you walk to your table. If you are part of the decision making, throw out some places that you already know have some great options. Many times, people who are starting to eat healthier get self-conscious and may not want to announce they want a healthier place and will often not give their opinion as they don’t want to be a burden. No need to suggest the place with only salads but speak up and suggest some places with a variety of foods so everyone is happy.

2. Skip the Freebies: That free bread can be dangerous! People usually fall into two types: those who can have one piece of bread or a few chips and those who will continue eating the bread or chips until the waiter has to pry the basket from their fingers. You know already know which one you are! So if you are the latter, the best thing to do is to tell your waiter you don’t want it RIGHT AWAY! * gasp * I know! Say no to free food???!! But it won’t feel so free when you are paying for it in your next workout. Now, you may be in a situation where the other people at the table want the freebies. In this case, forgo eating even ONE piece if you are in the second category. Don’t lie to yourself and tell yourself this time it will be different! You will stop after one piece, ok…after two pieces, two baskets….ughhh….!!! Don’t worry…your food is coming out soon. You won’t keel over from starvation.

3. Watch out for the drinks: Alcoholic drinks are empty calories. Doesn’t mean we can’t have them, just means you want to be careful as they add up quickly. Stick to wine, hard liquor or a light beer. Skip the cocktails if you can. They are loaded with sugar and to be honest aren’t usually as strong as the other options in terms of alcoholic content. You are mostly getting sugar water with a hint of alcohol. Also keep in mind what you have coming up for the rest of the week/weekend. If you know your weekend is full of parties, dinners, and BBQ’s, decide how many drinks you are going to have that week and stick to your plan, especially if that’s a weekly occurrence for you.

4. Order smart: It’s finally time to order the food! There are a few strategies you can do here, depending on the restaurant:

- Order an appetizer and split an entrée with someone. If you MUST have a fried food, getting a smaller portion in the form of an app is better than getting a full fried entrée.

- If you don’t have someone to split the entrée with, ask for a to go box at start of the meal and put half away. You will be fine! The portions at restaurants are insane. They don’t care if you are a 100 lb woman or a 300lb man, you are getting the same entrée. So it’s up to you do portion     out the appropriate amount.

- Order a few apps/salads/soups/sides as your meal. There is no rule that says you have to order an entrée. You can easily make a well balanced meal by ordering a meat app, a side salad, and a side of rice.

5. Make substitutes: it used to be considered a faux pas to change how an entrée was presented. Now it’s common place. Depending on what you are wanting to complete your food for the day, make subs to fit your needs:

- Get double veggies instead of the starchy carb

- Switch out the set carb with a healthier one. (ie. Get the baked potato instead of the mac & cheese) 

- Get the sauce on the side. You can either leave it off completely or use way less.

- Get the protein grilled instead of fried or another such switch. Most restaurants are able to do such things without any hassle at all.

6. Beware of the entrée salads: You would think it’s always a safe bet to order an entrée salad but they can be sneaky sneaky! Sure it’s starts off innocent enough with some type of leafy green, they may even throw in something super healthy like kale to throw you off. But it can quickly go south when they start adding in the breaded chicken, crotons, sugar coated pecans, cheese and creamy dressing. Read each ingredient that’s in the salad and don’t be fooled by the snazzy sounding names like, “Summer Garden Salad” and “Superfood Salad”. Sometimes it’s best to get a steak and some veggies!

7. Look out for key words:

 - Avoid: fried, battered, buttery, creamy, crispy, cheesy, thick, breaded, smothered, glazed,       candied.

 - Choose: broiled, steamed, blackened, baked, roasted, light, fresh, grilled, sautéed.

8. Say no to dessert: Very few restaurants have healthier desserts to choose from. It’s best to skip them. If others at your table order them, get a coffee or a tea to keep busy. It’s usually the act of just sitting there as someone else eats something that gnaws that you. If you MUST get a dessert, opt to go to somewhere like Paciugo and get a small sherbet. Or have a small piece of chocolate waiting for you at home.

9. Throw out everything you just read: If you rarely eat out or it’s truly a special occasion and you have been on point with your eating, INDUGLE. Just be REAL with yourself on how often you let loose.

At the end of the day, most of us enjoy eating out at restaurants for the company, the joy of not having to cook and just to have a good time. NONE of that changes when you eat healthier. The only thing that stands to change may be your waistline…in a good way!