Steer clear of menu pitfalls with these tips from our experts Hope S. Warshaw and Cheryl Forberg.
Order it your way
You’re the customer, and most restaurants will do everything they can to keep you happy. So don’t be afraid to nicely ask to have that shrimp special grilled instead of fried.
Think tapas
Don’t feel compelled to order an entrée. You can put together a healthier meal out of two or three appetizers and side dishes.
Beware of the four Cs
Crunchy, cheesy, crispy, and creamy. Those words are code for fat-dense foods.
Say bye-bye to bread
There’s no need to test your willpower. Take just one slice, then ask the waiter to remove that breadbasket from the table.
Undress your salad
Dilute your favorite salad dressing with a squeeze of lemon or a few drops of vinegar.
Wrap it up
Get your doggy bag up front. Wrap up half before you dig in—out of sight, out of mind … and mouth.
By Brittani Tingle
Comments (48)
I’m sick of hearing people say to wrap up your food before you eat it…you’re going to eat it all anyway, and more than likely…later on that night! dont get it!
Bagging up half of the food deters you from eating it all at one sitting. Your body can’t metabolize/utilize that many calories at once, so the excess will be stored as fat. Besides that, soggy doggy-bag food is much easier to say no to than when it is fresh!
Wouldn’t it just be easier to buy one dish and split it with your husband/friend/mother, etc. You can flip a coin over the soup and salad if that is included in the meal. Just ask for another empty plate. Save money and lose weight at the same time.
I live in the Columbus, Ohio area Blacklick, to be percise, is there a group of women in that area who would like to walk, do exercises, work on body images and weight toghether? We can also share low fat menus, and dishes. We can do it at my house or go to each others homes if you like. You can contact me Tianna at (614) 861-8194.
I too agree on the eatting smaller portions,half you food when eating out. Doggie bags are good, and even having it wrap before you start to eat is a good ideal. Yes, sometimes you do get back in that bag later..this is true. But some times you don’t and That helps me out a lot. Sometimes I never get back to that refrigerated leftovers. Sometimes freezing it keeps me away to a later date. Less on my body is the ideal. Or order a childs portion. Good luck, if you like we can discuss more and share ideals in a group call me Tianna(614) 861-8194
Tianna
I have a friend that ate only half of his orders. He looked so great in six months, I knew he was on the right track. Discipline, self control…hellooo!
You are so right Mr. Maurer!!! “To be honest with you”, it is all about self-control which translates to PORTION CONTROL.
It’s quite Simplex!!!
This point also from a growing self-confessed eco-freak: Ask them to either wrap your leftovers in aluminum foil or even bring your own container (if your purse is big enough!). This way you can avoid the giant styrofoam box.
I always try to leave half my meal; that way I figure I’m getting a two-for-one deal!
p.s. that’s not a joke–those are actually my initials.
I pour water over the second half of my meal – that way it’s not inviting to eat! i know it’s wasteful – but better to waste it than have a heart attack!
Thats good advice.. thanks!!!!!!!!!
Jo C How many of your dining companions have vomitted on their meals after seeing half of yours swimming? That is soooooooo rude! Do the servers gag as they come to clear the table?
A less objectionable, but equally effective, way of making what you shouldn’t be eating impossible to eat, is to shake a lot of salt or pepper, instead of water, on it. I attend a lot of luncheons and dinners at which the desserts are at each place before the meal starts. The salt trick has prevented me from eating many desserts despite having had to stare at them the whole meal! This also works for the 1/2 portion that you shouldn’t eat but are unable (or unwlling) to wrap up and take home.
I can’t image not taking the doggie bag with you, I always eat half when I buy it and save the other half for either dinner or lunch the next day. It is getting two meals for one price. I have lost 40 lbs the last 8 monthes mainly by learning to eat much smaller portions and walking. Now I’m trying to teach my cousin that concept!
Portion sizes seem to have grown over the years. I don’t understand how people can stuff all that food into themselves! If we know the entrees are large, my wife and I order one entree and an extra salad (and maybe a side of veggies). We still have some left over at times! We also stick with water or unsweetened ice tea.
Jillian,
How many times have you eaten your entire large portion dinner, then gone for snacks before bedtime? If you take half of your food home, when you are hungry a couple of hours later, you can feast on the food you did not eat at dinner. Worst comes to worst, you end up eating your entire meal and no snacks after. I weigh 115 lbs so I can attest that this works!
Sometimes you are tempted to eat the other half of the meal but one simple trick is to eat a high fiber snack with a glass of water before you eat your actual meal. Your stomach has sensors at the top to detect when you are full and by filling it up partially with a high fiber snack and water, you will feel full faster and you will still feel satisfied.
Once you get the bag home-take a marker and put “For Lunch Only” or “For Dinner Only” so that you are not tempted to eat it later that evening. I am not comfortable with breaking my food up before but generally depending on what I have I can usually save something without eating it all-mostly because I start to feel full.
CHRISTY
I EAT THE WHOLE MEAL WHEN I AM AT THE RESTAURANT, AND THEN I EAT SNACKS RIGHT BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. I WEIGH 108, SO LEAVE JILLIAN ALONE, YOU DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HER. SHE MIGHT EAT ALL OF HER FOOD AND STILL WEIGH THE SAME AMOUNT AS YOU. YALL ARE DIFFERENT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO WRITE YOUR FEELINGS ON THE ARTICLE NOT ON WAT OTHER PEOPLE SAID.
CHRISTY,
i weigh less than you and i eat all of my portions of food, you weighing 115 doesn’t mean anything, you’re just boasting about your weight.
I weigh 112. Who freaking cares????
Folks, please stop wasting your food. Don’t pour water on it or over salt it. Save it for later or find a homeless person to eat it or split an entree with a friend.
Another option is to try and ask for a lunch portion(if you’re at dinner). This doesn’t always work, but I think if restaurants get a clue, they will cut portion sizes for those who ask. And if I weighed 112 lb. I’d implode. I’m a healthy 136. :-) No reason to be any smaller.
You people are freaks!! eat your food enjoy life and rejoice you can eat with your mouth and not a feeding tube!
Wow that was funny at the end. thanks for the amusement about the numbers.
LAB nailed it. Stop wasitng food. Mind over matter. share it with a friend or give it to the less fortunate. Stop wasting.
99% of the time, my hubby and I split an entree. Except when there’s prime rib — his favorite and mine not so much. We get a second salad. On the very rare occasion that portions are small and we’re still hungry, we might split a small dessert. Girlfriends and I often do the same thing. No waste. No waist!!
Eat what you want, be comfortable with yourself. Realize that over eating is no good for your health, be smart at meal time. Watch portions and cut out the junk see a healthy weight in months. Get some exercise while your at it, that helps too.
I like to save half my meal for lunch or dinner the next day. No one else seems to mention the other benefit of doing this which is to SAVE MONEY. Perhaps no one else here is feeling any economic crunch, but I certainly worry. You get two meals for the price of one. Pouring water or over-salting the food just so you won’t eat it? That’s just a disgusting waste of food. Either save it for yourself or give it to someone else.
If I know I’m going to eat out I save aboout 400 calories a day in the time leading up to the meal. That way I can enjoy my meal FULLY and not worry about gorging myself ^^
Alternativly, I mentally divide my food in half, eat that and wait a while before I decide if I want to eat the rest. This gives my body time to digest the food thus making me feel fuller – besides if I’m hungry I’ll just eat later anyways. I don’t eat out often (and if you do, you can’t seriously be worried about saving money), so why shouldn’t I enjoy myself?
Btw, all you 110 pounders, unless you are like 5″3, you are classified as underweight; so stop bragging already?
I usually split my food into two piles on my plate at the start of the meal (or I try to) so I can eat half and then decide whether or not I want to eat the rest of it after I’ve eaten.
If I feel my body sigh after eating half, I pack the rest for lunch the next day. I hate packing lunches and the lunches at the cafeteria are 1) expensive and 2) even fattier than whatever I’m packing. Except for that phad tai I packed… Mmmmm
If someone else has tips or tricks that work well for them, I’ll probably be checking here later on today. I’d love to read what works for you!
Just another tip to consider…. it has really worked for me! I have my largest meal of the day at lunch… my friends used to give me a hard time for having a heavy meal early in the day, then only haveing a side salad or soup something small later in the day. But as it was pointed out to me by a nutritionist, you are going to go back to work and finish out your day being ACTIVE after lunch. Where as even if you take half of a meal home at night its still a heavier food that takes longer for your body to metabolize…since in the evening you are more likely to go home and relax or even go to bed you dont use the energy from your food and more gets stored away as fat. Proportion and control are still important but thinking about when and what you eat make a difference too. Just to let you know I switched my meal time habits only 6 months ago and I’ve already dropped 30 pounds without changing my exercise routine!! It really does make a difference!!
Elaine, you are right on target. We lived in Germany for four years, and they always eat their big meal at lunch time. You will rarely see obese Europeans. Yesterday I ate a really big salad with chicken for lunch, and by dinner time I was only hungry enough for a little bowl of cereal.
come on guys, stop fighting and acting like children. there are some pretty good tips on here in both the article and other people’s comments. thankx. and who cares whether people are talking about the article or someone else’s comment.
some countries don’t even eat ‘lunch’ they eat a large breakfast have tea in the afternoon with a little snacks and then a small dinner with lots of protein and wine. I’m thin. Yet I still eat alot, if you exersize off more calories then you eat you will lose weight
Note to all.. It’s not about how much you eat or don’t eat! It’s about eating to live, not living to eat! Usually, people who are much larger than their frame can handle have more going on within themselves than just bad eating habits! They usually are filling some “voids” in their lives and “food” seems to be their way to “release” and it’s a cover-up for the real problem. When you talk about your weight take into consideration your bone density, muscle mass, height and genetics. Beautiful people come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. If you are not comfortable about your weight, first ask your self if it’s really your weight causing the problem in the first place? Or is it much deeper than that? How did you get to that point of being unhappy about your self image to begin with? Getting to the root of our problems is a great place to start! Stop focusing on “size” and start focusing within! Society has us so wrapped up in our self image that we forget what’s most important! Finding true happiness within ourselves is by far healthier than the food or portions you are eating! When you are truly happy, the world is in the palm or your hand! You have complete control over everything you do, to include healthy life changes. Just for today, feed your spirit!!! Good luck to all of you…
Warmest Regards,
Debbie
I agree , you don’t live to eat, you eat to live. I had to realize that after my 4th child. I weighed 170 lbs. I now weigh 134 lbs. I did all this in 3 1/2 months. I am now going for my goal of 115 lbs. I feel great and that in the end is what matters. Everyone is different. I eat my largest meal at night. It works for me. Maybe not for you. You have to find what works for you. Why do you think tere are so many different diets out there? Everyone needs their own plan.
I don’t know how people eat an entire entree when they go out anyway. The portions are HUGE! I also don’t get how people get appetizers and desserts when they eat out.
The best thing I ever did to lose weight is to add to my diet instead of take away. My goal was to add more veggies at each meal and drink more water. Pairing that with avoiding such risk factors as saturated or high fat and sodium, I was able to lose 30 lbs without much difficulty. Added bonuses? I feel energetic and my hair and skin look really great!
I find it funny that just about everyone here is fit or has already lost weight. These are great tips but I think most of the people who need to here them arent going to click on this aricle. Just a thought.
I read some comments about like pouring water on half your food and then like salt and pepper. Why? That’s so rude and such a waste. If you only want half and you’re not going to take the other half home then ask for a half portion of whatever you are getting and then you won’t need to waste food and be completely rude to the chef, waiters and people you’re with. I think with all the starving homeless people around, you sholdn’t be making you food unedible, you should be saving food and helping people. You can wrap up half and give it to some poor homeless person. That’d make their day.
Wow, there sure are some weird eating habits here! Restaurants today concentrate on huge portions assuming this is what attract customers. They serve WAY too much! I agree with the others on sharing. My wife and I split the meal (and desert) and go home full but not stuffed. Many times we have leftover food and bring it home. My son or daughter promptly eat the leftovers the next day! Problem solved….
I have changed my lifestyle to trying to eat healthier and excercise. After gaining about 25lbs during last winter I knew I had gone off the deep end. I started (in april) excercising daily and not eating as much and it worked at first – i lost about 10lbs by the end of the summer. but then i platued and i cannot loose anymore weight! it’s very upsetting and i dont know wat to do about it? any tips?? about once i week (i guess) i tend to over eat at dinner. i dont know how to break this annoying habit or wat to do about it. can somone help???
yo whats up
Since, I have been trying to eat better. I always request a doggy bag and it has worked for me so far. Last Sunday we met some family for breakfast and I ordered my breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. I packed half of my meal and had breakfast for the next morning. Keep trying, it works.
As a way of eating healthy, my two sons and I order two meals instead of three, my 7-yr old and I share a meal. However, we’ve gotten nasty looks from servers when I typically asked for an extra plate, or when I tell them that my son and I will share “this” particular meal. It’s sad when servers look at us like we’re cheap people trying to save money. I remember that day when I allowed my son to have a soda and I only ordered one because that restaurant’s glass is really big. When I asked for a refill (just for the second time), the waitress told me they don’t have free refills when I know (I’ve eaten there many times) they do, it’s pathetic.
Claire… Your on the right track, eating less and exercising. I cut out things that are white like white rice, potatoes, and bread. I then cut out meat and other animal products (eggs, yogurt, and cheese) during the week. I eat lots of grains, legumes, veggies, and fruit. I do still eat meat, just much less. I lost weight in no time. It’s very healthy so long as you eat smart and still get all your body needs. There are lots of books out there. It’s about getting your energy from food. The less processed the better. Try to eat fresh. Every restaurant has somekind of healthy plate but that’s not always fun. Eat out once a week and eat what you want but then go back to eating right again. Chances are you’re not going to be craving something loaded with fat. You may find that it will make you feel sick. I ate an icecream cone last week and loved it but felt horrible shortly after. My stomach just can’t take it. Eat healthy. 80% of weight control is nutrition. So make sure your treating your body right. You may plateau, people often do. You can start by cutting out meat just one day a week. I eat Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, sweet potatoes fries (baked), and brown basmati rice. I’m not missing out on anything but fat. Take a look at how and what your eating. Small changes can have big results. Good luck
Clint,
Well you were wrong, I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am neither fit, nor have lost any weight, (and kept it off or not regained it plus some). I am a 34 year old mother of three who has battled my weight my entire life, Rheumatoid arthritis since I was 14, and now Type 2 Diabetes that is as out of whack as it gets. Current and also my heighest weight…255lbs. Some of these comments have brought tears to my eyes, I wish it were as simple as some of these people make it out to be. I have attempted with success, and failure nearly every diet idea, fad, pill, meal plan, and shake out there. I know that it all comes down to good old fashioned healthy food choices, exercise, and a complete lifestyle change, for me it is a lack of self control, and side effects of some of my meds, (hunger). I am now desperately trying to find something or someone that can help me, vanity is not my concern, it is my health. I want desperately to see my children grow up, go to college, get married and have children of their own. I want to run, and play with my kids, that’s all.
So, in response to your comment Clint,,, I clicked.
Chrystal,
Have you ever thought of joining CURVES for exercise? It is such a great thing! I have been a member for over 2 years. They also have a great book for eating healthy and changing your lifestyle. My friend recently joined and has lost 120 pounds by going 3 days a week and eating healthy…you should check it out!