So here's another thing everyone needs to FIT into their lives: FUN!!! Going out to dinner with friends is one of the most popular Friday night activities right now, and I definitely feel this trend sweeping through the nation as my guests at the restaurant I work at flood through the door and run me around. It's fun work, and while I go through my shifts, I find myself noticing some trends in ordering and eating that may be something I should share with my readers.
The only problem with going out is the pressure to eat. It sounds silly, but even if you're going out to dinner with the intent of eating and drinking your merry night away, there is still unseen pressure on what and how much you eat when you're not the one in control of the menu. At a restaurant, the menu truly controls you. No matter how extensive the menu is, you're essentially limited to what you see written on the pages. Unless you know how to work the menu, that is. :)
Here's some tips on how to dine out without filling out your jeans:
1. Make sure you can clean your plate - Restaurant portions, especially at American and Italian restaurants, are gargantuan nowadays. Many places often put between 9 and 12 ounces of pasta in their single portion dishes. That can make the dish well over 1000 calories without all the delicious cheese on top. But this doesn't mean you should be able to enjoy some shrimp and lemon butter cream pasta when you want it. The best idea for your waist AND your wallet is to split the portion. Either split the dish with a friend (most kitchens will serve the split dish in two separate, smaller bowls at the table, or ask the server to put half of it in a to go box, giving you two meals for the price of one. It's definitely a win-win that won't widen your waist!
2. Downsize - Order an appetizer, a soup/salad combo or a kids meal as your dish. You'll be surprised to find that many of the kids dishes are the same as the adult items, just with cuter names (the "cheesy noodles" at one chain restaurant are the exact same thing as the fettuccine alfredo on the adult menu, but at half the price!). Ask the server if you can order the appetizer as your meal or if they'll let you order off the kids menu for a small upcharge. This will save you tons of money when dining out, and a ton of calories saved by ordering smaller portions really adds up.
3. Special order - basically, don't be afraid to be a pain in the ass. If there's something you want but it's not on the menu the way you want it, ask your server if the cooks will accommodate a special request. I have lots of customers who want to order the "Asian Sesame Salad" at my restaurant but don't want the chicken to be all fried and greasy. I tell them they can order the salad with grilled chicken instead of fried with no problem at all. The same can be done with any salad or dish that has fried chicken if the kitchen also makes dishes with grilled chicken. Its an easy substitution and, quite frankly, it saves the restaurant money on oil and breading when they don't have to fry. I'll allow my customers to special order anything to fit their diets and tastes. Want a burger with no bun and extra veggies on top? No problem. Want a pasta dish with sauce on the side? Sure! Want me to see if you can order the blue cheese burger with a portobello mushroom instead of a beef patty? I do that once a week! lol. Don't be afraid to ask for your food to be made the way you want it.
4. Water breaks - Make sure you drink lots of water before, during and after your meal. Sodas and teas, while they taste good, actually make your appetite stronger, making you eat more than you would if you had abstained from the syrupy drinks. (This is ESPECIALLY true for diet sodas. So much for "diet" lol). Drinking water will fill you up and hydrate you, keeping you talking, laughing and enjoying your night on the town with your friends. And with most restaurants charging over $2 for a soda, your wallet will thank you for making the healthy choice to stick with water.
It's your wallet and your body. Do yourself a favor next time you go out and cater to both of them by ordering what you want, what's good for you, and only eat as much as you can without overstuffing yourself. It's perfectly okay to eat out when you're dieting or trying to be healthy. You just have to make the menu work for YOU, not the other way around!.
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