Eating out can be a real challenge to your waistband.  It can be pretty hard to make the best choices on the spur of the moment.

There are times to go all out and eat everything – maybe a special meal or celebration.  But for everyday eating, whether it’s at the coffee shop, takeout for lunch at work, or dinner at the local diner — why not resolve to stick to certain personal rules that are the most workable for you.

Here’s a list of some possibilities – all of them pretty doable – some easier that others depending on your preferences.  If you make up your mind to do one thing – and consistently stick to it – that behavior will eventually become your default habit pattern.

Ideas To Try:

1. I will not stick my hand in the breadbasket and eat what comes out.I will only have one piece of bread with dinner instead of two or three (harder breads tend to have fewer calories).
2. I will only have one piece of bread with dinner instead of two or three (harder breads tend to have fewer calories).
3. I will have my bread naked — without butter or olive oil (one teeny pat of butter has 36 calories, a tablespoon has 102, and a tablespoon of oil has 120).I will not use bread to sop up every last bit of sauce or dressing on my plate.
4. I will not use bread to sop up every last bit of sauce or dressing on my plate.
5. I will not eat all of the leftover broken pieces of cookies, brownies, crackers, etc.I will not taste everyone else’s meal at the table and then eat everything I ordered.
6. I will not taste everyone else’s meal at the table and then eat everything I ordered.
7. I believe it’s not necessary to clean my plate in a restaurant because (a) I paid for the meal, (b) it’s really good, or (c) it’s sitting in front of me.I will order pizza without extra cheese and meat.
8. I will order pizza without extra cheese and meat.
9. I will eat only two slices or pizza instead of three or four.I will have a two-scoop ice cream sundae instead of three – or maybe even one scoop.
10. I will have a two-scoop ice cream sundae instead of three – or maybe even one scoop.
11. I will order a single scoop sugar cone instead of a large waffle cone in the ice cream store. Sprinkles (jimmies) are a pretty low calories bonus.I won’t eat the crusts of grilled cheese or pizza off of my kid’s plate.
12. I won’t eat the crusts of grilled cheese or pizza off of my kid’s plate.
13. I won’t help with my kid’s ice cream cone, either – under the pretense of helping to keep it from dripping all over or falling on the sidewalk.I will hold my dinner wine to two glasses (a 5 ounce glass of wine has around 120 calories).
14. I will hold my dinner wine to two glasses (a 5 ounce glass of wine has around 120 calories).
15. I will keep my hand out of the bar snacks:  peanuts, goldfish, chips, etc.I will ask for salad dressing on the side and then use only a couple of spoonsful – not ladles like those commonly used in restaurants or salad bars.
16. I will ask for salad dressing on the side and then use only a couple of spoonsful – not ladles like those commonly used in restaurants or salad bars.
17. I’ll skip the pie a la mode and just have pie.I’ll eat the filling and leave most of the piecrust on the plate (can save around 200 calories).
18. I’ll eat the filling and leave most of the piecrust on the plate (can save around 200 calories).
19. I’ll order the smaller cut of steak in the steakhouse.I’ll ask for mustard instead of mayo on my sandwich (saves about 100 calories).
20. I’ll ask for mustard instead of mayo on my sandwich (saves about 100 calories).
21. I’ll have a cheeseburger instead of a bacon cheeseburger (two strips of bacon are about 100 calories).I’ll have plain coffee or tea instead of a mocha latte or hot chocolate.
22. I’ll have plain coffee or tea instead of a mocha latte or hot chocolate.
23. I’ll ask for veggies instead of mashed potatoes; salad instead of French fries.
24. I’ll have a regular burger or even a regular cheeseburger instead of a big mac, whopper, etc.
25. I’ll skip the mid-morning donut or pastry and have yogurt, fruit, or a small portion of nuts instead.
26. I’ll have grilled chicken or fish instead of fried.
27. I’ll only have one stadium-sized beer instead of two.
28. I won’t buy a candy bar when I stop for gas.
29. I’ll have a giant bagel only one of the weekend days instead of both.
30. I won’t use a road or plane trip as an excuse for non-stop candy and chip indulgence.

What are some of your eating out resolutions?  Post them on Facebook so others can try them, too.

Get more ideas.  Subscribe to EatOutEatWell digital magazine available from the iTunes stores.

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The biggest problem is that we often don’t realize that we’re shoving food into our mouths – either because we’re distracted, we don’t want to know, or we just plain old don’t care.

What Makes Us Do It?

1.  “Cheap” calories: the kind you find at all you can eat restaurants, freebie tastes in markets, the basket of broken cookies in the bakery, and “value and super sized meals.”

2.  Bread and extras like butter, olive oil, and olives on the table or bar peanuts or pretzels.  Way too tempting to pass up – especially if you’re hungry or you’ve walked in with the attitude that you “deserve” it because you’ve had a tough day.

3.  Walking into your kitchen or the snack room at work and having your favorite snacks staring you in the face (see it = eat it).

4.  Procrastinating or avoiding doing what you have to do by having a snack.

5.  Watching TV with a bag of chips or a bowl of candy on your lap.

6.  Parties— especially when you drink — causing you to lose count and control of what you’re grabbing to eat.

7.  Food and coffee shops on every corner that offer lots of food, lots of variety, and are open all the time.

8.  The in(famous) sugar/fat/salt combination in baked goods, fast food, candy, fast food, frozen food, and processed food.

9.  Food that your family or roommates insist must be in the house – or that you think they want in the house.

10.  Feeling tired, stressed, overwhelmed, bored, angry, or “out-of-sorts” and turning to food as a “pick-me-up” or for comfort.

11.  Mindless bites – a piece of candy from the open bowl on a desk, a taste of your partner’s dessert, finishing your child’s food (especially dripping ice cream cones).

12.  Being a member of the clean plate club – which also extends to polishing off leftovers and finishing the last bits left in the pan or serving dishes as you clean up.

The post A Dozen Really Common Reasons We Eat When We’re Not Hungry appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Have a plan — It could be your saving grace.  Think about how you want to handle yourself in the face of family picnics, barbecues, fresh strawberry shortcake, and ice cream cones with sprinkles.

Your plan doesn’t have to be engraved in stone but if you have an idea about how and when you’re going to eat you’ll be far less likely to nibble and nosh all day and night. You’re in charge of what goes into your mouth.

1. Make simple swaps in the food you prepare and the food you choose at parties, picnics, and restaurants. Reduce the amount of fat and calories by doing things like using skim milk instead of whole milk, applesauce in place of oil, or two-thirds or one-half of the sugar called for in a recipe. Look online for plenty of tips about swaps and substitutions. Make a horse trade or a deal with yourself that might have you avoiding the breadbasket or a pre-dinner drink if you’re going to have dessert or an ice cream cone instead of a muffin.

2. Beware of food landmines.  It’s so easy to be fooled by fatty sauces and dressings on innocent looking vegetables. Vegetables are great.  Veggies smothered with butter, cheese, croutons, and/or bacon are loaded with calories.  Liquid calories really add up, too, and they don’t fill you up.  Plan ahead of time about how many drinks you’ll have – and adjust your menu choices accordingly.

3. Let this be your mantra:  no seconds. Choose your food, fill your plate, and that’s it.  Keep a running account in your head of how many hors d’ oeuvre you’ve eaten or how many cookies. Keep away from food spreads at home, the beach, or at the hotel’s breakfast buffet to help limit nibbling, noshing, and replenishing.

4. Stop eating when before you’re full.  If you keep eating until your stomach finally feels full you’ll likely end up feeling stuffed when you do stop eating.  It takes a little time (around 20 minutes) for your brain to catch up and realize your stomach is full. A lot of eating is done with your eyes and your eyes love to tell you to try this and to try that.

5. Use a fork and knife instead of your fingers, a teaspoon rather that a tablespoon. Chopsticks slow you down even more. Chew your food instead of wolfing it down.  If you have to work at eating your food – cutting with a knife for instance – you’ll eat more mindfully than if you pick food up with your fingers and pop it into your mouth. Before you eat drink some water, a no- or low-calorie beverage, or some clear soup. The liquids fill up your stomach and leave less room for the high calorie stuff. If you know you’re going to eat treats, pick one portion controlled treat to eat each day.  Pick it ahead of time and commit to your choice so you don’t find yourself wavering in the face of temptation.

6. Plan ahead, commit to your plan, and don’t go to a party or event feeling ravenous. Before you go eat a small healthy snack that‘s around 150 calories with some protein and fiber:  fat free yogurt and fruit, a portion controlled serving of nuts, a small piece of cheese and fruit, or a spoonful of peanut butter with a couple of whole grain crackers. Have a no-cal or low-cal drink like water, tea, or coffee, too.  When you get to the party or dinner you won’t be as likely to attack the hors d’oeuvres or the breadbasket.

7. Choose your food wisely.  If you can, pick lean proteins like fish, poultry, and the least fatty cuts of pork, beef, and lamb that are grilled or broiled, not fried or sautéed. Consider beans or eggs as your protein source.  Load up on vegetables – preferably ones that are not smothered in cheese or dripping with oil. Eat your turkey without the skin. You can save around 200 calories at dessert by leaving the piecrust sitting on the plate. The same thing is true for ice cream toppings like hot fudge sauce and whipped cream.

8. Leave the breadbasket at the other end of the table.  If you absolutely must have bread, go easy or without butter or oil.  One teeny pat of butter has 36 calories, a tablespoon has 102 and 99% of them is from fat.  A tablespoon of oil has about 120 calories.  Would you rather have the oil or butter or a cookie for dessert or another glass of wine? Which calories will be more satisfying?

9. Keep the number of drinks under control and watch the mixers.  Certain drinks are much higher in calories than others.  There’s a couple of hundred calories difference between a glass of wine or beer and a good-sized margarita. Calorie free drinks would be better yet – even if you alternate you’re your alcoholic beverages you still cut your alcohol calories in half.  Calories from alcohol do not fill you up.

Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter for more tips and strategies.

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It’s summer.  It’s hot.  You’re thirsty.  You want some shade and something cool – or maybe ice cold – to drink.

Check Out The Calories

A lot of those cool, refreshing drinks come with a hefty dose of calories. You might be surprised at the number of calories in a drink you’ve been having for years.

Do a little research, figure out your best choice, and then make that your drink of choice.  Can you be satisfied with a bottle of beer that has around 100 calories rather than another brand that has around 300 – or water with a hint of flavor instead of a sports drink?

Water and Sports Drinks

• Gatorade:  12 oz, 80 calories
• SoBe Lifewater:  20 oz, 90 calories
• Glaceau Smart Water:  33.8 oz, 0 calories
• Vitamin Water:  20 oz, 125 calories
• Vitamin Water 10:  20 oz, 25 calories
• Perrier Citron Lemon Lime (22 oz bottle):  0 calories
• Vitamin Water Focus Kiwi-Strawberry (20 oz bottle):  125 calories, 32.5g sugars

• Hint Blackberry (16 oz bottle):  0 calories
• Gatorade G Orange (12 oz bottle):  80 calories, 21g sugars
• Water (as much as you want):  0 calories

Iced Coffee and Tea Drinks

• Dunkin’ Donuts Vanilla Bean Coolatta:  16 oz, 430 calories
• Dunkin’ Donuts Sweet Tea:  16 oz, 120 calories
• Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino:  16 0z (grande), 240 calories
• Starbuck’s Coffee Frappuccino, light:  16 oz grande), 110 calories
• Tazo Unsweetened Shaken Iced Passion Tea:  0 calories
• Iced Brewed Coffee with classic syrup:  12 oz (tall), 60 calories

Soda and Non-Carbonated Drinks

• Mountain Dew:  one 20 oz bottle, 290 calories
• Coke Classic:  one 20 oz bottle, 233 calories
• Diet coke:  one 20 oz bottle, 0 calories
• Snapple Orangeade (16 oz):  200 calories, 52g sugar
• San Pelligrino Limonata (11.15 fl oz can):  141 calories, 32g sugars
• Can of Coke (12 oz):  140 calories, 39g sugars
• Bottle of 7Up (12 oz):  150 calories, 38g sugars
• Root beer float (large, 32 oz):  640 calories, 10g fat

Beer (12 oz bottle)

• Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale: 330 calories
• Samuel Adams Boston Lager: 180 calories
• Guinness Extra Stout: 176 calories
• Pete’s Wicked Ale: 174 calories
• Harpoon IPA: 170 calories
• Heineken: 166 calories
• Killian’s Irish Red: 163 calories
• Long Trail: 163 calories
• Molson Ice: 160 calories
• Samuel Adams Brown Ale:  160 calories
• Budweiser:  144 calories
• Corona Light: 105 calories
• Coors Light: 102 calories
• Heineken Light: 99 calories
• Budweiser Select: 99 calories
• Miller Light: 96 calories
• Amstel Light: 95 calories
• Anheuser Busch Natural Light: 95 calories
• Michelob Ultra: 95 calories
• Miller MGD 64:  64 calories
• Beck’s Premier Light: 64 calories

Wine

• Red Wine:  5 oz, 129 calories
• White Wine:  5 oz, 120 calories
• Sangria:  8 oz, 176 calories

Alcoholic Drinks

• Mojito:  7 oz, 172 calories
• Frozen Magarita: 4 oz, 180 calories (the average margarita glass holds 12 oz, 540 calories)
• Mimosa:  137 calories
• Gin and Tonic:  175 calories

The post How Many Calories Are In Your Favorite Summer Drink? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Slow down when you eat!

People who eat quickly eat more calories than they would if they ate a bit more slowly. People who eat more slowly also feel fuller.

Why Does Slow Eating Make A Difference?

A recent study showed that hormones that give you feelings of fullness, or satiety, are more pronounced when people eat slowly. Subjects given identical servings of ice cream released more of these hormones when they ate it in 30 minutes instead of 5 minutes.

It leads to eating less, too. People who ate at a slow pace compared to when they chowed down very quickly said they were fuller and ending up eating about 10 percent fewer calories.

Twenty Minutes Or Less

Americans start and finish their meals — and clear the table — in less than 20 minutes.  A study published in the journal Appetite, found that people eating lunch by themselves in a fast food restaurant finish in 11 minutes. They finish in13 minutes in a workplace cafeteria and in 28 minutes at a moderately priced restaurant.  Eating with three other people takes about twice as long – which can still end up being a really short chunk of time.

Once again, Moms around the world are right – slow down when you eat. (Doesn’t that often go with don’t grab?) Slowing down allows you and your brain to register a feeling of fullness and may even mean that you eat fewer calories. You might even have time to really taste and enjoy your food, too.

This is the last week of the lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks challenge.  How are you doing?  Let us know on Facebook — and give Eat Out Eat Well a “like” while you’re there.

The post Slow Down Your Eating And Feel Fuller – Really! appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

We eat a lot of pizza:

• 94% of Americans eat pizza regularly

• Pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants and pizza accounts for more than 10% of all food service sales

• 5 billion pizzas are sold worldwide each year; 3 billion pizzas are sold in the US each year

• Kids 3 to 11 prefer pizza over other food groups for both lunch and dinner

• In the US, 61% prefer regular thin crust, 14% prefer deep-dish, and 11% prefer extra thin crust

• 62% of Americans prefer meat toppings; 38% prefer vegetables

• 36% order pizza topped with pepperoni

What’s Good, What’s Not-So-Good?

It’s difficult to estimate the number of calories and fat grams in a slice of pizza because the size and depth of the pies and the amount of cheese, meat, or other toppings vary enormously.

Here’s the good news: pizza can be a healthy food choice filled with complex carbs, B-vitamins, calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin C and calorically okay if you choose wisely and don’t eat more than your fair share.

The not so good news:  fat and calories. If your mouth starts to water at the thought of golden brown crust and cheesy goodness — here’s the downer: that luscious pizza can be a fat and calorie nightmare.

Mall Pizza Can Be Okay — And Not Okay

• Sbarro’s Low Carb Cheese Pizza has 310 calories and 14 grams of fat.

• Sbarro’s Low Carb Sausage/Pepperoni Pizza has 560 calories and 35 grams of fat.

• A slice of Sbarro’s Fresh Tomato Pizza clocks in at 450 calories with 14 grams of fat.

• Any of Sbarro’s “Gourmet” pizzas have between 610 and 780 calories a slice and more than 20 grams of fat.

• “Stuffed” pizzas are even worse—790 calories minimum and over 33 grams of fat per slice.

The membership warehouse club Costco has 416 domestic locations, and most of them have a food court that sells pizza, making Costco the 15th largest pizza chain in the US. They serve a whole lot of pizza and a whole lot of calories.

A single slice of Costco pizza is estimated to have 804 calories, 342 of them from fat.

Build a Better Slice of Pizza

Although we all have our own pizza preferences, the next time you order try some of these tricks to keep your choice on the healthy side:

1. Order thin crust rather than a thick doughy or deep dish crust.
2. Resist the urge to ask for double cheese  — better yet, go light on the cheese or use reduced-fat cheese (if they have it).
3. Ask for a pizza without cheese but topped with veggies and a little olive oil. You can always sprinkle on a little grated parmesan – 1 tablespoon has 22 calories — for flavor.
4. Instead of cheese go for big flavors:  onion, garlic, olives (use them somewhat sparingly because of the oil but they’re a whole lot better than meat).  And don’t forget anchovies  — a lot of flavor for minimal calories – but you have to like them!
5. Choose vegetable toppings instead of meat (think about the fat content in sausage, pepperoni, and meatballs) and you might shave 100 calories from your meal. Pile on veggies like mushrooms, peppers, olives, tomatoes, onion, broccoli, spinach, and asparagus. Some places have salad pizza – great if it’s not loaded with oil.
6. Order a salad (careful with the dressing) on the side and cut down on the amount of pizza.  Salad takes longer to eat, too.
7. If you’re willing (and not embarrassed or grossed out), try blotting up the free-floating oil that sits on top of a greasy slice. Blotting (it’s easy to do this on the kind of hot slice where the oil runs down your arm) can soak up a teaspoon of oil worth 40 calories and 5 grams of fat.

This is the fifth week of the lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks challenge.  How are you doing?  Let us know on Facebook — and remember to “Like” Eat Out Eat Well when you’re there! Visit Eat Out Eat Well’s boards on Pinterest, too.

The post 7 Ways To Cut Down On Pizza Calories appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

We’ve all had the kind of day when it seems that your stomach is a bottomless pit and you can’t stop eating everything in sight.  But the amount of food your body can take in is not infinite. At some point you simply have to stop eating.

When you load up on  fruit, veggies, and whole intact grains that are rich in fiber and nutrients you help to displace — or “crowd out” — some of the foods in your diet that are higher in fat, sugar, and calories.  And, as a bonus, you get the incredible benefits of all of the antioxidants and phytochemicals in the rainbow of produce that you add, plus the additional fiber to help keep you full.

Some Crowding Out Tips

• If you fill your body with healthy, nutrient-dense food, you’ll find that your cravings for unhealthy foods will naturally decrease.

• Try drinking a lot of water and eating whole food that’s naturally stocked with nutrients earlier in the day.  It will help crowd out potential cravings later on in the day.

• Think outside the box, too.  You don’t have to focus on adding side dishes of vegetables or fruit salad for dessert.  Add veggies into your main dish – plump up burgers, meatloaf, or meatballs with chopped vegetables and/or some whole grains.  Add cauliflower to mac and cheese.  Mix fruit into your yogurt or oatmeal or use it as a topping for chicken or fish.  Get creative!

The post Eat More: Add In Healthy Food To “Crowd Out” The Less Healthy Food appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Portion size is critical to managing your weight.  One helpful idea is to use familiar objects as visual guides to “guesstimate” portion sizes.

One Cup Is About The Size Of A Baseball

The suggested serving size for many food items, particularly produce, is a cup. The suggested portion size for many denser items, like pasta, rice, or ice cream is a half a cup, so two servings – which is, at minimum, what most of us eat, would equal a cup.

 A Baseball, Not A Softball

A cup is about the size of a baseball – a baseball, not a softball.  So a cup of cooked greens, a cup of yogurt, a cup of beans, or a cup of cantaloupe should all look like the size of a baseball – but with obviously different calorie counts.

Here are some of the CDC’s examples of one-cup servings:

• 1 small apple
• 1 medium grapefruit
• 1 large orange
• 1 medium pear
• 8 large strawberries
• 1 large bell pepper
• 1 medium potato
• 2 large stalks of celery
• 12 baby carrots or 2 medium carrot
• 1 large ear of corn

It’s easy to visualize a small apple or a medium potato as about the size of a baseball.  It’s more difficult with an ear of corn!  But, for most food products it is possible to think “baseball” and pour or cut or pick (as in the case of fruit) a similarly sized portion.

This is Tip #3 for Week 3 of the “lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks challenge.”  Let everyone know how you’re doing! Post your results and/or struggles and suggestions on Eat Out Eat Well’s page on Facebook.

The post Let A Baseball Be Your Guide For A One Cup Serving Of Food appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

The USDA defines a lean cut of beef as a 3.5 oz serving (about 100 grams) that has less than:

• 10 grams total fat
• 4.5 grams saturated fat
• 95 milligrams cholesterol

The USDA defines an extra-lean cut of beef as a 3.5 ounce serving (about 100 grams) that contains less than:

• 5 grams total fat
• 2 grams saturated fat
• 95 milligrams cholesterol

Twenty-nine cuts of beef qualify as lean or extra lean. Of those 29 cuts of beef, here are the cuts that are considered extra lean:

• Eye of round roast or steak
• Sirloin tip side steak
• Top round roast and steak
• Bottom round roast and steak
• Top sirloin steak

Some Calorie Saving Beef Tips

• “Round” or “loin” are the words to look for when you want the leanest cut of meat (for instance:  top round, sirloin, top loin, tenderloin, eye round).
• “Cut” refers to the part of the animal the “cut” of meat has been taken from. Leaner cuts usually come from the hip or hindquarter.
• If you don’t stick to the extra-lean cuts like top round and top sirloin, go for lean cuts like strip, tenderloin, T-bone, and shoulder.
• Think carefully about ordering ribeye or skirt steaks.  They’re usually marbled – which means there’s fat throughout the meat.
• In restaurants your safest bet is to ask for smaller portions of leaner cuts of meat.

The post Want Beef? Here’s a Steakhouse Mini Cheat Sheet appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Substitute mustard for the mayo and save 100 calories.  Leave off the slice of Swiss cheese for another 133 calories.  Ditch the two slices of bacon for another 84 calories.  Put your turkey, ham, or roast beef along with lettuce, tomato and onions on a whole grain pita (74 calories) instead of between two slices of rye (180 calories) and you’ve saved a total of 423 calories.

Walk to and from the deli or around the block several times and you’ve easily saved yourself 500 calories.

Of course, you could always just eat half a sandwich — but a slimmed down, good tasting one is so much more satisfying, isn’t it?

This is tip #5 for the “Five” challenge.  How are you doing?  Join the challenge — you have nothing to lose except some pounds here and there.

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