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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Remember Paul Simon’s song, “Mother and Child Reunion”? According to Simon he “was eating in a Chinese restaurant downtown. There was a dish called Mother and Child Reunion. It’s chicken and eggs. And I said, I gotta use that one.”

Putting aside the popularity of the song, who would think to describe chicken and eggs as a Mother and Child Reunion?

Is What You Order Really Your Choice?

Smart restaurant owners and chefs use creative phrasing and mouthwatering descriptions to describe their food.  They’re using menu psychology to suggestively sell from their menu pages. They use design, placement, and words to direct your attention to key items on their menus so it’s more likely that you’ll notice, remember, and order what they’ve pointed you toward.

Sometimes they highlight their signature dishes, but mostly they want to get you to focus on their high profit margin items — the ones that make them the most money. They aren’t always the most expensive, but they are the most profitable.

There’s nothing wrong with ordering something that’s going to make money for a restaurant, but wouldn’t you like to feel that the selection is purely your choice rather than the restaurant’s?

Menus Target Both Your Stomach And Your Mind

A menu is targeted not just at your stomach, but also to your mind.

Gallup once reported that most people spend an average of 109 seconds reading a menu — a pretty short amount of time. Even if people take longer to really read it — after all, some menus are like encyclopedias — a menu’s design means more than a nice layout. It requires psychology and marketing, too.

It’s in the restaurant’s best interest to really pay attention to its menu – a redesign can improve sales by an average of 2 to 10% — which could mean a significant boost in income.

So, a descriptive phrase like “Mother and Child Reunion” is just one of many ways to influence your choice. The messages are often subliminal, but where menu items are placed, how graphics are used, the way the food and drink choices are described, and even the use of dollar signs — all send you directional signals.

The bottom line is that restaurants hope that their menus — a magical brew of prices; superlative or descriptive words; and varying fonts, sizes, and colors — will play with your brain cells and nudge you toward making the choices they would like you to make.

Do you eat out?  This is the second article in a series of consecutive posts about decoding restaurant menus. Keep checking back for more information that might help you with your restaurant choices.

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An online survey of 4000 consumers’ behavior found:

• The most popular restaurant meal is lunch
• 2.6 lunch meals are eaten out, on average, each week
• The lunch meals are both take-out and restaurant dining
• 1.4 sit down dinners each week are in restaurants
• 0.8 brunch or breakfast meals are eaten out each week

How People Label Their “Eating Out” Preferences

• Nearly 50% of the people responding to the survey call themselves “meat lovers”
• 22% have a “sweet tooth”
• 19% call themselves “fast food junkies”
• 18% call themselves “health nuts”
• 5% are self-described “vegetarians or vegans”
• 35% describe themselves as “experimental eaters”
• 25% call themselves “foodies”
• 11% refer to themselves as “locavores,” or lovers of local food

Takeaways

It’s important to remember that this is a survey of 4000 people – done online — which makes it a survey of people who spend time online, who are willing to take a survey, and who eat out quite a bit.

That said – it seems that a lot of people are eating out a lot of the time.  If you are, too, consider building eating out into an overall eating plan so that you can continue to eat out, eat well and healthfully, and still manage your weight.

The post Do You Eat Out As Much As The Average Person In The US? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Don’t you hate it: you’ve been so much attention to what you eat and your healthy eating habits are really getting grooved.  You’re starting to feel and look great, but, oh boy, you have to go to something big.  It could be a wedding, a dinner party, or dinner at a fabulous restaurant.

First thought: I’m going shopping for something great to wear.

Second thought: The food is going to be awesome.  Is this going to make me blow my careful eating and, then, forget it — it’s all down hill from there.

The Dilemma

You want to enjoy yourself and be able to have some of the restaurant’s “specialty of the house” or a bunch of hors d’ oeuvres followed by a delicious piece of cake at your friend’s wedding.

What To Do?

Prep like your final exam is tomorrow.

Remember cramming for finals?  Hit the books and collect some information.  Research the menu of the restaurant you will be going to or call your host or event planner to find out what will be served at your event.

Many restaurants have their menus online – or you can stop in for a preview.  If you nicely give your host, the caterer, or the event planner a solid reason for wanting to know the menu, you’ll be surprised at how accommodating most can be.

After you’ve researched what can be ordered and/or what will be served, you can then come up with your plan.   If you want that fantastic dessert perhaps you decide to keep your hand out of the breadbasket.  Do you want to have wine with dinner?  Maybe forego a cocktail (or two) – and its calories – before dinner.  Want the very special hors d’oeuvre?   Maybe dessert gets jettisoned.

The point is:  You are in control and can choose what you want to do.  But planning is important.  Make up your mind what you’re going to do ahead of time and commit to it.

A game time decision means that you’re making decisions when too many enticements are already in front of you.  That’s not easy to do.  So, do your research, come up with a plan, and stick to it.  Allow yourself something special – don’t take that away.  But, maybe stick to one or two special treats, not an ongoing feast.  You’ll feel fantastic, in control, and tremendously proud of yourself.  You’ll have had something delicious -– and your new clothes will still look just as great.  Most importantly, those new healthy eating habits are still intact and have and will continue to serve you well.

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