Tips to NOT GAIN WEIGHT after eating out

Tips for eating out? Eating heavy restaurant meals can lead to weight gain. Here are tips!
1. Have one course at a restaurant and skip or limit all the extra courses when possible. Every extra course drives up calories.
2. Salads are ideally the only extra course, as an appetizer. Most other apps drive up calories. Get dressings on the side. Balsamic vinegar (not vinaigrette) has only 20 calories per tbsp, so a great option. Olive oil has 120 calories per tbsp, 6 times the calories!
3. Order an entree with 50% veggies on the plate either as a salad or cooked veggies. Ideally, not loaded with cheese or butter.
4. Skip heavy cheese entrees such as lasagna, etc. Cheese drives the calories way up! Cheese-less entrees are best. Often, heavy cheese entrees are the highest calorie options on a menu.
5. Pick a lean protein with veggies as the main entree. Or, a salad entree with a protein. If starch is added, it usually has extra sodium, fats and oils so aim to limit, unless an undressed baked potato.
6. Before your food gets to the table, make sure you customize the order to bring what you want and leave off what you don’t. Ideally, once you receive your order, you can simply enjoy.
7. Consider sharing entrees when possible.
Skip fried appetizers and deserts. They drive the calories way up.
8. Limit alcohol. Beer, wine and hard liquor without mixers is about 125-150 calories per serving and more for craft or mixed drinks.