What do you do if you’re on a diet?
Don’t be alarmed about blowing your diet.
Just a bit of planning and preparation and you’ll make it through those dine out meals.
Try these tips when dining out.

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Eating out tips |
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1. |
Eat in small portions, whenever you dine.
Try to have an appetizer portion for your main course.
Another tip you may want to try is splitting the meal with your friend or family or taking half the entrée home. |
2. |
Skip parts of the meal you like less. Have the “I can eat that food any other time” attitude. |
3. |
Go to places where you can order healthy, low fat meals. |
4. |
Ask to substitute high fat items like french fries for a baked potato or side salad instead. You can also request food items to be prepared without butter or oil. |
5. |
Eat a little less at noon to save for a special dinner later, but don’t skip meals. This can lead to overeating. |
6. |
Take 2 Liposinol™ tablets after each meal. Liposinol™ is a clinically proven dietary fat binder. Taken daily,
it helps reduce your daily dietary fat intake and also helps you manage your appetite and cravings. |
7. |
Eating a fruit 30 minutes before your meal also helps. This will keep you from getting too hungry by meal time. |
8. |
Avoid buffets and all-you-can-eat specials where you tend to overeat. |
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Healthy choices from the menu |
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1. |
Breaded, batter-dipped and tempura all mean fried food that is heavy in fat. Look instead for lower fat, grilled, broiled and flame-cooked food. Other good choices include entrees that are steamed, poached, roasted or baked in their own juices. |
2. |
Avoid croissants, biscuits, potpies, quiches, and pastries; these are also heavy in fat. Pick hard rolls, bread sticks (not brushed with butter), french bread, or whole-wheat buns. |
3. |
Stick to wine or thin, stock-based sauces. Avoid thick butter sauces, Bernaise, Mornay or sauces that are creamy. |
4. |
Choose salads made with rich dark greens like spinach and romaine rather than pale iceberg lettuce. |
5. |
Order a baked potato instead of french fries or have a side salad, steamed vegetables or a cup of broth-based soup. |
6. |
Skip the mayonnaise and special sauces and ask for extra lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mustard on sandwiches. |
7. |
When ordering pizza, ask for extra vegetable toppings and forget the meats and extra cheese. |
8. |
Count the calories from alcohol. Although very high in calories and a part of our meals, we often forget to count the calories from alcohol. |
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Special choices at specialty restaurants |
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Here are some hints on how to order from menus at specialty restaurants. In some restaurants, you can also ask for the nutrition facts for items on the menu.
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1. |
Steakhouse |
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Trim the fat from broiled meat and order without sauces or gravy. |
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Order the leanest cuts like fillet, flank, or london broil steaks. |
2. |
Salad Bar |
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Be mindful of potato and pasta salads, bacon bits, marinated vegetables, olives, fruits in heavy sugar syrup, seeds or nuts. |
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Select dark, leafy greens, raw vegetables and fruits, lean ham or turkey. Add cottage cheese only occasionally. |
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Choose small amounts of fat-free or low-fat dressing; one ladle of creamy salad dressing contains about 300 calories. |
3. |
Chinese/Oriental |
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Many menu items can be made to order. When you order, request for only a small amount of oil or no oil (ask for broth or stock instead). |
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Choose items with large portions of vegetables. |
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Avoid wontons, egg rolls, sweet and sour choices, fried rice, fried dumplings, sesame noodles, egg foo yoong and tempura. |
4. |
Italian |
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Pasta with red sauce (marinara, red clam, or marsala) is a great choice unless the sauce has high fat meat content such as sausage. |
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Avoid cream sauces such as Alfredo or butter sauce as well as parmigiana, beef lasagna, cheese sauce or filling, pesto, carbonara, sausage dishes and garlic bread. |
5. |
Pizza |
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Replace the meat or seafood on your pizza with extra vegetables. Vegetable pizzas can have half the calories. |
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Request for half of the cheese or just go without it. |
6. |
Mexican |
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Chicken fajitas, tortillas and Spanish rice without sour cream and guacamole are normally fine. |
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Go easy on chips and rich/fried items on the menu such as chilli rellanos, nachos, chorizo, chimichangas, flautas, and taco bowl salads. |
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