4 Ways to Dine Out and Not Gain Weight

Whether you eat out because it's convenient, you enjoy dinner with friends or you simply like how it tastes, constantly eating out can expand the waistline if you choose the wrong foods. Watching what you eat is tricky enough, but add in the delicious smells and mouthwatering pictures at a restaurant and you may find yourself ordering the double cheeseburger instead of a lean steak.

Eating out doesn't have to be so hard. By making simple changes to how you order, you will find you can eat substantial meals without the extra calories. Here are 4 easy ways you can dine out to not only enjoy your meal but not consume a days worth of calories:

1. Avoid ordering a sampler appetizer that offers a handful of choices. If you have more to look at and eat, chances are you will and not even realize how many calories you consume before your meal arrives. Stick to a single appetizer and share it with friends to keep calorie count low while still enjoying the goods.

2. Look for the lighter options. Now, more restaurants are offering healthier options and smaller servings to keep us from overeating. Even if you are really hungry, skip the 12 oz. steaks and kitchen sink-sized pasta bowls and head toward the lighter menu. Here you will find smaller scale or lighter options of your usual favorites. After you eat the smaller portion, you will most likely leave the restaurant full and have avoided hundreds of extra calories.

3. Don't get fooled by the fancy wording. Restaurant menus are designed to entice you by wording and pictures. How many times have you actually ordered something based on the picture and it comes out looking half as good? Keep cravings in check by ignoring extra words like 'Triple Chocolate Mudpie' or 'Buttermilk Battered Shrimp". Triple Chocolate equals three-layered cake and Buttermilk batter equals fried. Both of those equal excess calories.

4. Enjoy what you want--in moderation. Often, choosing a salad is worse for your diet than a lean steak and potato. After you add cheese, bacon, fried chicken strips, dressing and egg, your salad may have twice as many calories as a typical dinner. Don't sabotage your diet by choosing what would otherwise be healthy and adding a fried coating or cheese to it, a la fried zucchini or veggie pizza with extra cheese.