Often, restaurant portions are so huge that they’d easily feed several people, but instead of sharing, we gobble it all down ourselves just because it’s in front of us. Next time you order an entrée that’s on the larger side, divvy it up between yourself and your friends. This can also help you save money by splitting the cost – who can argue with that?
Boycott buffets … or at least use good judgment while you’re there.
If there ever were the human equivalent of a feeding trough, it’s a buffet. At buffet restaurants you’re expected to heap your plate time and time again. You may even go back for food refills just because you feel it’s a waste of money if you don’t – not because you’re still hungry, by any means. And you can’t share plates! If you’re going out to eat, try stick to restaurants that deliver one-plate portions. There will be times, however, when you have to listen to your dining companions and go with the popular vote … and buffets certainly are popular.
If you have any say at all, try to convince your group to go to an American buffet, which is more likely to have things like baked potatoes and steamed vegetable choices than, for example, a Chinese buffet where dishes that look deceivingly healthy can be loaded with oils, sodium, and MSG. The good thing about buffets is that you can actually see the serving dish and know whether what you’re eating has been swimming in oil.
Use your eyes and stick to things that appear to be relatively greaseless and cooked via low-fat methods. Load up on salad and fresh fruit – most buffets have plenty. To trick yourself into feeling like you’ve had more food, use a small saucer rather than a regular-sized dinner plate. That way you can heap it up and still not get as many calories.
Pass the bread basket - to another table!
Many restaurants offer complimentary bread baskets, chips and salsa, or other types of pre-meal goodies to nosh on. Politely refuse them when they’re brought to you – or at the very least, keep them out of reach at the other end of the table.