Just because you are dining out does not mean you can’t make healthy choices that will keep you on your fat-burning diet. Remember, “Diet” is defined as “the food that a person usually consumes.” That is to say, a diet is a way of life and should be something that fits comfortably into your daily routines.

Guidelines for dining out on a fat burning diet:

1. Plan Ahead. These days you can go on the Internet to view the menu before you dine. I do this all the time. I choose what I will have ahead of time and figure it in to my daily caloric intake. I also use it as a way to choose restaurants. If you go in knowing what you will eat, you are less likely to cheat. Whatever you do, DON’T starve yourself all day in order to indulge at night. You will set yourself up to overindulge on the wrong kinds of foods and undoubtedly go over your calorie requirement for the day. Not only that but the excess calories will come from over-processed, refined sugars and starchy foods and most certainly be stored as fat faster than you can say, “check!”

2. Drinks Count. Remember, every calorie counts. Order sparkling or still water with lime and pass on the sugary alcoholic bevies. Cocktails pack anywhere from 100-500 calories per drink. But that’s not the worst of it. Alcohol enters your body and it is immediately absorbed into your blood stream. Your body cannot store it, nor can it use it, rather it sees it as a toxic substance rather than a food and thus stops all metabolic efforts in order for the liver to focus solely on getting the toxin out of your body. Your body stops burning the calories that you are consuming (the bread basket?) in order to try and get the alcohol out of your system. What happens to the calories that your liver was so kindly working on burning? They get stored away immediately as fat. Thus, drinking alcohol will cause your body to store fat. Recent studies from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have discovered that your body’s ability to metabolize calories diminishes by almost 73% when you drink. Moderation is truly the key. If you are still reading this, allow me burst another bubble. Guidelines put forth by the U.S.D.A and the U.S Dept. of Health define moderate drinking as ONE drink per day for women and TWO drinks per day for men and no, not 7 in one day to make up for a week of abstinance. “But I love a nice glass (or three) of pinot, and I deserve it so screw you, Cameo, and your preachy little article.” Fine, just make sure that if you do decide to drink, you pass on bread and appetizers because those three glasses will pack on a minimum of 300 calories.

3. Starters. Studies have shown that people who eat a salad before their entrée eat less overall than those who don’t. Plus, when you order a salad you get a serving or two of veggies right off the bat and that is always a good thing. Just watch the dressing! Too much dressing can negate the point of eating a salad. Also, no cheese and no croutons. Order the dressing on the side or ask for oil and vinegar on the side and pass on the house special. Use the dressing sparingly, one tablespoon will do. Or, if you really want to be good, pass on the dressing and learn to love the taste of veggies all by themselves! Not in the mood for salad? Have a cup of vegetable-based or broth-based soup.

4. Portion Control. This is key. Restaurants are notorious for serving two to four times the amount of food you need or should eat in a single feeding. A serving of protein is roughly the size of a deck of cards. A serving of rice or pasta is about the size of a tennis ball. I try and cut the serving I plan on eating away from the mass of meat in front of me and eat only that much. Sometimes, if the food is especially delicious, this is impossible to do. I have heard other diet gurus tell dieters to ask the waiter to take half the portion away and put it in a to go container right off the bat. Personally, having been a waiter, I think that this is a horrible idea that will only lead to poor service the rest of the evening. If someone had asked me to do that back in the day it would have totally ruined my flow and thrown off my entire night and I would have hated them, especially if they just modified every single item on the menu. So, to each his own. I do think it’s ok to ask for an extra plate and then use that extra plate to place the appropriate portion upon and then wait for a busboy to walk by and politely ask him to take the other one away. But that’s just me.

5. Aliases. Learn to recognize the many names of fattening food: buttery, in butter sauce, prime, stuffed, creamy, battered, lightly battered, breaded, fried, sautéed, gravy, hollandaise, béarnaise, beurre blanc, parmesan, au gratin, au fromage, or batter dipped, to name a few. Avoid cheese sauces and cream based sauces altogether (e.g. Fettuccini Alfredo) You are in control of your meal and can put together a delish dish that contains vegetables, good carbohydrates and lean protein most places you dine. Look for words like poached, grilled and steamed.

6. Smart Sides. If you are bold, ask your server if you can substitute a fatty side dish (e.g., french fries or mashed potatoes) for steamed veggies or a salad. These requests will not annoy your waiter and take it from me again, it’s well worth it. I have seen first hand the ridiculous amount of oil and butter that your “grilled” vegetables have on them. If the menu gives you an option of sides, go for a dry baked potato or plain brown rice as option one. Some restaurants offer whole wheat bread and you can ask for a side of that (plain) and eat it with your entree. Not as ideal, but better than mashed fatty-fat would be plain white rice or plain pasta. If you are in a fancy restaurant, you might get some attitude if you try to modify the chef’s well-constructed entree. In that case, watch your portions. A side of mashed potatoes with butter can total up to 500 calories and 5 grams of saturated fat (or more!).

7. Pass On Dessert. Ok, there are exceptions to this rule. If it’s your birthday, go to town! Just know this, sugar plus fat is a diet pit-fall. One night of heavy drinking plus sugar and fat can set you back an entire week on your weightloss goals. If it’s not your birthday or a holiday and if you are serious about losing weight, order a cup of coffee or tea (with skim milk and no sugar) instead. You’ll thank me in the morning.