While many people don't have too much difficulty sticking with a diet program while they're at home and can self-prepare their own food, when they go out to eat in a restaurant, problems happen.

Probably the two biggest reasons why eating out in restaurants causes us weight gain is because of the fact that the portion sizes can be astronomical, as well as the fact that often the first ingredient to go into the dish is butter and the last ingredient to go into the dish is butter as well.

This makes for a very high calorie meal - one that is likely almost half (or more!) of what you were supposed to be eating during the day.

For you, this can really make or break your diet.

Luckily, if you keep some basic tips in mind, eating out doesn't have to mean the death of your diet.

Here are some things to know.

Remove As Many Carbs As Possible

Now, while I'm not promoting you adopt an extremely low carb diet, when eating out, it is best to really limit them as this is often where the bulk of the calories come from.

Two simple ways to succeed at this is requesting flat out that the server not bring you any bread to the table before or during the meal, and secondly, asking to replace the pasta or rice portion of your dish with steamed veggies.

These changes alone can save you hundreds of calories in a meal.

Go With Grilled

Next, when it comes to your meat selection, it's always best to opt for grilled. While baked can sometimes fit the bill, very often additional butter or other ingredients are added in the baking process, which dramatically increase the calories.

Stir-fried is usually another good option, but this can be variable as sometimes the chef will use an overabundance of oil during the stir-fry process.

Opt For Water

When it comes to choosing your beverage for the meal, water is always the safest bet.

If you diet does allow some freedom in terms of alcohol, one drink may be okay, but be very careful about ordering those fancy cocktail types of beverages, as often they are extremely high in calories.

Juices and ‘shakes' may seem healthy as well, but often contain a very high number of calories, particularly the fruit shakes as usually it's frozen yogurt blended with fruit.

Ask For Sauce On The Side

Finally, the last thing you should be doing is asking for your sauce on the side. Most people are now in the habit of asking for salad dressing on the side, but keep in mind that the sauce that goes on your main course dish can also contain a very high number of calories, predominately coming from sugar or fat.

Instead, ask for it on the side so you can drizzle it over the dish or better yet, sub the sauce for soy sauce or salsa, both of which are very low calorie options.

So, next time you find yourself eating out, keep these critical points in mind.