You do great at home, but when you go out to eat you seem to always overeat. Or maybe you eat out more than you eat at home so you need a plan that will work for your eating out lifestyle. If either of these scenarios sounds like you, then you may want to incorporate some of these tips. Pick and choose the tips that you think will work best for you.

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1.  When you order your food, ask for the waiter to bring a box WITH your meal. Before you begin to eat, put food into your box until your plate looks like a sensible amount of food.

2. When at a restaurant, ask the server to hold the bread, snack mix, or chips and salsa that might come before the meal.
3. After you eat out, have you ever said to yourself, “Whew, I’m stuffed. I’m not going to eat another bite,” but then you keep nibbling on your food because the waiter hasn’t taken the plate away? If this is sometimes you (it is totally sometimes me), then try popping in a MealEnders ender as soon as you feel full. MealEnders Signaling Lozenges–Conquer Cravings, Curb Snacking, Beat Overeating, and Master Portion Control–Helps You Stick to Any Diet Weight Loss Program, 25-count Pouch (Chocolate Mint) works in three ways. When you eat a Mealender, you first taste something sweet. Sweetness signals the end of a meal for many, so your mind will think that the meal is…well…ending. Second, sucking on a MealEnder takes longer than chewing so you will give your brain time to get the signal that you have eaten. Finally, the center of the MealEnder has a strong and refreshing mint flavor. The MealEnder’s strong refreshing mint taste cleanses your palette and stops those desires eat. Have you ever noticed that you don’t usually feel like eating after you brushed your teeth? Yeah, it’s just like that except tastier!
4. If you have a few favorite restaurants, research the menu BEFORE you go out to eat.  Pick the best choices before you enter the restaurant.
5. Choose grilled or baked foods on the menu instead of fried.
6. Ask for the plate to be removed as soon as possible.
7. Choose turkey, chicken, or a plant-based protein as your source of protein.
8. Do you go out to eat because you don’t have time to cook? You could try another non-cooking approach. Perhaps try this. Stop spending money going out to eat or eating fast food and take out. Instead put the money towards nourishing pre-packaged healthy meals or frozen foods. You still don’t have to cook! Find the healthiest frozen dinners here.
9. Or perhaps you would like to cook at home, if you could learn how to create quick meals on the spot with the food you have in your house (no meal planning or prepping required). The Nourishing Meal Builder is perfect for you, if this is something you would love to learn how to do.
10. Share an entrée with a friend or family member.
11. Stop eating when you are full and focus on other pleasures like the setting, your family, and your friends.
12. Okay this is actually my #1 favorite tip (my #2 favorite is the “ask for the box with your meal” tip). Favorite tip: Mindful eating! Mindful eating techniques work well in almost any situation and with almost any weight loss barriers. You can use mindful eating techniques while snacking, eating out, at parties, and to help with portion control and emotional eating. To learn more about mindful eating check out the Mindful Eating Step-by-Step guide.
13. Ask for water. Refills on drinks can be a HUGE amount of sugar.
14. Choose the vegetable option as your side. I mean, antioxidants and fiber!!! Talk about foods that help your body thrive!

14. When eating fast food, choose options like smaller burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, cups or bags of fresh fruit,  and bottled water.
15. Try a main dish salad for lunch. Go light on the salad dressing or use light dressing. Do this when you eat out often.
16. Try a green salad or vegetable sides instead of fries.
17. Limit eating out to only once or twice a week.
18. At fast food restaurants, ask for the nutrition facts and look for the healthiest choice.
19. Ask the server to recommend the tastiest nourishing meals. You could do this without even looking at the menu.
20. Ask the waiter for appetizer or lunch portions (even at night) with extra side of veggies.
21. Ask the waiter to wrap half the meal before bringing it to the table or ask the waiter to bring a box when he brings the meal, and you wrap up half the meal before you start eating. (Okay, I kind of said this twice, but it’s so helpful!)
22. When eating out, ask your server to point out the low calorie options. Only look at those foods on the menu.
23. Ask for the kids menu or a child’s size portion. An example would be a child’s drink or child’s popcorn at the movie theater, or a child’s chicken plate.
24. Don’t feel like you have to clean your plate;  Take the time to enjoy your meal. Slowly eat and notice when you are full. If you don’t finish your food, you get to eat yummy leftovers for the next day!
25. Make sure you have vegetables on your plate even when you eat out.
26. Lastly, when you eat out, get tomato-based foods instead of cream based foods.

Photo by freddie boy

• If you would like to evaluate your own diet and determine which tips work best for you, please take the free Christian Wellness Self assessment and evaluation developed by a registered dietitian.

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