I've been counting calories since DD was born just to help me stay on track. H and I went out to dinner the last two nights and I can't believe how much eating out throws off your calorie budget. Holy cow! It really makes me want to eat at home all the time now, haha.
Re: Wow!
Eating out can be tough but you can do it and lose/maintain a healthy weight.
Some tricks - if you MUST get an appetizer or dessert split it. Avoid potato side dishes - go with a plain steamed vegetable. Drink a full glass of water as soon as you sit down and in between every alcoholic beverage you drink. Get sauces/dressings on the side. I've actually found that salads can be the worst calorie offenders on a lot of menus. Sometimes, I've even asked the waiter to take away chip bowls at Mexican restaurants and bread bowls at Italian places too because it's so easy to graze on!
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