So you have a romantic reservation for a dinner date this Valentine’s  day, or maybe your spending the evening enjoying the single life with some friends. Whatever your plans are, don’t let eating out be your excuse for eating unhealthy.

We have listed some useful tips to help you keep n track with your weight loss goals.

Visit a health conscious restaurant 

Some restaurants even offer up the calories and nutritional content of their foods on the menu, to help you make healthier eating choices.

Ask how the food was prepared.

A food that may seem healthy might have been cooked in loads of oils and fats. Don’t assume that all healthy foods are cooked in a healthy way. If you are not satisfied with the cooking method ask cooked how you would prefer. Restaurants are normally more than happy to go the extra mile to please customers.

 

Wine over cocktails or no alcohol at all.

Any alcohol is rich in hidden sugars. A glass of wine is the equivalent of eating a slice of bread in terms of sugar and calories. If you must order an alcoholic drink, avoid the fancy cocktails and opt for light beer, vodka and tonic, or a little whisky instead.

 

Fill up on water.
Sometimes we think we are hungry when we are actually just dehydrated. Water will help slow your eating down, fill you up and get the message across to your brain that you are full before you over eat.

 

Beware of the low-carb and fat free options.

Low-carb and fat free have become very popular buzz-words, beware of these options. These foods are normally full of hidden sugars, they have to be, to keep it tasty and make up for the lack of fats. Remember, low carb does not always mean low calorie.

 

Chose vegetables over the bread basket.

When you are hungry and waiting for your meal you are likely to indulge in the bread basket and butter sachets. Tell the waiter upfront to skip the bread basket and bring vegetables instead. This will avoid any temptations to load up on the carbo-loaded bread.

 

Ask to box half your entrée before it ever gets to the table.

This will avoid the temptation t over eat. Restaurants normally always serve 2 to 3 times the recommended healthy serving.

 

Order a salad or a side plate of vegetables before ordering anything else on the menu.
If you are filling your stomach with some healthy salad or vegetables you will be less likely to indulge in the calorie dense alternatives.

 

Stay away from creamy salads.

Creamy Salad dressings or even salads which are normally creamy by nature are not your friend.
Avoid salads like, coleslaw, pasta salads, and potato salads and skip the bacon bits and fried noodles. Instead, load up on the raw vegetables, treat yourself to a few well-drained marinated vegetables (artichoke hearts, red peppers, or mushrooms), and for a change, add in some fruit or nuts. Indeed, fruits such as mango, kiwi, cantaloupe, and pear are often the secret ingredient in four-star salads.

 

Don’t be fooled by the healthy sounding adjectives.

Words such as creamy, breaded, crisp, sauced, or stuffed is likely loaded with hidden fats—much of it saturated or even trans fats. Other “beware of” words include: buttery, sautéed, pan-fried, au gratin, Thermidor, Newburg, Parmesan, cheese sauce, scalloped, and au lait, à la mode, or au fromage(with milk, ice cream, or cheese).

 

Order fish.

Fish is always a healthy choice as long as it’s steamed, baked, broiled, sautéed, blackened, or grilled and without any sauces. Check first before you order to ensure the fish is not fried.

 

Skip the dessert.

Instead wait till you get home and make yourself a fruit salad, or something filled with natural sugars. This is a much healthier alternative to the double thick chocolate mousse cake they have on the menu.