Restaurant Eating | How to Successfully Plan

It can be very stressful when you are in the middle of a diet-plan and a friend asks you to go out for dinner or a family event pops up.   My son's 9th birthday was on Monday and his favourite restaurant of life is Buffalo Wild Wings.

Restaurant food is high in calorie, high in fat and oh-so-tempting... but you don't want to trigger those guilty feelings that throw you off your plan or start a downhill slide back to the beginning.  So, how do you add in a visit to a restaurant without throwing in the towel on your diet?  Here's how I handled it...

1. Figure out which restaurant you will be dining at.  If you have the choice, pick somewhere that you know serves healthy foods but if you don't, don't worry... you can still make it work for you. (Our restaurant was Buffalo Wild Wings... home of the deep fried everything!)
2. Go to the restaurants website and search for the nutritional information section.  If you can't find it, you can always google for it or call the restaurant and ask them to fax/email you a copy.  Almost every restaurant has their ingredients and nutritional information available for their customers. (I had to google for the nutritional info but was able to find it fairly easily... although it was the American version, a lot of the dishes carried over to the Canadian menu)
3. Determine how many calories/grams of fat/sugar (whatever you are counting) you are okay with eating for that meal and then search for items that fit within that limit.  I tend to stick to the appetizer section because the 'meals' are smaller.  If it's ever possible, try to go for lunches so you can get even smaller portions... makes eating seem less daunting when you can order a 'full' sized plate and it still isn't HUGE! (I opted to stay below 500 calories which is still more than I normally have for lunch but figured I could just swap my dinner and lunch around and not worry too much)
4. When you are at the restaurant, drink WATER... don't waste your calories on alcohol or soda because it's not worth it.  Even diet soda is full of sugar (the fake kind which is actually worse for you) and it will make you bloated and crave more of it in the future.  Keep your glass full and keep sipping!  
5. Don't look at the menu because you will be tempted by other choices... order what you planned and don't veer off course. 
6. Once everyone is done their meal, pay up and head out... maybe to a coffee shop to continue your visit (less tempting than the dessert menu) or perhaps for a walk! (If you do indulge, just remember you need to work off those extra calories!)

Shown: Southwest Street Tacos - 480 calories

Like I said, restaurant meals are going to happen... friends are going to ask... family events will come and go but you do not have to give up on your diet to participate.  Just make smart choices.

Planning is the key to success!