Do you find it hard to spot the good choices on the menu? Do you worry what’s really in your food?

Don’t starve yourself in anticipation of a restaurant visit. It’s much easier to stay in control if you’ve been eating sensibly throughout the day. And before you eat try to drink a glass of water – you’ll feel fuller and less inclined to overeat.

Try to order first, so you won’t be tempted or swayed by what everyone else is having. Order soup for starters because studies show that people who order soup before a meal tend to eat less overall. And when choosing a soup, keep in mind that cream-based soups are higher in fat and calories than most other soups. Soup can serve as a great appetiser to a meal, or as a main course. Most soups are low in calories and will fill you up, so you eat less.

You Only Have to Ask

Always ask how dishes are prepared. Waiters are becoming accustomed to fielding these types of question, so don’t worry about pestering them. Are your dishes baked? Are they grilled? Are they prepared with butter or oil? Ask what’s in the sauce; ask what’s in the soup; ask what’s in the dressing. Always ask for butter, gravy, sauces and salad dressings on the side. This allows you to control how much fat you eat. When ordering pasta dishes look for tomato-based sauces rather than cream-based sauces. Tomato-based sauces are much lower in fat and calories. In addition, the tomato sauce (or marinara sauce) can count as a vegetable!

Take Your Time

Take your time over dinner and put your knife and fork down between each bite. Dining out isn’t just about the food it’s about the occasion and the conversation too so savour that.

If you eat your food too fast you just overload your digestive system. So stop eating when you are full — listen to the cues your body gives you. You don’t have to leave your plate empty. If you want to eat less, order two starters or a starter and a salad, as your meal.

Wait around 10 or 15 minutes before ordering dessert. It takes a while for you stomach to tell your brain it’s had enough. If after waiting you absolutely can’t resist ordering Death by Chocolate for dessert, make sure you split the dessert with your dinner pal. People usually order dessert out of habit, but often a few bites are enough to satisfy even the sweetest sweet tooth. A more healthy choice would be a dessert with at least some fruit such as apple pie, the best choice is a fresh fruit salad.

Water Into Wine

Drink water (still or sparkling with a slice of lemon) or fruit juice instead of alcoholic beverages. This will save a lot of calories. If you’re worried about drinking too much, stick to spritzers. Mixing some sparkling water with your white wine means you can drink twice as much without having to worry about the calories.