Dine Out Without Derailing Your Diet

Choose Restaurant Chains With a Broad Menu Selection

Chain restaurants usually offer up nutrition info online, so with a little research beforehand you can be confident you’re ordering a meal that’s diet-friendly. For a quick reference on the go, pick up Eat This, Not That! or The South Beach Dining Guide.

Believe it or not, even Applebee’s can be a great choice (your diet-scoffing boyfriend can order a greasy meal while you earn South Beach points by choosing the grilled shrimp skewer salad or grilled tilapia). And, yes—you have full permission to glare if your partner moans with near-orgasmic bliss with each bite of his bacon cheeseburger.

As soon as you arrive at a restaurant, ask for a large glass of water and drink it before you order your meal. The water will help you feel full, so by the time your dinner arrives, the famished feeling will be gone. You may have to bolt to the ladies room three bites into your meal, but not polishing off a plate the size of a trash can lid will be worth it.

When you’re eating at a restaurant and you know you’ve had enough but there’s still plenty of food on your plate, put your fork and napkin on the plate to signal to the waiter that you’re done. Unless you’ve got a particularly sadistic waiter, he’ll take away the remnants before you can give it a second thought.

Return to the South Beach Diet Review