Natural Weight Loss Programs

When you’re dieting, one of the most difficult obstacles you may have to face is going out to eat with your friends or family. Not only is it an enjoyable social time, the food’s usually quite delicious at restaurants-which is both good and bad.

Why? You get duped into eating too much. When you think about a meal at typical restaurant chain, like a Friday’s®, Ruby Tuesday or Chili’s, how big do you picture it? Whether you’d simply get a burger or a complete entrée, the meal is probably oversized.

But what are really bad are the appetizers.

You probably know the drill. You get to the restaurant with the others, and take your seats. The server comes over and takes your drink order, then after a few (or several) minutes, comes back with your beverages. Then he/she asks if you want to start out with an appetizer.

Do you?

Usually, you look around to see what everyone else is doing. Or maybe you’re feeling particularly hungry and decide that you’ll be the one to say yes. After all, the list-nachos, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, among other things-is making your mouth water.

However, you really may want to think twice before you do-regardless of whether or not You have reached goal. Have you ever noticed that such places tend not to list nutritional information for appetizers? There’s a reason for that-they’re usually quite unhealthy. One of the few daring restaurants that does, though, is Denny’s®. Here’s a sample of what’s in Denny’s appetizers (and you can assume by their silence that other restaurants are most likely hiding similar numbers):

Sure, some of these servings may be larger than you can handle alone. But even if you were to split one of them with a friend or loved one, you’d still be packing on the calories, carbs and fat. Because, don’t forget that this isn’t your main meal – it’s a lead-in!

When you really think about it, the appetizer’s totally unnecessary when you go out to eat (much like dessert). You’re there in the first place for a meal, right? So why order what’s essentially another meal before it? All you’ll be doing is killing your appetite for the main course…or worse, inviting complete overeating by feeling compelled to eat the appetizer and your meal.

Or to put it another way: if you were eating at home, would you wolf down mozzarella sticks or chicken wings before your dinner? No, of course not. In that setting, you’re obviously overdoing it. But we tend to be more reckless with our eating when we’re at a restaurant.

Basically, it comes down to portion control. You have learned that it’s at the heart of healthy, sensible weightloss. Yet chain restaurants obviously don’t benefit from that kind of environment; if anything, most of them are now embracing the “bigger is better” mantra when it comes to food-especially with those tantalizing finger foods that precede the main course.

So take this information to heart, and remember it the next time you’re aching to go out to eat those greasy, calorie-rich appetizers with your friends. Instead, wait for your entrée and, in the meantime, grab a glass of water, iced tea or diet soda and toast the brand new you!