When I eat out I want it to be special, consequently I don?t eat out often. You could have seen the advice on how exactly to shave calories at restaurants but really, do you need to pay high restaurant prices for undressed salads and plain steamed vegetables? Or even, how then can you solve the dilemma of too many calories once you eat out?

Here are seven tips for getting the calories out of restaurant meals while still ordering your favorites.

1. Say NO to super sizing. The size you ordered is already too large. Stop super sizing and you?ll save money. Better still, order one dinner and ask for a supplementary plate. Many restaurants will do this for a dollar or two, and it?s well worth it. Then share the meal together with your friend and you split the price straight down the middle. Another option is to order from the so called ? restaurant italien ? menu. Two different people could order three entrees, one dessert and split the whole thing and it?s still a huge amount of food!

2. Skip the bread and rolls. Many family restaurants still serve a bread basket together with your meal. Unless it?s a brand new baked loaf or some really special bread, just skip it. You don?t need to fill up on ordinary bread when you?re paying good money for meals. Just require it to be taken away when you can?t resist, but in all honesty, you?re an adult, you can resist, if you need to. You can simply choose not to put a roll on your own plate. Try it, just once and see if you don?t walk out of this restaurant feeling strangely powerful.

If you can?t miss the rolls, at least skip the butter. That?s right. Eat it plain. Whole grain bread is delicious all by itself.

3. Stop Ordering Drinks. Soft drinks are a huge cash cow for restaurants. For pennies they sell you a squirt of syrup and carbonated water and become they?re doing you a large favor by only charging you $1.29 for a huge 64 ounce soda. Start saving those dollars. Especially if you?re ordering ?to go? skip the drink. If you?re consuming it there, ask for water, or at the very least switch to diet drinks. Never drink ?fat pop.?

4. Slow Down You Eat Too Fast! What?s the rush? Invest some time, savor the moment, enjoy the flavors. A big part of getting in touch with your hunger signals and learning to eat what really will satisfy is understanding how to recognize the subtle signs of hunger. You won?t know when you?re approaching satisfaction if you?ve gobbled everything down in 5 minutes. Take a bite then notice just how many times do you chew before you begin wanting to swallow? Once, twice? Make an effort to chew your food and your body will be notably happier. A very large part of digestion begins in your mouth, not to mention you?ll get much more pleasure if you allow food linger.

5. Trim Visible Fat and Skin. I know, you really love the skin?of course you do, it tastes good, it will, it?s pure fat. Do you want to get leaner, or do you want to eat fat? You select. I never eat chicken skin and never eat the visible fat hanging off a steak, good taste or no. You have to decide what you would like more, the second?s worth of pleasure of a yummy taste, or a lifetime of carrying around a supplementary 40 lbs? I know that is counter to the reduced carb crowd?s belief that fat is good, carbs are evil, but I?ve maintained an 80 pound weight loss for 18 years without dieting and I don?t eat visible fat or skin. Enough said.

6. Ask for a Doggie Bag at the start of Meal. When the food is served, immediately portion off some to collect for tomorrow. Most restaurants in the US serve way too much. There is no law you need to eat it all. Do this frequently and soon you?ll find you?re getting a supplementary lunch out of that meal.

7. Get yourself a copy of Restaurant Confidential by Michael F. Jacobson and Jayne Hurley, and begin checking out just how many calories you?re really eating. If you eat out frequently and you also carry extra weight, then that?s most likely the problem there. This little book can assist you realize why it appears you don?t eat that much yet you can?t lose any weight. Hardees recently introduced a new burger that clocks in at only under 1200 calories simply by itself! Now that?s frightening.

If you actually want to get a handle on your bodyweight problem, look first to where you eat, second at what you eat, and third how much you eat. Where, What and How Much? Try these steps choosing one tip at the same time, and see how easily you can take a few of the calories out of restaurant food.