Keep your diet on track

Eating at a restaurant can sabotage your eating habits, if you do it the wrong way.  Some of the culprits include eating too much, and ordering the wrong things, but eating out doesn't have to wreck your diet, according to Holly Mosier .

Mosier is the author of 'Stress Less, Weigh Less' she says she eats at all kinds of restaurants and manages to keep herself in check while enjoying a good meal 'it's all about balancing carbs, proteins, and fats in my meal.  This can be done anywhere'.

Here are her rules to eating healthy.

1. Water - Drink a glass of water as soon as you sit down, it will begin to fill your stomach and allow you to make your menu selections without being as hungry.  You can also order a hot drink like tea, sipping the beverage during your meal without adding a lot of calories.

2.  Wine- It's fine to order a glass of wine with your dinner but it will count as a carb or starch, so I will skip the bread and any other starch with my meal and instead ask for a double helping of green vegetables.  You can apply this approach to any alcoholic beverage.

3.  Appetizer- I either order a green salad with dressing on the side, or if there are no good selections of side salads to chose from, I will ask for a side of steamed broccoli, or any other low-glycemic veggie.  Low glycemic veggies are the low starch ones, like zucchini, asparagus, bell peppers, cauliflower.  I particularly like broccoli because it is not only high fiber, it has a fair amount of protein that helps to keep you full.  And even if it's not listed on the menu, most restaurants will be happy to bring you an order with butter on the side.  

4.  Share a Meal- Ask for a box before the meal and share with yourself, or share with your dinner partner.  If it's not in front of you, you won't be tempted to eat it, and the leftovers make a great lunch or dinner the next day.

5.  Keep it Simple- Try to order the simplest foods on the menu.  You want to pick something that is baked, broiled, roasted or grilled, and ask for any sauces to be served on the side so you can just add a little bit as you go.  Steer clear of fried, crispy and creamed dishes, they are high-calorie disasters.  If you really must have that rich, creamy dish; follow the share and appetizer rules, and treat the main course as more of a dessert.

6.  Portion Control- You can use your hand or plate as a guideline.  Half of your fist is one portion of starch or carbs.  The palm of your hand is your lean protein.  The thumb can be used as a portion size for fat, including cheese.  Make sure you remove any visible fat, that includes skin from chicken, and visible fat from a steak.  Or use your plate, half of it should be filled with salad and non-starchy vegetables, the other 2 quarters should include 1 lean protein and 1 starch or carb.

You can find Holly's book Stress Less, Weigh Less at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indie Bound, Borders, Target and Amazon.com.  She will be speaking at Arizona's Ultimate Women's Expo on Saturday, April 21 and signing books at Booth 400 on both Saturday and Sunday!