Eating Out With Realistic Portions

No, I didn't eat this all by myself!

Shortly after weight loss surgery, when I would go to eat out, I would order a cup of soup, a house salad or some small appetizer.  More often than not, I had leftovers to take home.  Those first few months you can't eat much, so keeping your portion sizes under control is fairly easy.

After a while, it's possible to eat more and restaurants are more than happy to oblige.  Portion sizes for meals at most restaurants are 2-3 times the correct size.  Eating twice the food that you should is not a great way to lose weight or maintain your weight loss.  Fortunately, I have developed a few strategies that are simple and work for me.

1. Split a meal with someone.  It's cost effective.  It always surprises the waitress, but no one needs to eat that much food by themselves.
2. Eat the foods that "don't keep well" first.  Anything that will turn soggy or will not reheat well gets eaten first off my plate.
3. Declare aloud and to yourself that you're done eating when you feel full.  Stop eating, no more nibbling at this point.  This is a hard one for me.
4. Ask for a to-go box for your leftovers as soon as you can flag down the waitress once you've decided that you're full.