Just because you are dieting, you cannot live in a cacoon or hibernate for the winter until you lose those pounds. Situations will arise that will force you to abandon your controlled home diet regimen and require you to dine outside the home.

These can be as simple as eating out with friends after a movie or concert at your favorite fast food restaurant to an elaborate family gathering at a fancy restaurant to celebrate a birthday or some other special event. You cannot hide, nor should you.

Dining out when you are on a diet can be very stressful. Many restaurants have "healthy choices" for those that are dieting but it can still be hard to pass up those tempting calories. Eat as you would at home. Remember that a diet is going to boost your health, help you to lose weight and improve your general well-being.

When you pick up the menu, start by skipping over the drink section. This should not be a problem but those of you who are of legal drinking age -remember there is no such thing as a "Lite" beer. The exception to this rule when it comes to alcohol is wine, especially red wine, which can be fine if you have a single glass only.

Also skip over the appetizer menu, unless it’s to order a side salad. The appetizers at restaurants are usually high-fat foods that are not meant to fill you up and can, in fact, make you crave even more high fat foods. Try to order items like a broth vegetable soup or a salad with lemon or the dressing on the side. This will help in the fact that you do not have to eat it all. Simply focus on your main course or,if you must indulge, share a single appetizer with the entire table.

When choosing your main dish, it is of course important that you look at the ingredients of the dish. Anything with cream sauces or high-fat meats should be avoided, and pass up the potatoes or onion rings. Instead order side dishes like vegetables or ask for just the main course whenever possible.Baked or grilled items especially chicken are usually a good healthy choice.

Sauces for a lot of people are hard to resist. They are a large source of fat that you may not even notice. A good idea is to remember that the creamy sauces are worse for your diet. Meat and chicken sauces, light salad dressings and on the side cream sauces will keep your fat intake at a reasonable manner.

Remember too that portion is everything. More often than not, restaurants will give you more than just a one serving size. Order off of the lunch menu whenever you can, and ask for a doggie bag right away. Split your meal in half from the start so that you are not tempted to eat the entire thing, which is usually enough for two or three portions If you do not like the idea of the doggie bag, share your meal with your date or friends at the table.

At the end of your meal, skip over the desert menu, just like you did with the appetizers. Again, you can share a single desert with the entire table if you feel compelled to order something, or split your portion in half. Many fancy desserts at restaurants have more calories than your entire meal. Of course, on special occasions, it’s alright to cheat a little, but overall healthy eating requires huge portions of resisting temptation around you.

You do not have to wreck your diet when dining out. Keep it under control and you will find that most of the foods you order, are going to be good for you and taste good too.