On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal confirmed what many of us have suspected: Dining out is really unhealthy -- not just for our wallets (in some cases), but for our waists. Eat one of Pizzeria Uno's Individual Chicago Classic pizzas (serving size: 1)? That'll be 2,310 calories. Devour California Pizza Kitchen's Grilled Vegetable salad? That'll be 1,020 calories, ma'am. Tack on the sauted salmon for a bonus of 470 calories. And yes, I did say, grilled vegetable salad.
Let's put this in perspective. Depending on our size and how active we are, most of us women are supposed to consume between 1,500 and 1,800 calories a day. So if you eat one of those salads at CPK, you shouldn't plan to eat much else (or drink more than water or tea) all day.
That's probably not too realistic, though. Chances are you ate breakfast before indulging in that salad, and by dinner you may be hungry again.
So is it time to stop eating out? That's not a terrible idea, but it's not entirely realistic. Eating out is a good way to socialize, meet with clients, and, occasionally, ensure you and yours eat when you are too busy to cook. So the answer is to pay attention to what -- and how -- you're eating.
What to trim the fat next time you dine out? Here are some surefire strategies to avoid becoming a super-sized you:
- Divide and conquer: Almost as a rule, restaurant portions are huge. So look at your plate before you start eating, and depending on how large the portions are, decide to eat just one-forth to one-half of your meal. I often push aside what I'm not going to eat with my fork so I can see what I'm not going to eat before I start chowing down. Then I get a to-go box for my leftovers.
