Lean, healthy salads, fish and chicken quickly turn into high-calorie indulgences with the addition of dressings and sauces. Particularly when you're dining out, order salad dressings and other sauces on the side. This way, you have control over how much or how little you add. When you order grilled fish or vegetables, ask that the food either be grilled without butter or oil or prepared "light," with as little oil or butter as possible. Fat, salt and other diet disasters can hide in the least likely places when you eat out. For example, that filet you order at a steakhouse is likely slathered in butter before it's cooked. Look on the menu for high-fat "buzzwords," like cream sauce, au gratin, stuffed, breaded, creamy, crunchy or battered. "Safe" words include baked, broiled, boiled, grilled and steamed.
If you're still not sure, then ask your server how the entrée you're interested in is prepared. When the food comes, trim off any visible fat and eat a portion of meat that's only about the size of a deck of cards. If you're at a steakhouse that serves a 6-ounce sirloin - likely the smallest piece of meat on the menu - then that means eating only half of what's on the plate. Mind those "healthy" sides, too. They might be slathered in butter or oil. Grilled veggies get a 100-calorie and 10-fat gram increase when restaurants add butter. Ask for some lemons and fresh-ground pepper, and season them yourself.