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There is an episode of Sex and the City where the character Miranda decides to buy a book on weight loss and the cashier at the book store informs her that Weight Watchers is the only sane way to go. After trying several thousand different diets out there, I can't say it's the ONLY sane way to go, but it is one of them.

Those trying to lose weight by following a diet can live in perpetual fear of dining out. They fear they will ruin their diet. They fear that because they can't prepare the food themselves, that it will not be prepared the way it needs to be in order to stay under their allotted points or calorie count. There's no need for this. Especially not with Weight Watchers. The points system allows for you to 'save up' your points if you know you're going out to dinner and want to indulge a bit. But you don't necessarily have to.

First thing to remember when dining out on a diet is to steer clear of the 'bottomless' bread basket or tortilla chips basket that many restaurants offer their patrons. You can have one piece but then focus on your meal. You can even ask your server to remove the basket from the table.

Most restaurants are sensitive to the needs of diners who are attempting to shed pounds and some even offer a separate part of the menu devoted to healthy choices. Restaurants operate under the 'customer is always right' philosophy, so don't feel guilty asking lots of questions. Ask how the food will be prepared, ask if you can have your dressing on the side, special requests are not a burden to your server, so don't be shy about them.

Restaurants have a habit of giving you WAY too much food and some of us were raised with parents who taught us to clean our plates - perhaps that is how we wound up in this predicament. Plan to eat half of the meal and take the rest home with you. You can curb your hunger by starting with a salad (with dressing on the side).

One of the major pitfalls dieters run into when eating out is having drinks along with the meal. Alcohol has tons of empty calories. While having a glass of wine with dinner is fine, make sure you alternate with a glass of water so you are not wasting all your precious points on drinks.

Learn more about this author, Sadie Anne.
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