I went out to dinner tonight... and eating out is so tricky. I went way over my limit today. And I somewhat tried... We shared a meal and an appetizer instead of getting two entrees. But we were also hanging out there watching a game, and were getting drinks. So I limited myself to 1 cocktail. But somehow we ended up sharing an ice cream... I had 550 calories left for dinner, and went over my limit by 1000. I don't feel badly about it, I've been eating really healthy lately and had a really nice evening tonight. I just don't quite know how to handle going out to eat. When I'm going out, I want to order something really tasty that I can't make myself (which usually ends up being food on the heavier side). When you go out to eat, are you always ordering light meals? Or just allowing yourself a certain number of times to "not worry about it"? That's what I'm thinking of doing... something like 3 evenings/month where I go out to eat and just order whatever looks tasty. I always eat slowly and stop eating when I'm full anyways, so I guess I can't do much damage?

I think it's best to do what is sustainable -- plan ahead. Like many of us, I love food! And I agree, trying things you can't prepare yourself is fun. However, it's not worth the guilt and setback it can cause (a ripple effect). If I know I'm going out, I look at the restaurant menu before hand and decide what I will order. This way, I don't make any "impulse decisions" (i.e. ice cream) that I'll end up regretting.

Hope this works for you!

Adrienne