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Read the first post in this series - Stopping When You’re Full: A Guide to Eating Out

Stopping when you are full is definitely easier at home than it is in a restaurant, but it is still not easy, by any stretch of the imagination. Especially when it comes to snacking.

Don’t do anything else while you are eating. It’s been proven that people will eat up to 30% more if they are eating while they are distracted. Put the book down, put the phone down, and step away from the TV and the Computer. Don’t snack while you are cooking, driving, walking, riding, swimming, or singing. Even if it’s just a snack, sit down and taste your food for a change.

Use smaller plates. This is a trick that everybody knows, and we probably have excuses for. At any thrift store there are usually lots of sets of china in a multitude of sizes and shapes. It is no longer necessary to have all the same plates. Get some to mix and match for a set of 2 to 6.

Put your soup in a mug. My bowls look so empty with a cup of soup in them, but my coffee mug looks full! Also, a cup of soup is literally a cup of soup, so the portion is right. Tons of these at thrift stores too if you can’t stand the idea of having soup and coffee in the same cup (even if it’s not at the same time, which I don’t recommend).

Always have soup or salad. Low in fat and calories, high in nutrition a cup of soup or salad is the best way to start a meal off right. Also, they are designed in a way that forces you to eat more slowly, aiding in digestion and helping you recognize the “you’re full, stop now” signals.

Drink Water. Even if you’re not thirsty, drinking water keeps you from eating when you think that you might be hungry but really you aren’t. And it keeps you from eating when you are full and you think you might want more just because.

When you are watching you’re weight, or trying to be healthy, or just trying to not turn into one of the millions of Americans suffering from obesity then taking the cues from your body that are telling you that you are full is important. Often times we don’t listen, or we do, but a myriad of excuses keep sending fork-to-mouth signals to our brains which counter-attack stomach-to-brain anti-signals. Or something like that.

Eating out is the hardest place to control eating by far. Portions are way too big and often made with more fat, sugar and salt than necessary. And we’ve all heard that excess quantities of these substances are part of the problem. So what do you do?

Be a Pain in the…
If you are dining out with a willing partner, then split an entrée and get a side salad or a cup of soup. Most restaurants charge a split plate fee for the extra work, but it’s worth paying the two dollars each time you split a plate if it means your health and well being into a ripe old age—need I mention looking good in the meantime.

If you are with someone who’s being difficult and you can’t agree to split a plate (or, if you are in a business meeting or some other occasion where that would be inappropriate, then split the meal with yourself). Ask the server to put half of it in a to go container before the meal comes out.

If you’re not comfortable with that, then you could just ask him or her to bring you a to go container when your meal comes out and you can do it yourself.

Last and definitely riskiest, you can cut your food in half and leave half of it alone. Either get the other half to go, or put your napkin over it when you’re done. It’s the universal signal for, “I’m full and if you don’t take this plate away from me now then I will eat until I hate living.”

Order an Iced Tea
Soda is loaded with empty calories, so you shouldn’t drink it. Diet soda isn’t any better, it’s calorie-free, but the fake sugar makes your body think it’s getting something that it actually isn’t which just leads to the overeating of sweets later. Diet soda prolongs the inevitable. Occasionally it’s fine, but make your default iced tea.

Get the Soup and Salad
To be honest, this one thrilled me the least when I started implementing it. But you know what, I kind of like it now. They usually bring it out one at a time, which helps you eat more slowly and helps those cues get through to your thick skull. And, these days soups and salads are as full of exciting flavor and fun as anything else on the menu. Believe me, you’ll be surprised but it’s plenty of food.