Start With Water
It goes without saying that there is no substitute for drinking water at meal time. Make water the very first thing that you ask your server to bring to the table. If you are going to enjoy other types of fluids with your meal, especially drinks with alcohol, make sure that you drink two glasses of water for every glass of flavored beverage that you consume. This will help you to avoid dehydration and improve digestion of the rest of your meal.
Try the Vegetarian Special
Many restaurants are catering more and more to vegetarian diners. If there is a vegetarian option on the menu, give it a try. These meals are almost always going to be higher in fiber and lower in fat than dishes with meat. Unless you are eating post training session and need protein, the vegetarian choices will do less damage to your overall diet and might even introduce you to something completely new that you can try later at home.
Be Wary of Salads and Wraps
Many restaurants will put salads and wraps on their menu to appeal to health conscious consumers. These selections are not always the healthiest options. Often, they are fatty selections put on a bed of lettuce or in a tortilla to make them look healthy. Look at what is on the salad or in the wrap when you make your choice and order your salad or wrap with the dressing or sauce on the side to give yourself control of the amount you use.
Make Sure to Get Your Veggies
When you order your meal make sure that it comes with veggies or ask the server to substitute veggies for the side dish. In a perfect world, three quarters of your meal should consist of fresh or steamed veggies with the other 25 percent split evenly between lean protein and a good source of carbohydrates. Try to get as close to this ratio as possible when ordering and if the portions don't stack up like this you can still control how much of each item you eat.
Waste Not Want Not, Except...
Many restaurants seriously overfeed their guests. Eat until you are full and then stop. If you are concerned about being wasteful, or offending the establishment by not finishing your meal, see if you can split a meal with someone at your table. Try to look at the portion sizes on other diners' plates before you make this decision though, or you might end up hungry. Still, you can always order more, but you can't give back uneaten portions.
