How much should I eat?

You can eat away from home without sabotaging your weight-loss plan. You just need to be menu-savvy about making decisions. � � When ordering food at a restaurant, do you know which items may be loaded with fat and calories? Unlike when you're grocery shopping, the foods in a restaurant may not have nutrition labels listing their fat grams and calorie content. Hidden calories refer to the extra calories in many dishes that come from ingredients you may be unaware of. That's why they're such a problem for people grappling with weight control. Ingredients are often added to enhance the flavor, color or texture of food — for example, seasonings, sauces, cheesy toppings or dressings. And sometimes they're part of the process used to prepare the dish — for example, oil or butter for cooking. These calories add up fast. Use these tips to steer clear of hidden fat and calories in restaurant food. Appetizers. If you're having an appetizer, choose one that contains primarily vegetables, fruit or fish. Lettuce cups, edamame, fresh-fruit compote and shrimp cocktail served with lemon are healthy appetizers. Avoid fried or breaded appetizers, which are generally high in calories. Of course, you can also save calories by skipping the appetizer altogether and just focusing on your entree. Soup. The best choices are broth-based or tomato-based soups. Creamed soups, chowders and pureed soups can contain heavy cream or egg yolks. Bread. Muffins, garlic toast and croissants have more fat and calories than do whole-grain bread, breadsticks and crackers. Skip the temptation by asking the server not to bring the bread basket. Salad. Your best choice is a lettuce or spinach salad with a low-fat dressing on the side. Limit all of the high-calorie add-ons, such as cheese and croutons. Also beware that chef salad and taco salad are usually high in fat and calories because of the meat, cheese and other extras — such as the taco salad's deep-fried shell. Side dish. Choose steamed vegetables, rice, fresh fruits, a baked potato or boiled new potatoes instead of higher-calorie options, such as french fries, potato chips and mayonnaise-based salads. Entrees. You may want to skip pasta dishes with meat or cheese or dishes with creamy sauces. The names of certain dishes are sometimes giveaways that they're high in fat, such as prime rib, veal parmigiana, stuffed shrimp, fried chicken, fried rice and fettuccine Alfredo. Instead, look for these healthy terms when choosing an entree: baked, broiled without added butter, grilled, poached, roasted or steamed. Dessert. Finish your main meal before ordering dessert. By the time you're done, you may not even want dessert. If you do order dessert, consider splitting it with one of your companions. Some healthy dessert options include fresh fruit, sorbet or sherbet. Also, be mindful of two common dining-out challenges: the urge to order more food than you need and the impulse to eat every bit of food on your plate — even when the portion size is way too large for one person!

How many calories do you consume without even realizing it? Bring awareness to your meals with these tips. � � Mindful eating is an effective weight-loss strategy that encourages you to slow down and pay attention to your food, noticing each sip or bite you take. It helps focus your senses on exploring, savoring and tasting your food, and teaches you to follow hunger cues. Put mindful eating into practice with these ideas as you prepare and eat meals. It gets easier over time! Practice acceptance. Be aware of critical or judgmental thoughts about food, your eating habits and your body. Concentrate on the moment. Accept your body as it is. Make a conscious decision to eat. Before you eat, ask yourself, “How hungry am I right now? Am I eating out of hunger, habit, boredom or emotion?” Reserve time for your meal. Don’t eat on the run. If you’re eating with others, involve them in preparing the food to make that time social. Avoid distractions while eating. Eat at a table. Turn off the TV and put away your phone, work, books and magazines until you are done. Appreciate your food. Start your meal by taking a moment to express your gratitude for the food in front of you. Breathe. Before and during your meal, consciously take a few deep breaths. Use all your senses to fully experience your food and drinks. Observe the smells, textures, sounds, colors and tastes. Ask yourself how much you’re enjoying the food and how appealing it is. Choose modest portions to avoid overeating. Eat small bites, and chew slowly. Appreciate that your food fills you up and makes you healthy. Of course, there will be times that you have to rush through a meal to get to an activity or an appointment. But if you can practice mindful eating on a regular basis, it can help you reach your weight-loss goals.

Follow the Healthy Weight Pyramid Use the pyramid as a cheat sheet for your general eating guidelines. � � Let the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid be your guide to making smart eating choices. It's pretty simple to use. The goal is to choose most of your food from the groups at the base of the pyramid and less from the top — and to move more. Sweets This group includes candies, cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts and other desserts, as well as table sugar. With sweets, keep it small; most are high in calories and fat without any nutrients. The pyramid recommends limiting sweets to 75 calories a day. This isn't much. So consider thinking of your sweet calories over the course of a week. If you give in to the brownie on Monday, hold off on any more sweets until the weekend — or even longer. Fats Your body needs small amounts of certain types of fats to function well, but saturated fats and trans fats increase your risk of heart disease. Focus on good fats, such as olive oil, avocado, nuts, nut butters and more. Protein/Dairy The best choices are low in fat and calories, such as fish, skinless white-meat poultry, fat-free dairy foods, egg whites and legumes (lentils, beans and peas) — which also happen to be good sources of fiber. Carbohydrates Most foods in this group are grains or made from grains. Whole grains are best; they're higher in fiber and other nutrients. Some examples include whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal and brown rice. Look for the term "whole" as one of the first ingredients on the label. Vegetables They're rich in nutrients and fiber, and most are low in calories and fat. Focus on fresh vegetables; frozen or canned without added fat or salt are also OK. And try for more dark green, red and orange varieties. Note that starchy, higher calorie veggies such as corn and potatoes count as carbohydrates when following the pyramid. Fruits Almost all fruits fit into a healthy diet. But whole fresh, frozen and canned fruits without added sugar are the best choices. They're filling and packed with nutrients and fiber. Limit fruit juices and dried fruits; they have more calories and are less filling. Fitness As you can see, The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid is not just about food. At the center of the pyramid is a circle that recognizes the important role physical activity plays in weight loss and health. The pyramid recommends 30 to 60 minutes of moderately vigorous physical activity on most days of the week.