* Ask for the food to be prepared in less or no oil. Also request for everything to be cooked in extra virgin olive oil.

* Ask for homemade dressings instead of the bottled ones. Those have preservatives, artificial flavoring and also lots of sugar.

* Choose dishes prepared without ghee or cream and limit other diary products.

* Don’t have alcohol too often. It kills your brain cells apart from making you put on weight and make your liver suffer! If at all, choose to have wine (a naturally fermented drink) rather than cocktails that are mixed with high calorie sugary sodas and syrups.

* When ordering your meal, ask to speak to the chef directly. Waiters often mess up few things and if you’re trying to stick to a healthy diet, you might find it frustrating when your order doesn’t turn out to be the way you wanted.

 * If your meal turns out to be too oily, get a piece of bread, and suck the oil out with it.

 * Always order big salad with your meal and only one concentrated food (either protein or carbs). If you don’t mix protein and carbs at one meal, whatever it is you’re eating, it won’t give you any digestive troubles, nor extra belly fat. (That doesn’t mean it won’t be unhealthy though!).

* If you get too big a portion of food, ask for a take-away box, instead of gulping it down just because it’s in front of you. A good thing is to then give the box to someone less fortunate out on the street. That way you won’t be indulging in the food next day again…in case it is something not as healthy).

* Avoid deep-fried, au gratin, crispy, escalloped or stuffed foods. These are high in fat and calories. Instead, look for steamed, broiled, baked, grilled, stir-fried, poached or roasted foods.

* If ordering meat, ask for the fat to be trimmed and skin to be removed from poultry before cooking.

* Avoid eating the snacks that come before your meal is ready. Order a tea, soup or vegetable sticks with low fat dressing and leave the bread sticks alone! In fact, ask the waiter to remove them before you start hypnotizing them and having second thoughts.

* If you feel like eating desert, ask for fruit or sherbet instead of high-fat pastries and ice creams. Most restaurants can make it for you even if it’s not on their menu.

* Order soups without cream and croutons.

* When ordering fruit salad, specify the fruits should all be raw, with no syrup added or else you might get canned cherries or  canned pineapple mixed in your salad.

* If you get the ‘wrong’ order, (not done the way you asked for it), don’t be afraid to send it back. You are paying for it.

* If you feel the waiter is not paying much attention to your specific order, make it sound more urgent by insisting that you can’t have the particular food or condiment because you are allergic to it. Improvise. It’s fun and it works!

* When sharing food with others or eating a buffet, take out the exact portion you need at once instead of taking little by little and not realizing how much you’re actually having.

* When going for dinner or party to your friend’s place, eat something light before you arrive there. You never know when the dinner would be served, and you might end up starving so much that by the time the food is laid out, you’ll eat anything that is offered to you.

* When going out with friends who are the opposite to ‘diet’ conscious, suggest to go to movies instead rather than dining in places like Mac Donalds. Or even better, at the time you’re trying to lose weight, surround yourself with friends that are supportive of your goal.