Divide your portion and ask for the doggie bag before you eat.

Weight Loss Tip 75 – Ask for a Doggie Bag

beef lo mein take out

The key to weight loss is portion control and avoiding mindless eating.  Restaurants often give you 2-3 times the amount you should eat in a single portion, and mindless east is often easy when you are eating out.  When eating out, consider asking for a take home container and doggie bag at the beginning of the meal.  It is a lot easier to limit your portion if it is not staring back at you so put about half the food in the container before starting to eat and remove it from your direct line of sight.  This technique should help reduce the temptation to eat more than you need because you probably won’t open the container at the restaurant and if you forget it, at least you did not eat it.  If you do remember it, take the food home to eat at another meal or give it to someone else to take home.  

The bottom line: A takeout container may help limit your portion size, and restaurant portions are often many times the recommended portion size.