It was Jan’s birthday, and she wanted to go out to the Cheesecake Factory. We love that place, and not just for the cheesecake: among all the other yummy things on the menu, they have Kobe style beef burgers that are just absolutely to die for!

Unfortunately, this presented us with a bit of a dilemma: how the heck do you effectively manage your desire to eat everything in sight when you go out to eat? The portion sizes in most restaurants these days are enormous. And the temptation to simply gobble everything down in one fell swoop can be overpowering, with inevitable results: you totally blow your calorie intake for the day; you feel stuffed and bloated; and you feel guilty.

Why do we eat ourselves silly when we go out to eat? It’s not necessarily because it tastes good; much of what I cook at home is just as good as anything I’ve found in restaurants. No, it’s because that’s what we’ve been conditioned to do. We go out and pay good money for a meal, and we expect to be able to eat it. All of it. And if we get a “good deal” and the restaurant brings us more food for a bargain price (”Hey, super-size me!”), so much the better! Can you say, “Oink!” Folks, this isn’t “value,” it’s gluttony. Gack!

But there’s an easy solution that doesn’t require much willpower, and that has the added benefit of making your money go farther: when you order, ask your waiter or waitress to bring out to-go containers when they bring out your meal. When they bring your plate heaped high with caloric goodness, immediately take half of it (or more if the serving is really huge) and put it in the famous doggy bag. Don’t wait until the end of the meal; do it as soon as the food is delivered, before you’ve taken the first bite. [Confession: Jan and I did wait until we were done to get our containers, but we had cut our burgers in half as soon as they came - we've developed that much willpower!]

Then, guess what? You can:

  • eat your meal totally guilt-free.
  • have a second meal to enjoy later.
  • make your money go twice as far.

When it comes to dessert, try to do the same thing. For example, Cheesecake Factory will cut your cheesecake servings in half and put half in a container for you to take home. You can do the same with most other desserts that are “too big” for a single reasonable portion, except for things like ice cream, which might not be practical to save for later. In cases like that, try to share with someone else in your party if they want the same thing. Or, if worse comes to worst, try ordering something else, or ask if the restaurant can cut down on the amount. But do your best to keep it reasonable so you can really enjoy your meal!

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