How To Eat Out & Still Lose Weight

THAI RESTAURANTS
Thai food swings from extremely healthful to saturated-fat-filled dishes (coconut milk is the culprit). Here's how to navigate your way through the Thai culinary jungle:

* A great appetizer is Tom Yum. This hot and sour soup consists of chicken or shrimp floating in a brothy base seasoned with fresh lime. It's filling and very low in fat.

* Chicken saté (peanut sauce) is a fine starter, as long as the fatty sauce arrives on the side. Dip sparingly; just coat the tip of the chicken strip.

* Thai salads make fabulous appetizers or dinners when combined with another appetizer or soup. Most dressings contain no oil and are made with lime juice, fish sauce - a salty brown sauce similar to soy - and sugar. Pla Koong is a traditional healthy salad made with shrimp, onion, basil, mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions and lemon grass.

* Steamed mussels can't be beat. They're rich in protein, low in fat and take a long time to eat! Often cooked with chilies, lemon grass and other aromatics, they make a scrumptious entree with a side of rice.

* Curries are tricky. Avoid ones with coconut milk, which contain 48 grams of saturated fat per cup. Ask for a broth-based curry when available. If you want to splurge, order a coconut-based curry but make the rice your dinner by lifting the ingredients out of the sauce with a fork to eat over the rice.

* Pik Pow dishes are excellent choices. Made with fiery chilies, they contain little fat, lots of high-fiber vegetables and a lean protein such as shrimp or squid.

* Steamed or grilled fish is another great option. Order soup or salad as an appetizer and accompany the meal with rice.

* Who doesn't love pad thai? Unfortunately, this oily, eggy, peanutty noodle dish packs a fat-filled wallop. Ask the chef to make it without the eggs, with the peanuts on the side and with a wedge of lime to season the noodles (a traditional garnish). Then eat an appetizer portion (about the size of a tangerine).

* Thai restaurants usually offer few desserts. Avoid or only eat a small portion (about the size of a lime) of any ice cream. Better yet, order fruit, such as litchi in syrup, and save calories by leaving the syrup behind.