The heaping portions. The mystery sauces. The bottomless soft drinks and bread baskets. Dining out involves countless weight saboteurs, and in fact, studies have shown that you’re most likely to lose weight if you eat out no more than two or three times a week. But when you must, heed these tips to keep from bolstering your bottom’s line:

1. As you’re seated, ask the host not to bring a bread basket. "If it’s never on your table, you’re automatically going to save calories," points out Schupp. Besides, you don’t scarf down a bunch of bread before the average meal at home—why should you do it here?

2. Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions to help you cut unwanted calories or ingredients, says Sacks. "Since you’re the one who’s going to be eating the food, you have every right to ask the waiter, ‘How is this prepared? Do you think the chef could sauté it with just a little bit of oil? Would you make sure there’s no salt added?’"

3. Request sauce and dressing on the side. "Condiments often contain lots of sugar, fat and salt, and you never know what else is in them," says Sacks. "To be safe, you’re better off using just a little for dipping."

4. Start with a bean- or broth-based soup. These tend to be low in fat, and "studies show that if you have a cup of soup before a meal, you naturally eat about 100 calories less overall, because the high water content is so filling," says Blatner. "But watch out for words like chowder, cream and bisque, which generally mean high-calorie; instead, request the restaurant’s lowest-sodium soup."

5. Don’t drink alcohol until your food arrives. Imbibing before a meal increases your appetite, so wait until you’ve taken your first few bites to sip wine, a wine spritzer or light beer (three low-calorie choices).