— Mary Gerstein

What science tells us is that when we eat with others, we eat more and we tend to eat things we might not have eaten. So there's both positives and negatives. I like it for kids, right? When they, when they see their, their friends maybe eating something healthy, they're gonna try it more. So when I eat out with friends in at restaurants, I go with a plan in mind knowing that the amount of food they're gonna serve, unless you go to a super restaurant and you get something this big, you're gonna get something that's probably two or three servings. So I will look at the plate and I will know already I'm only gonna eat half of it. The other half's gonna come home with me and I'm gonna make that as a base for something else. So let me give you an example. When I eat out, whether that's like, um, a stir fry at a Chinese restaurant, I'm gonna bring back some of that because I can make, and I'm not kidding you, I can bring back a little bit of that stir fry and I can make a whole meal for four people based on that flavor that I brought home with me. Um, so you can, some people do this. I wouldn't be comfortable with saying, can you, can you put half in a doggy bag and then serve me the other half that's gonna draw attention to myself. I don't like that. But if you're comfortable with it, you go ahead and you do that. Um, I would focus on drinking as well. Maybe doing spritzers instead of wine. And don't go near the bread if something comes free of charge and you can get all you can eat, don't eat it. It just means it's empty calories. So stay away from the bread, give yourself, give yourself one thing new to do when you go out. So instead of like thinking about, oh, I gotta do all these things, think okay, this time I go out with my friends, I'm not gonna eat the bread or this time I go out with my friends, I'm only gonna eat half and take one small step at a time and you'll do well and have fun with your friends.