Your efforts to lose weight can often be at risk when you dine out. Many restaurants' menus are loaded with unhealthy choices, which is why many people watching what they eat avoid eating out entirely. However, if you find that you need to visit a restaurant, whether it's for a work function, a family engagement, or something else important, you'll want to order something healthy. One idea to keep in mind is to order a dish that will fill you up quickly. This way, you'll consume only a small portion, and you can take the rest home. Here are some types of food that will fill you quickly and thus reduce the risk that you'll overeat.

Spicy Foods

When you eat foods that are loaded with spiciness, you'll feel full quicker. This can reduce your probability of overeating and threatening your weight loss efforts. When you're browsing the menu to look for something spicy, try to evaluate its overall healthiness, too. For example, spicy nachos might be something to consider, but their high amount of fat due to their beef, cheese, chips, and sour cream make them a poor choice. Instead, look for something such as a spicy stir-fry or even a spiced chicken breast. You can also consider asking for a bottle of hot sauce to spice up any meal that you order.

Fibrous Foods

Foods that offer a high amount of fiber are also useful for making you feel satiated. You won't find much fiber at fast food restaurants, but you'll often find that fibrous foods are more common when you opt for healthier restaurants. Fiber is largely present in vegetables, which makes salad, side orders of steamed vegetables, and other similar dishes valuable. Consider ordering a salad as a meal, rather than a starter, and you may find that you get filled up before you finish eating it.

Watery Foods

Menu items that have a high water content can also help you feel fuller. While drinking glasses of water can achieve the same effect, you'll still likely plan to order something to eat. Soup, in particular, can offer high water content — just be sure that it's a broth-based soup, rather than one with a cream base. A bowl of vegetable soup, for example, is ideal because it contains a lot of water, plus you'll also get the added benefits of the fibrous vegetables.

For help losing weight and planning meals, look for a practice like the Center for Psychiatry & Weight Management.