If you're on a weight loss journey but have been asked to go out to a Chinese restaurant, here is some advice that you should follow if you want to ensure that you stay on track with your diet whilst still having a lovely meal.

Don't skip the deep-fried dishes

Chinese restaurants usually sell a lot of rich, flavoursome dishes, many of which are deep-fried and quite calorific. Your first instinct might be to avoid ordering these items. Instead of skipping them, however, you should ask one of the people you're dining with to share an order of, for example, the deep-fried wontons or dumplings you feel like eating.

By sharing the dish with a friend, you can reduce the size of your own portion and will, therefore, end up eating a sensible amount of calories. However, you will still get to experience the pleasure of eating the type of rich food that you are probably not consuming at home at the moment due to your diet. Furthermore, you won't have to deal with the misery of watching your friends eat these delicious foods whilst you stare at their plates longingly.

A word of warning: if your friend doesn't end up consuming all of their portion of this dish, try not to eat the food they leave behind. Instead, ask your waiter or waitress to put it into a takeaway box so that you can have it the following day and don't end up eating too much in a single sitting.

Focus on leaner protein and oil-free starches (and ask for extra vegetables)

Half a portion of fried dumplings or another rich dish won't be enough to satisfy your appetite. As such, you will probably want to order a few other items, too. It is important to balance out the meal by pairing the aforementioned richer food with some less calorific items.

For example, you should ensure that any protein-based dishes you order are fairly lean; rather than ordering the duck in plum sauce, you might want to order some steamed prawns with this sauce instead (as duck meat usually features a lot of fat). Similarly, you might want to order boiled, rather than egg-fried, rice, as the former contains fewer calories than the latter. Additionally, you should ask for some steamed vegetable side dishes, which will fill you up and help you to avoid the temptation of consuming too many of the other foods that are on offer.

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