Going out to a restaurant is a foolproof way to de-rail a healthy diet.

At the same time, you can’t stay in and cook your own meals all the time — especially when your friends, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc. want to go out. That’ll make you look like a weirdo (trust me, I’m speaking from experience).

But, if you’re going out to eat, you should know how to do it right. That way, you’ll walk out of whatever restaurant you went to feeling lean and mean – not sluggish and bloated.

For starters, skip the appetizers (no pun intended). That means no mozzarella sticks, potato skins, nachos, meatballs or anything else that’s as delicious as it is loaded with calories.

If the people you’re out with insist on ordering appetizers, just get a salad.

Try to steer clear of Caesar and ranch dressings, which are high in saturated fat, and instead get some kind of vinaigrette. Also, ask for the dressing on the side. Chances are you don’t need as much as the salad normally comes with, and can probably get by with using just two or three tablespoons.

For your main course, don’t order more than six or eight ounces of meat. If you’re eating a steak, there’s no reason to get anything larger than a six ounce filet. With chicken and fish, the serving size is probably going to be closer to 10-12 ounces, so in that case you should be taking about a third of it home.

Also, try to avoid ordering dishes that come with sauce — especially heavy, creamy ones.

If your meal does come with some kind of topping, ask for it on the side. Again, like with salad dressing, restaurants tend to overdo it. Your food will probably taste just as good with only half the sauce on top.

If your main course comes with side dishes, try to get some kind of steamed vegetable. Green beans, broccoli, carrots and asparagus are all great options, although asparagus is usually a little pricier.

Avoid things like rice or pasta, which are loaded with useless carbohydrates, and also shy away from potatoes. I know the latter can be tough (I grew up in a household where every meat was cooked with some kind of potato on the side) but one potato contains about 20 grams of carbs. Baked potatoes are especially bad, because they’re pretty bland unless you jazz them up with fatty trimmings like butter, sour cream and bacon.

As for dessert? I know, I know, that’s the best part, but don’t have any.

Chances are you’ve already eaten way more than you normally would have just by going out to a restaurant. Don’t make things worse with a 1,000 calorie slice of cake or a 5,000 calorie ice cream sundae.

If you drink coffee, just get a coffee to keep everyone else company while they’re eating dessert. Even if you use a little cream and sugar, you’re still much better off.

Eating healthy is definitely tough when you’re out — but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It just takes a little self-discipline.

And maybe an understanding group of friends.

Peter is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]