Do You Save Room . . . Or Make Room?

When it comes to dessert, do you save room or make room?  Last night my husband and I were out to dinner with another couple.  We shared a couple of appetizers, a basket of bread, and then each dug into our own delicious meal.  I purposefully searched the menu for a lighter entree after all the "pre meal" calories I had eaten.  I ordered fish with a side of pasta.  The serving was large.  I was able to eat half of the food on the plate and have the waiter put the rest in a take-home container. 

By this time I noticed I was the only one at the table who hadn't cleaned my plate.  Well, sometimes it's difficult not to!  I mean there are dishes that just taste too good to stop eating.  Plus, the conversation was flowing, we were enjoying each other's company and the background live piano music in the restaurant.  There are times your plate is just cleaned before you know it, despite your best intentions.

But I was consciously saving room for dessert, because I knew the platter of sumptuous selections was going to be paraded by our table and I knew my husband and I were going to share one of them.  So when the other couple said, "none for us, thank you" and I explained that I had saved room for dessert by finishing only half my meal, my husband gave me a curious look.  "Saved room?" he asked. "I didn't 'save' room, but I can make room".

What about you?  If you are going to have dessert do you eat less at your meal?  Perhaps pass on an extra roll or go without a calorie-containing beverage? 
If you know you're going out to dinner, for that matter, do you eat lighter earlier in the day, knowing you are likely to be taking in a few hundred excess calories at a restaurant meal?

Splurging on a great meal--or a great dessert--can be a real treat.  And you don't have to tip the calorie balance that keeps you from your weight loss goal.  Eat lighter earlier in the day, or during the meal before dessert.  Save room and save calories.  If you're 'making' room for dessert your body may not need the extra calories!