You've cut back on swanky restaurants to save cash, but a third of you aren't willing to give up casual dinners out, a recent study reveals. Use this four-step plan to enjoy your next dinner out — and still stick to your diet.

• Call ahead. Watching everyone else chow down while you wait 45 minutes for a table isn't just annoying; it can also make you eat more. "The sight and smell of food stimulates the body to begin the digestive process," says Susan Roberts, author of "The Instinct Diet." "Your stomach muscles relax and insulin is secreted, lowering blood-sugar levels to make you feel hungry." The fix: Book a reservation, and arrive on time to reduce your wait and the amount of food you see and smell before sitting down, suggests Joanne Lichten, R.D., author of "Dining Lean."

• Read between the lines. Succulent herb-crusted pork chops. Velvety ricotta cheesecake. Descriptive adjectives like luscious and juicy are all over restaurant menus and can actually make you order more, says Brian Wansink, author of "Mindless Eating." In one of his studies, diners were 27 percent more likely to get dessert when it was called German Black Forest double-chocolate cake instead of plain old chocolate cake. Practice picking out these adjectives on a menu the next time you dine out. The more easily you recognize them, the less they'll sway you.

• Avoid condiment catastrophes. "SOS" (sauce on the side) is one of the first rules you learn in Weight Loss 101, but it may actually raise your calorie intake. "A two-tablespoon serving of dressing looks pretty skimpy, so many restaurants triple or quadruple the amount they send out separately," says Edward Abramson, a professor emeritus of psychology at California State University at Chico and author of "Body Intelligence." Translation: You could be adding 200 to 300 extra calories to your meal. A smarter strategy? Order condiments on the side; when they arrive, measure one spoonful onto your plate. Then send that tempting little container back to the kitchen with your waiter.

• Pay with cold, hard cash. In a review of 100,000 restaurant purchases conducted by Visa, people who paid for their food with a credit card spent up to 30 percent more than those who used cash. "When you pay on credit, you're more likely to splurge on extras such as appetizers and cocktails," explains Marc David, founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. If you can't pay with cash, determine a reasonable amount to spend beforehand and vigilantly stick to that number.