As a registered dietitian living and working in New York City, this is what I tell my clients who are worried about group dinners. One, do not arrive hungry, always have a snack before you show up. You want to spoil your appetite this way to be more in control of the portion that you consume. So you don’t really have to worry about what is actually ordered. Two is to make sure if the group is ordering a lot of fried and fatty food, just throw in an order for a salad or a lean protein, like a shrimp cocktail or tuna tartar or something that you know you can eat a lot of if you don’t tell the group that you’re not eating certain things. that you just add to that order, nobody’s gonna look at you twice. And also it’s just about portion control, so take your plate and taste a little bit of everything, but don’t go back for a seconds, if you’re worried about eating too much, that’s a perfect way to make sure that you’re staying on track.