Of course you strive to eat healthfully when you dine out, but choosing figure-friendly fare can be trickier than it seems. "Because restaurants pride themselves in offering flavorful meals, they tend to use oil and butter a lot more liberally than you would at home," explains Karen Kovach, a registered dietitian in New York City.

As a result, even seemingly "innocent" foods wind up packed with fat and calories. Worse still, because volume is often equated with value, most eateries happily serve up portions three times the size of what you'd make at home, Kovach notes. With all this in mind, we analyzed the most popular "healthy" menu choices at six chain restaurants, and discovered that in every case, there was a less obvious, much better-for-your-waistline option available

PIZZA HUT
Seems Healthy: 12-Inch Cheese-Only Thin 'N Crispy Pizza
Per slice: 200 calories, 8 grams of fat
Better Choice: 12-Inch Mushroom and Pepperoni Thin 'N Crispy Pizza
Per slice: 190 calories, 8 grams of fat
Why: Though the fat content is the same on both pizzas, using extra toppings reduces the overall percentage of calorie-rich cheese by about 10 calories per slice, says Kovach. The reason: "Pizza Hut puts more cheese on their cheese-only pies, so when you order these toppings you're getting less cheese, which translates into fewer calories."

P.F. CHANG'S
Seems Healthy: Lo Mein Vegetable
1,340 calories, 51 grams of fat
Better Choice: Chow Mein Chicken
690 calories, 16 grams of fat
Why: With the exception of the chicken in the chow mein and the green onions in the lo mein, these dishes contain the same ingredients -- egg noodles, bean sprouts, black mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, celery and onions. But because it is stir-fried longer in oil -- till the noodles crisp -- the veggie entrée has time to soak in about three times the fat of the chicken dish.

Next page: a juicy steak is healthier than an omelet? Who knew?