I hear you friend! Eating out is a major boondoggle for me. I try to limit it to once a week. It's amazing how many calories are hidden in the typical restaurant meal. I have to be very careful what I order. Lately, I've been ordering vegetarian food when I eat out. I like to eat at ethnic restuarants because the steakhouses and American food is much more fattening. And only one course. Even with that, I end up taking home half of my meal in a box. Fortunately, I have a teenaged son at home. If he doesn't eat the leftovers, I usually throw it out.
If there's birthday cake, I usually indulge, but only eat a bite or two of cake and one of icing. Then, I discreetly slip the rest into a trash can when no one's looking. Unless it's sticky toffee cake, which I gobble right up! But nobody in the US even knows what that is.