How to avoid restaurants ???

MadameMaverick

It sounds I'm going to write an article but really I'm asking a question. I don't know what has gotten into my friends/family/husband lately...I think it's the cold weather, but they are adamant about us going to restaurants. We are throwing away $$$ and tossing disgusting food into our bellies. It's not even that I want to figure out ways to buy healthy food at a restaurant it's that I just don't want to be in one, ever again, point blank! For many reasons, one being that even side salads are just iceberg lettuce with a bit of 99cent dressing poured on it, for $5 and another one being that it's not that fun! I mean, I can sit and talk with someone anywhere, a library/bookstore, at home, etc. I used to even have a job where going out to restaurants was required once a month. I feel like I did my time.

So I:
* Wrote a list of things we could do instead and posted it on the fridge.
* Invited people to things like bowling, movies, darts, pool, dancing instead (to no avail)
* Told people I don't want to eat out
* Told people I would cook for them (then they ordered in)
* Had my husband in a habit of taking a walk with me and then having a picnic instead, but then it became winter and he was no longer into that.

I know I can only control myself, so I think I'll start to say "You go, I'll stay here" or "You go, I'll stay home" Is that rude? Does it matter if it's rude? Last time I tried to go bowling there were 4 people out with us. The bowling alley was full so I offered "Let's take a walk" As we passed "one of her favorite restaurants" a woman with us wanted to go out to eat, no one else did. Just an example of this kind of thing going wrong. Should I have said I will stay in the bowling alley? I am thinking now I should have...

To anyone reading this, thanks for listening!!! Anyone who has any advice or personal struggles with this I would be super happy to hear. I feel like an outcast not wanting to go to restaurants.

dakotafriendly

I totally agree! Seems like going out to eat is the goto thing to do here. I don't think it's that fun to sit in a building with a bunch of strangers for a couple of hours and paying alot of money. The only things I can suggest is how you say things to people have an affect. Instead of saying, no, I don't really want to go to a restaurant...say because of my diet, I have to stay out of restaurants for awhile. I really want to see you, though, can we meet at my place or some other suggestion? Instead of asking, Do you guys want to go bowling, say I really want to bowl tonight, will anyone go with me?!
I also remember that there have been times that others have asked me to do exercisy things like walks, and I just couldn't be inspired. So sometimes they can't join you to do what you want in that area, but they will come over and visit as opposed to visit at a restaurant. Maybe you can say, I'm busy earlier tonight, but would you come over after supper and we can visit? I'll have the coffee on! What about those ideas?

GrokRockStar

I don’t think it’s rude at all to forego eating out. I calculated my monthly eating out bill for the course of three years, which averaged over $700 per month and this did not include my grocery list (that’s a whopping $25,000!!) After showing my hub how much we are spending eating out, he gasped!! Putting the numbers down on paper was an eye opener! Now that we’re eating Primal, our food bill is significantly lower and we eat out about once per week now, and at Primal friendly places! So ultimately my motivation for not eating out is finances.

barbiecat

It has to start with your husband. It helps to have him sharing your thinking then together you can decline invitations.

The more often I decline invitations to eat in restaurants, the easier it gets. I invite my friends to go for a walk rather than a meal.

As a last resort, I'd be inclined to change friends if they can't or won't accept the way I live my life.

I encourage my husband to meet his friends at restaurants so he can enjoy eating out and I don't have to go.