Office parties and moderation?

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ukaryote
ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
in Food and Nutrition
There is a lot of pressure to participate in the office party, darn near necessary for office politics. It is also expected people should do lots of drinking and overeating. Some people enjoy that. Simply saying "No thank you, I don't want any." is looked at as a social faux pas.

How do you handle parties, keep to your values, and not insult people?

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  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    Keep a glass of water in one hand and your phone in the other. Hard to be a social faux if you can't take whatever they are shoving at you ;)

    If it's one party, go and enjoy yourself a bit. Drink a full glass of water between alcohol and try to opt for the veggie tray. Hit the gym a little extra long the next day.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    People don't really notice how much you eat, I think. If you refuse food and sit there without anything they might notice, but if you just take reasonable servings and eat slowly they don't.

    Drinking to excess at an office party seems like something to avoid for reasons beyond diet. That's another thing where if you are drinking something (I generally drink diet coke) people don't normally know what you are drinking. And if they really do drink too much they will notice less.
  • zipa78
    zipa78 Posts: 354 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    People don't really notice how much you eat, I think. If you refuse food and sit there without anything they might notice, but if you just take reasonable servings and eat slowly they don't.

    This. And make sure that you smear everything all over the plate, rub your gut and breathe heavily and everyone will thing that you're already on your fourth helping of the day. :-)

    For drinks, pick red wine. Not only is it good for you (in moderation), but you can hang on to one glass for hours without it going stale or bad in any way so that you can take a sip whenever someone is eyeing you suspiciously... :-)
  • AllAboutThatPace
    AllAboutThatPace Posts: 151 Member
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    I work for a law office (there are 3 total offices). The main office (all 3 offices are invited) normally does a big party in the evening with dinner served and an open bar, which you can chose not to go. However, this year, they decided to do a luncheon and made it mandatory! I have NO idea what we are going to be eating, but the same day our office is having a Christmas breakfast. So, that Friday is going to be pretty bad... lol. I decided I would just eat in moderation. I get out of having to not drink. And since both are supposed to be buffet like, I can make my own decisions on what I want to eat.
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
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    I skip lunch or dinner, and enjoy a bit of each of the tasty treats that are offered.
  • acheben
    acheben Posts: 476 Member
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    I usually just try to eat and drink in moderation. If I don't want to drink, I just grab the same glass as everyone else and fill it up with diet coke/diet dr pepper.
  • sportyredhead01
    sportyredhead01 Posts: 482 Member
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    Yes, I attend office parties in moderation.
    And by moderation, I mean never. :D

    If I get stuck going, I just munch a couple things then just hold a plate or drink so I look like I'm doing something.
  • simkinsver
    simkinsver Posts: 9 Member
    edited December 2014
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    I just had my own office party last week. To be honest.... if your goal is maintenance and/or weight loss, and you're able most of the time to take off 1-1.5lbs a week consistently, and willing to make the time to exercise- don't worry about splurging, enjoy yourself- just as long as you get back on track the next day. (it takes discipline, but it works). As I've had it explained to me- permanent wieght is gained over a long period of time- not a short one.

    To put things into perspective- what's the worst you can gain in a sitting? remember- every 3,500 calories you eat= 1lb of permanent weight. In order to gain 1lb, these 3,500 calories have to be what you eat IN ADDITION to your BMR. If you gain 2lbs- that's 7,000 calories you have to ingest. For a person on a 1,400 calorie diet (with -1000 calorie deficit)- this means in order to gain 1lb- you would have to eat the equivalent of 3.5 ENTIRE TYPICAL DAY's worth of food- in just one day. And then - there's the fact that your body is likely not even going to metabolize a good chunk of those calories... and also spend a huge amount of calories digesting the food...

    Likely, as long as you limit yourself to that 1 day- what will happen is your body will hold on to the food you ate, maybe regain 5-6lbs of water weight- then lose most (if not all) of it within a week. It's when you splurge constantly- then weight gain becomes a problem.
  • Torontonius
    Torontonius Posts: 245 Member
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    Everything in moderation. Including moderation.

    This is a long distance race, not a sprint.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,531 Member
    edited December 2014
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    The closer you are to retirement, the less ya gotta participate for the politickin'. If you go, hold your "drink" in your hand but refrain from boozing. Look festive but not bootylicious, be seen but not obnoxious, and never wear a jacket (coat or outer-wear). That way, you can slip out the door quieter when no one is looking. :D
  • ntw25
    ntw25 Posts: 149 Member
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    Hmmmm. Poor timing, justback from our Christmas lunch. Stayed off of the alcohol, had a salad to start, but did indulge in the main course and a piece of pudding.

    An I going to the gym tomorrow. Yes

    Do I feel guilty. No

    Same as a lot of people here, it took me a long time to get to 330lbs, it will take me a while to get to 200, but as long as I am determined and committed to the change, then a few missteps along the path is not going to be a problem.........Now a 10 day Christmas break in London with the family could be awhole different ball game.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    The very last place you want to overindulge in alcohol is the office party. Many a career has been cut short by someone acting the fool because they hit the punch too hard. Have one drink then switch to something non-alcoholic. If you feel there's pressure, ask the bartender to make you a non-alcoholic drink in the same glassware (a diet coke with a lime wedge in a tall skinny glass so people think it's a rum and coke, for example).

    As for food? As long as you are doing well with your diet, I see no reason you can't eat more calories than you ordinarily would. You don't have to go crazy but take a little bit of everything, sample the desserts, and enjoy yourself.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Thank you, those are very helpful ideas.
    zipa78 wrote: »
    ... And make sure that you smear everything all over the plate, rub your gut and breathe heavily and everyone will thing that you're already on your fourth helping of the day. :-)...

    I used to do that as a kid! If you don't like it, push it around and it looks like you ate a no-thank-you portion of canned peas. {{{shudder}}}

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I've never known anyone to actually monitor my consumption at the office party. In my extensive office politicking experience, good general participation is expected...meaning interactions with people, etc...doesn't necessarily mean stuffing your face and drinking all the booze.

    Actually in my experience, getting too drunk is generally frowned upon...maybe not by your direct peers, but by the people who actually matter.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
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    My rule is 1 drink for office party. It usually last most of the time and then I switch to club soda. For food- I use the "walk through" method. I check out the buffet to see what I want. I load up on veggies first followed by protein. I hate my food to touch so I usually have very little room for the "cheat" foods. I will allow myself one item and typically do the three bite approach. I take three bites and then I am done.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    The social expectations at office parties around alcohol really vary by industry.

    Sticking to 1-2 drinks at most is good practice and expected for many conservative industries. But in some industries, like advertising, the norms are different, and there's plenty of heavy drinking (and other substances, legal or otherwise) at office parties. There often is pressure to keep up in the alcohol department, lest people think you're a stick-in-the-mud.

    Having said that, I agree with everyone else who said that most people are focused on themselves and won't notice what you're drinking or not drinking. Don't leave unreasonably early; don't sit there with an empty plate refusing food all night, and don't treat everyone to a long speech about how you're on a diet. As long as you avoid these things, and just consume in moderation and have fun, nobody will care.

    Also, if there's a dance floor, spend as much time as is reasonably possible on it shaking your groove thing. Not only does dancing burn calories, but nobody will accuse you of skipping the social niceties if you're out there enjoying yourself and being the life of the party. Plus, when you're dancing, you're not eating, and nobody expects you to.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,965 Member
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    ukaryote wrote: »
    There is a lot of pressure to participate in the office party, darn near necessary for office politics. It is also expected people should do lots of drinking and overeating. Some people enjoy that. Simply saying "No thank you, I don't want any." is looked at as a social faux pas.

    How do you handle parties, keep to your values, and not insult people?
    Really? There is a middle ground between pigging out and eating nothing.....

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