Friends birthday - I'm conflicted!

fallingtrees

Why don't you make up a nice salad to share? Pizza is a gut bomb. Salad goes nicely with it, then you eat just a little of the pizza.

As for whether she would be offended, I think not. You are still joining in her celebration, and you can just say, I can only fit a little pizza splurge into my diet plan, so I brought a nice salad for all of us.

JustinAnimal

seltzermint wrote: »

As others have said, make it work. I think your idea of getting a pizza and spreading it out between today & tomorrow is a great idea.

For me personally the idea of getting just a salad when I dine out is simply awful (partly psychological thing...I don't hate salads). I'm usually the type who will eat a tiny yet healthy breakfast and lunch so I can have a big indulgent dinner, or vice versa (to have a takeout lunch for example).

I fully second this plan. Exercise once or twice, eat smaller meals throughout the day, actually enjoy the dinner. Just did this yesterday with great results: I ate the pasta, eggplant, meatballs and had a little wine!

Commander_Keen

toriilana wrote: »

Today is my dear friends' birthday and she is ordering take-out for it.

I'm not on a diet as I plan to make a lifelong commitment to healthier eating. Therefore I haven't given up any particular food although obviously I am making a conscious effort to eat healthy food (as I don't just want to lose weight quickly but sensibly!) and have been avoiding take-outs. I have been working hard at not exceeding my calories and therefore have chosen the healthier option opposed to unhealthy and calorie high food.

I'm not sure if I should order take-out or not and wanted some advice. I did consider maybe getting a side dish but the dishes are also high in calories for something smaller and probably less filling than a meal I could make myself. I know this is ultimately my decision and I'm also aware that I could go over my calories as a one off (but this doesn't really appeal to me considering as I am actively trying to lose weight at the moment) but just wanted to know if anyone out there had had these sort of issues before and could maybe make some suggestions of what to do.

Thanks a lot!

Eat a pre dinner dinner.. fill up on that. and then only nibble on the take out dinner.

Beckapedia4514

Also due to gluten free being huge right now lots of places have an unwritten "skip the bun" policy. Call them and see if they have any gluten free or crust less pizza options. A crust less veggie pizza will look strange but might be an option

jgnatca

I have a funny story about always saying "no". I was put on a highly restrictive liquid diet (doctor ordered) at the worst possible time. I was scheduled to attend my profession's convention out of town. There was food, delicious well-prepared food, desserts, snacks, everywhere. I had to say "no" to ALL of it, mumbling "doctor-ordered" every time. I sipped water.

Anyways, it was at the end of dinner on the last day, and I put my hand over my plate, "no", and my seatmate told me, "You can have this. It's a glow stick." The glow stick was part of our going-away celebrations. Duh. Blush.

In a way, saying "no" all the time is easier, but it can be a revelation to find out that you can say, "sometimes" and not fall off the wagon.

enm2122

angelinhell wrote: »

I have been on and off diets for YEARS and still never got to my goal and i am sick of spending special occasions not drinking and counting calories. If it is something that is done only once in a while, just ruddy enjoy yourself! Life's too short! And you'll struggle to make this a change for life if you feel too restricted. As Karen said, have what you fancy and do some more exercise.

I agree completely!

If you're not eating take-out every day, ONE day is not going to kill you. You can make an effort and look up caloric content and decide on a best alternative-- but don't starve yourself.

If I know I have an event planned, I attempt to make wiser choices that day, which allow myself to splurge later. I also try to incorporate a good workout.

It's all about balance. Restricting yourself from having something only makes you want it that much more. Quit telling yourself, "No."

MaggieLoo79

I think I read somewhere that a gluten free veggie pizza with no cheese is a fairly good option. That might have been a vegan thing though??? Sorry!

PerkisPower

Simply eat a healthy dinner right before you go over there.

If you feel you will offend her by not eating with her then eat a healthy light dinner and then have 2 thin crust pieces of pizza when you get there.

Although she should understand and support you wanting to eat healthier.

RoxieDawn

The OPs conviction is to not allow this at all, I too believe that you must always be around for life's celebrations. This is going to be a work in progress. If you should order or have something remember it takes a week along of over eating by 500 calories to gain back a pound.

But if you truly do not enjoy this food or are hell bent on keeping this type of eating away and no longer a part of your life, please show up for the celebration and just tell your friends what your goals are.

They love you... they will understand your personal convictions. In my opinion this will be a case by case basis until you work out the social aspect and your goals.

chelllez

You can always bring your own dish for yourself, and to share with everyone else. True friends will understand. Or, just splurge that one day and get back on the saddle the next day. I if I was you, I'd probably do a little of both. I'm not gonna kid myself. lol

Holla4mom

I happened to have received this in my email today from Mayo Clinic Diet. During the first two weeks, they actually encourage staying away from restaurants while a person is establishing new habits. But eventually you are going to go to a restaurant again, right?

---

Plan ahead. Many restaurants include information about the nutrition values of their entrees at the restaurant itself or on their websites. Take advantage of this resource when it's available, and research food or meal options at those establishments to help you make healthy choices.

Choose appetizers that feature healthy vegetables, fruits or fish.

Drink a glass of water before your meal arrives.

Ask your server to put half your meal in a takeout container before it's brought to your table.

Instead of french fries, request a salad of tossed greens or spinach, without added cheese, eggs or meats, and with fat-free or low-fat dressing on the side. As an alternative to salad dressing, try a squeeze of lemon juice, splash of flavored vinegar or some salsa.

If you want a dessert, choose fresh fruit.

Don't hesitate to make special requests. You're simply doing what it takes to stay committed to your meal plan, and most restaurants want to make customers happy.

Angierae75

Honestly, for events like that, as long as I don't go over maintenance, I don't worry about it. So right now I'm eating at a 500 calorie deficit, so as long as I don't go 500 calories over on a day, I'm still not going to gain weight. I may lose a little less this week, but a birthday celebration with a friend is worth it to me.

You just shouldn't do that every day.

foxlme

Is the meal going to be at a workplace or someone's house? I would wager a bet that at least a few of your other friends would like to have a salad with their pizza anyway. Grab some of the to-go bags of prewashed salad and announce you're covering the "side dish!" That way you can have half a plate of salad and still partake in a slice of pizza.

sullus

toriilana wrote: »

Hello! Thanks for all the replies so quickly.
She wants to get take-out from dominoes and I have had a quick look through the menu online. The pizza's are quite high in calories but I could potentially get a small (I have enough calories for one) or get a pizza and then spread it between today and tomorrow and eat it with salad tonight.

Pre-Plan: https://order.dominos.com/en/pages/content/nutritional/cal-o-meter.jsp

The Artisan Spinach and Feta pizza is only 150 cal/slice ....

FenTiger89

The gluten free crust is really good, and the pizza itself is pretty small. I've had three slices with just veggie toppings (mushroom, onion, peppers) and it came in just fine for my calorie allowance.

silentKayak

You have to figure out how to make social events and restaurant meals fit into "the plan". The difficulty is that you're "spending" calories on food you wouldn't otherwise eat.

Most people understand "I brought my own lunch because I'm on a diet". So you can do that if you want. But at some point you'll have to learn to navigate restaurants. So yes, a small pizza split between 2 days (or shared with someone else) isn't a bad idea, especially if you like pizza.

You definitely need balance between "I'm not eating anything not on the plan" and "Today is a special occasion so to heck with the plan". There are lots of ways to get a little of both approaches.

My approach is: if I'm eating out, I probably won't order diet food like a salad or plain chicken, because that's boring and what's the point of paying $20 for a salad I could make myself at home?

But I do pick a "better" option (e.g. small steak instead of lasagna - or I often end up with seafood). I order a smaller portion, skip the starchy sides, and usually pass on dessert or eat a bite of someone else's if they'll let me. And I do a big workout and also eat lighter at other meals on days I know I'm eating out. So it all works into my day.

mhauswir18

If you're concerned about the amount of calories, try to do something active during the day to help make up for the calories. You can't be good all the time, and a cheat meal every now and again is a must.

lawlifehanna

foxlme wrote: »

Is the meal going to be at a workplace or someone's house? I would wager a bet that at least a few of your other friends would like to have a salad with their pizza anyway. Grab some of the to-go bags of prewashed salad and announce you're covering the "side dish!" That way you can have half a plate of salad and still partake in a slice of pizza.

This is genius! I also agree with others, it's a celebration and life will continue to have celebrations.

If it's socially awkward to bring salad / skip / split with someone, just eat 100cals less every other day that week? 100 is not too much to cut, and that would give you 600 extra cals a week. If you do one additional 400 calorie work out that week, that's 1000 calories. There's your pizza.

Or, just accept that when life brings you pizza, enjoy it. You didn't gain the weight (or get into bad eating, you didn't actually mention weight) eating one pizza, you won't mess this up eating one pizza. Just don't let the one pizza turn into one a day.

kailibertsch

Do what will make YOU happy. It is just one meal, if you feel better skipping it and eating something before hand or utilizing any of the other posters suggestions, so be it. If you want to join in with your friends, try and do it without guilt or beating yourself up!