Advice on eating at family/friend get-together's?

smh21183

This is my second week using MFP... My first week went great and I lost 2 pounds already!

I have a very close family, and so does my fiance. Our families have get-together's about once a week, if not twice. Food is ALWAYS the center of the attention and the main focus. I struggle knowing how much to eat of each item because I do not have a way to weigh or measure my food (and I'm afraid my guess is way over). When I know these events are happening I try to save most of my calories and even work out, but I still feel like I'm going over, because I don't know the ingredients.

What do you do in this case?
How do you log the things you do not cook?
Has this effected anyone's weight loss?

Ninkyou

Be mindful of what you eat, but enjoy yourself. Log it (to the best of your ability) and move on.

chriscolh

Try to make smart choices, watch your portion sizes, fill up on vegetables, drink water, avoid the sweets. I think that if you just keep it small and listen to your stomach (ie, don't stuff yourself!), you'll do fine. My husband's family gets together often as well, and sometimes I eat the dinner, other times I just grab some salad and make my focus visiting with family. If they bug you about not having enough to eat, then eat slowly so that there is always something left on your plate. They can't bug you about "eat more" if you've got food in front of you! (it works for me, anyway.)
Good luck!

rhonderoo

I do a first pass with the high protein stuff that I know will fill me up, like meats, cheeses and keep it to a small sample like a teaspoon full/ couple of slices, etc. I will add veggie tray items, etc and then stop. I was at a brunch this past Sunday and managed to keep it under calorie goal like that. I try to keep away from the casseroles, especially if they are starchy (and I'm in the south, they are always starchy, lol).

CSARdiver

I drink 16oz about an hour before the meal and simply control portions. Don't eliminate tasty food from your diet as that strategy will never work long term. Slow down and savor the food. Think marathon - 100m dash.

Keladelphia

As far as preparing for gatherings where lots of unknown food will be involved, I do just as you said; I save most of my calories for the get-together and workout to build more available calories into my day. As far as logging it is concerned I either search for entries that are similar and choose the one with the highest calories listed or I tell the family member "hey this is really delicious, i'm just wondering what's in it so I can try to recreate it" and then I log the ingredients individually. It hasnt impacted my weightloss. If i'm over my calories on that particular day i'll just eat a little under for the next few days and it seems to all work out. I wouldn't stress it too much as it's such an enjoyable part of life to get together with those you love.

smh21183

rhonderoo wrote: »

I try to keep away from the casseroles, especially if they are starchy (and I'm in the south, they are always starchy, lol).

I'm a VA girl that loves starches, I am so good at staying away when I'm cooking... but that homemade mac and cheese yesterday, just about did me in... I'm calling it a win that I only had one helping of it!

DianaLovesCoffee

If it is a pitch-in dinner then bring something healthy that you know how to log. Or offer to have it at your place so you can control some of the fixins.

For me, I make one plate and eat but don't graze. The grazing/mindless eating is what does me in.

TheVirgoddess

I generally do really small portions, guess high and hope for the best

These sorts of things haven't impacted my weight loss much, if at all.

arussell134

I have learned to accept that social happenings (parties, celebrations, get togethers) are just a part of life - or a part of a life I want to live anyways!

In the past, when I 'dieted' I'd try to arm wrestle my will power and only eat things like the veggies and plain meat. But the ENTIRE time, I'd end up thinking about all the delicious foods sitting on the buffet table!

When I started back up with MFP last year, I decided I wanted to start my journey how I intended to finish it. And for me, that meant finding a way to enjoy food at parties. Here's what I do on the day of a party....

• Earlier that day, I'll drink lots of water and eat less.
• That day I may also do a slightly longer workout that usual, to bolster that day's calorie deficit.
• The day before/after, I may adjust my calories a bit to compensate (but this isn't often necessary, if I've planned the party day well.
• While at the party, indulge in the items I want, but keep an eye on portions.
• Log everything! If you end up having lots of food, even estimating a "quick add calories" is better than nothing (I like to estimate towards the high end, to be safe). Don't just pretend it didn't happen - acknowledge it, and without guilt.

The key is to strike a healthy/happy balance with giving yourself permission to enjoy yourself a bit, but without going overboard. IMHO, MFP isn't just about losing weight - it's about creating a new, healthy relationship with food. I successfully reached my goal when I was able to make peace with food instead of punishing myself with it.

Good luck!