Alcohol and barbecues on a 1200cal diet

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Akibo23
Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello,

5'3" F trying to lose 15-20 lbs. Friday is here and so is the weekend. With the weather in Belgium holding up to a steady 77 f+ , I am faced with a weekend of barbecues and alcohol.

How can I stay on my diet while enjoying time with friends and not being called a sourpuss ?

Cheers!
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  • blakexx3
    blakexx3 Posts: 89 Member
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    So these are your options:

    1. you can enjoy yourself for the weekend and indulge
    2. you can not drink alcohol since most people find that they overeat when they are drinking
    3. you can drink some alcohol and eat in moderation


    Whatever it is, just log everything you eat and drink. I think a lot of it is mental preparation. In my experience, on a 1200 calorie diet, it is hard to not go over budget if drinking alcohol but you have control over how much you want that number to go over. Don't beat yourself up about going over, just restrict a little more during the next week or exercise more to compensate for possible gains.
  • djscavone
    djscavone Posts: 133 Member
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    True friends would be supportive. If you have to bring your own beverages (water, seltzer, lemons for water). Maybe the conversation won't be as bad as you thing and your friends will invite you to some event like a hike, bike ride, etc. or you can use this event o ask for some support. I have also eaten a bit (healthy) before I arrive so I don't feel hungry and then over eat there on fat cheese burgers. There should be salad available or fruit.
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
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    I guess I could stay under 1200 calories for a BBQ, that's 1 burger and a couple beers. Kind of light though.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Akibo23 wrote: »
    Hello,

    5'3" F trying to lose 15-20 lbs. Friday is here and so is the weekend. With the weather in Belgium holding up to a steady 77 f+ , I am faced with a weekend of barbecues and alcohol.

    How can I stay on my diet while enjoying time with friends and not being called a sourpuss ?

    Cheers!

    exercise calories... LOTS of them!
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    blaketoben wrote: »
    So these are your options:

    1. you can enjoy yourself for the weekend and indulge
    2. you can not drink alcohol since most people find that they overeat when they are drinking
    3. you can drink some alcohol and eat in moderation

    Indulge is not something I would like to do since I already did so in a "cheesecake" and had to limit my "good nutrients" for a day this week already :(

    I will aim to drink wisely and log it in. Hopefully I will stay inside my allocated cal limits.

    Thanks for the suggestions :)
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    djscavone wrote: »
    True friends would be supportive. If you have to bring your own beverages (water, seltzer, lemons for water). Maybe the conversation won't be as bad as you thing and your friends will invite you to some event like a hike, bike ride, etc. or you can use this event o ask for some support. I have also eaten a bit (healthy) before I arrive so I don't feel hungry and then over eat there on fat cheese burgers. There should be salad available or fruit.

    Well thing is, its a birthday party hosted for a BFF of sorts and I am the host. So yes, I will try drinking water and limit myself to a glass of champagne.

    Choices get tough :)
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    DYELB wrote: »
    I guess I could stay under 1200 calories for a BBQ, that's 1 burger and a couple beers. Kind of light though.

    The bbq is tonight and I have already logged in 800cal. So.. :(

    Also me being vegetarian comes to my aid here I suppose. Just stay away from cheese - on repeat in my mind !
  • exstromn
    exstromn Posts: 168 Member
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    djscavone wrote: »
    True friends would be supportive. If you have to bring your own beverages (water, seltzer, lemons for water). Maybe the conversation won't be as bad as you thing and your friends will invite you to some event like a hike, bike ride, etc. or you can use this event o ask for some support. I have also eaten a bit (healthy) before I arrive so I don't feel hungry and then over eat there on fat cheese burgers. There should be salad available or fruit.

    Agree! I have tried alternating water between drinks (to stay hydrated too) If its an event where you can bring a dish, bring something you can enjoy that fits into your plan. I do this at holidays with family so I have a "go to". If that fails don't beat yourself up, just have a little of everything (which is OK by the way) and remember that everyday is a new day!
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    exercise calories... LOTS of them!

    I shall try to sneak in a 10 km run split on two days. Still won't be enough :( 450 cal a session = 2 glasses of champagne. Scary to visualize that :open_mouth:
  • moglovesshoez
    moglovesshoez Posts: 83 Member
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    Vodka and soda water (approx 50cals per unit) is always a winner, just eat the meat and salad, no bread to keep the cals down :)
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    exstromn wrote: »
    Agree! I have tried alternating water between drinks (to stay hydrated too) If its an event where you can bring a dish, bring something you can enjoy that fits into your plan. I do this at holidays with family so I have a "go to". If that fails don't beat yourself up, just have a little of everything (which is OK by the way) and remember that everyday is a new day!

    Have been fairly consistently working up a calorie deficit even in the 1200 cal diet by working out more this week so I shall try to not be too harsh on myself !

    BABY STEPS.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    to be fair you have an answer for everything, you're probably better off staying home and never speaking to anyone ever again...

    its one BBQ, its hardly a big deal
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    BFDeal wrote: »
    Real answer: Good luck working it into your goals. If you eat like a 5 year old and have .2 oz of BBQ and can get by nursing a half of a beer at the party you'll probably do well. If you want to actually eat like a normal human and have a few beers you're screwed more or less. You'll have to just pick. Either fewer BBQs or the extra weight. (Or, as many here choose but lie about, more cardio cardio cardio...but still less BBQ also).

    Choices have to be made ! Hopefully my 5k runs save me...
    Thanks for the support !
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    moglovesshoez wrote: »
    Vodka and soda water (approx 50cals per unit) is always a winner, just eat the meat and salad, no bread to keep the cals down :)

    Sounds fantastic :) Can I substitute it with a mojito ;) ?
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    to be fair you have an answer for everything, you're probably better off staying home and never speaking to anyone ever again...

    its one BBQ, its hardly a big deal

    I am staying home. Thing is the others are coming over..
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    to be fair you have an answer for everything, you're probably better off staying home and never speaking to anyone ever again...

    its one BBQ, its hardly a big deal

    Kinda what I was thinking, too.
  • mirlredmann
    mirlredmann Posts: 28 Member
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    > No, you can't - Mojito contains sugar. What works well though is Campari Soda, it adds color and flavor and actually is a normal drink.
    > as far as I understand 1200cal is a minimum you should not get under; 1200 = total calorie intake, not net. calories.
    > You look far from overweight, maybe just change your attitude towards your body?
  • erockem
    erockem Posts: 278 Member
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    15 or so years ago my friends used to call me 'Syphon' for the vast amounts of beer I could suck down. 5 years ago I quit liquid calories, I'd rather eat them then drink them (aside from needing to supplement my protein).

    I took some ribbing at the next few parties, but it subsided pretty quick. Now it's no big deal when I 'Syphon' down tons of water at a party.
  • Akibo23
    Akibo23 Posts: 88 Member
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    mirlredmann wrote: »
    > No, you can't - Mojito contains sugar. What works well though is Campari Soda, it adds color and flavor and actually is a normal drink.
    > as far as I understand 1200cal is a minimum you should not get under; 1200 = total calorie intake, not net. calories.
    > You look far from overweight, maybe just change your attitude towards your body?

    - Thanks for the tip :) I shall definitely try this !
    - 1200 is my max allowed for a day. This ensures I can still continue to lose the 10lbs to be in my optimal weight zone.
    - i am not overweight but I am not fit and toned either .. Goal is to shed the excess pounds and gain muscle instead :)

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