What is best to do in this situation?

Littl3wood

I am going out for my friends birthday and with the alcohol and food I will be almost doubling my calorie goal.

I feel really bad because I have been keeping to my diet perfectly for a while now but today is an exception and I can't avoid it.

I am thinking of eating less calories than usual in the next week to make up for what I've gone over with today? Is that a good idea or would you suggest something else?

torver6

I have the same problem but I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to go to the meal and enjoy it, write that day off and get back on track tomorrow Enjoy your meal Xo

achapman401

You can always avoid going too far over, even at parties. Eat like you normally would, a little less even to have room for drinks. If you're a few hundred calories over, no worries, it won't set you too far back. This way you get to enjoy the party and not feel bad when you get home. From experience, no matter how much fun the party is, if I over indulged I was disappointed and miserable after. I've started tracking at parties to the best of my ability, I know it's harder. I always round up to the higher calories when I log, especially at parties. If people ask what I'm doing I tell them. The judgement I always expected just isn't there. Good luck!

achapman401

As for skimping on calories later to make up for it, that's a bad idea. It's not healthy. If you go over just get back on track. Continue like nothing happened. Maybe add an extra day of exercise; if you're doing 3 days a week do 4, but don't skimp on calories too far below what MFP gives you. If your body doesn't get enough it'll slow your metabolism so it can "survive" without enough food and it'll slow or even reverse your weight loss.

LKArgh

What is your current calorie goal? Unless it is a very restrictive low calorie diet, you should be able to work with your calorie goal without going way too much over it. Have a lighter lunch, fill your plate with a salad or whatever else low calorie option you can find at the party, leave calories for drinks etc.

_flawedperfectly_

Just enjoy being with your friends on this occasion and move on. If I was in this situation that's what I would do. I mean I wouldn't sit there and stuff myself like a pig but I would enjoy the food and drinks for this occasion and move on tomorrow.

bri170lb

I went to a wedding 2 weeks ago and felt fearful ahead of time. This was my plan:

I would just make the best food choices available and try to eat the most of the best choices and just little bits of the things that aren't so good.

And I would refill my drink with water a few times so that instead of 3 or 4 drinks I am really only having 2.

I asked my husband ahead of tme if I could have a few bites of his cake. I knew I would have a hard time not finishing mine! Later I saw him having a second piece on the other side of the room. He's so good to me!

The next day I felt great! I went over on my calories by about 600 but I was in complete control the whole time, I did not feel deprived and I had a great time!

ARC1603

Just have what you want to while out with your friends, enjoy the evening and then just jump back on with your usual calorie goal the next day as normal. I wouldn't bother with trying to compensate for it later in the week.

It's taken a long time for me to 'get' this mentality. I was always one who thought I had to be perfect on my diet to lose weight. I'm realising now it's not about being perfect, it's about having more days on plan than off plan. Weight loss is slow and steady, and certainly not a straight line, but I've lost 20lbs since June and it had not been a struggle in the slightest.

Some quotes I love
Persistence NOT perfection
One 'bad' meal won't make you fat, like one 'good' meal won't make you skinny

ZeroDelta

Go to the party. Have a blast. Do better tomorrow. Exceptions are OK. They only become problematic when they evolve into the rule.

Machka9

Littl3wood wrote: »

I am going out for my friends birthday and with the alcohol and food I will be almost doubling my calorie goal.

I feel really bad because I have been keeping to my diet perfectly for a while now but today is an exception and I can't avoid it.

I am thinking of eating less calories than usual in the next week to make up for what I've gone over with today? Is that a good idea or would you suggest something else?

Eating a little bit less each day during the week might be OK ... like perhaps eating 100 cal less each day. That might give you an extra 600-ish calories to work with.

Can you exercise during the day of the event? Go out for a long walk (200 cal/hour) or bicycle ride (approx. 400 cal/hour) Maybe spend the day climbing stairs ... 5 flights = about 30 cal.

While there, use the water idea mentioned above. Make at least half your drinks water. You'll feel better in the morning!

Also make the best food choices you can ... go for raw veggies, salads, etc. as much as possible.

fiddletime

You didn't gain weight by one meal and you wo t by this one meal either. Just get back on track afterwards. Record it because that'll help you for next time.