What are your potluck/gathering strategies

taidasrictar

Today we had a long (about 5 hours) potluck B-day party for a friend where there was general merriment and had fun. After logging things I was waaaaaaayy over (1197 over and that is just an estimate because I don't really know what went into everyone's dishes) which to that i say oh well for the day live,log,learn, and move on.

but what is everyone strategy at long functions like that where there is food everywhere?

1longroad

We have loads of pot lucks where I work. I find that I need to bring a dish I know I can eat and share, but that I need to stick to food I would normally bring to eat, for the rest of my meal. This is how I can be involved, but stay in check.

MyJourney1960

luckily i don't have a lot of these but i belong to a foodie forum and we are having a meet up in a few weeks. YIKES. it's hard becuase everything is always sooo good. plus i'm very introverted and find these meetings difficult so, tend to grab food all the time.

I'm going to try and focus on the salads, eat slowly, and try and be more outgoing.

my sister who is a teacher and told me they always have these "food things" at work - pizza, chinese, etc - so she learned to first "case the joint" and then focus on salads and veg tray, with a protein and small amounts of carbs. it works for her.

ecdce

Eat slowly. Put down you fork between bites, savour the food you've selected to try. Set yourself a limit and stick to it;like you will only go for seconds one time. This will keep you from enjoying fourths and fifths and tens! Take small portions of all the food you want to try, even the things you know will be high in calories. Just take enough food for a small bite or two of everything you want. A taste won't kill you, and may keep you from eating a cup of the stuff in two hours. I also find potlocks to be very social eating experiences, so you want to feel like you're taking part and not missing out. Having a small, small serving of the dishes that intrigue you can keep you from feeling deprived.

lil_pulp

Some things I do....

I eat some veggies (and maybe a hard-boiled egg or something) before the party.

I don't start eating right away and if someone mentions it, I tell them that I'm not hungry yet but I'm sure I will be soon. (This reminds me that I'm listening to my body's cues rather than just eating everything I see because I can.)

I imagine that the food other people brought has been sweat into, hairs dropped in, etc. Even good people can have gross cooking habits.

I hold a (non-alcoholic) drink.

I try really hard to eat as much as I think I should rather than thinking that just because X ate 3 scoops of this and had 5 of those, it's ok for me to eat the same.

I don't take home anything other than healthy stuff -- I often get to take home fruit salad or mostly-untouched veggie platters, and let other people take home the less healthy leftovers. If I brought something that's not healthy (like the baked brie I brought to the last potluck...yum), I'll toss the leftovers before going home because otherwise I'll probably end up picking at it without intention.

ecdce

I imagine that the food other people brought has been sweat into, hairs dropped in, etc. Even good people can have gross cooking habits.

Sweet baby Jesus, I may never eat again.

ChristinaR720

1. Enjoy it.
2. Log it.
3. Amp up my calorie burn for the day.
4. Move on.

jennifer_417

If I know in advance, I'll cut my calories and/or exercise more, so that I have a calorie surplus. If not, sometimes I'll try to work it off later. Sometimes I'll just take my lumps and eat what I want.

Izzwoz

1. Enjoy it.
2. Log it.
3. Amp up my calorie burn for the day.
4. Move on.

^^ This!

tlouiseh

Big family gatherings are the hardest for me because we get together a lot and the food is always amazing and everything is homemade. Especially in the summer I have had events every weekend. I've managed to stay on track by 1. Being extra careful about exactly logging everything I eat at home to make up for the guessing I do at logging others foods. 2. Eat a small breakfast/lunch at home to save up the calories! 3. Avoid the snacking before the meal because it's usually not worth it. If there is a fresh veggie tray I snack on that as much as I want and keep a bottle of water with me the whole time. 4. When it's time to eat I fill my plate half way with fruit salad/salad/veggies. 5. Take a little bit of everything else, including dessert!! By doing this I have been able to eat everything I want and not feel like I've missed out and I've stayed within my calorie range. Good luck!

endoftheside

I bring veggies/fruit just in case. I bring a protein/fat dish. I load up on every veggie there is and just a taste of other things, if they seem like they would be worth it (i.e. I pass on store bought, but Granny's famous whatever gets a nibble). No need to gorge...it's just a potluck, not a once in a lifetime dining opportunity. With a long gathering, I would likely go back a second time at some point, because it will likely count as two meals.

taidasrictar

My grazing over 5 hours did me in, but back on track today

i took a little notebook with me and kinda logged everything i was eating i thought it would curb me but did not do it as well as i hoped

oh well as i said before live,learn,log,and move on