Maintaining a social life?!

katiestenton

hi guys im so nearly at my goal but my question to you all is how do you manage to keep a social life whilst trying to get healthy/lose weight?! Meeting up with friends always seems to me involve eating out or drinking (i'm 24) which is a sure way to undo all my hard work! None of my friends are into fitness or nutrition so they just think im sad for not wanting to eat out/drink and try and tempt me! And if you guys do have a cheat day/meal, do you still count the calories? If i'm gonna eat a whole dominos by myself i just feel like i'm guilt tripping myself but logging it

arditarose

I save calories for the weekend so I can eat around maintenance or above and still be in a deficit for the week. It doesn't mean I can go ALL out though. I could have a pretty indulgent dinner and a glass of wine. Or a light dinner but numerous drinks.

katiestenton

So you still log your drinks and if you went out for dinner you would log that too?x

lildynarider

I would log it. It does two things, you are mindful of not being way over indulgent and you can see how it affects you later on. My family and friends celebrate with food too and lots of it so I feel your pain. For me I log what I eat with them and allow myself some slack when I'm social. I also suggest doing stuff that wont involve food. I live out in the sticks, but when I go into the city to see friends I love getting together for that paint and wine thing, or we go to a group salsa dance class it's a blast. Anywho good luck

jordanmeyer89

I would log drinks as well, it's amazing how quickly they add calories so good to get a feel of how it impacts you. You can always have 'skinnier' drinks or something nonalcoholic like iced tea or seltzer (sounds lame when typing it out (-_-) ) I haven't drank in a long time and I guess after a while you start getting used to it. But onlu if that is your choice (not preaching it's for different reasons)


I think the important thing is to just make sure you drink plenty of water to flush it out and track what you eat for closest results

arditarose

katiestenton wrote: »

So you still log your drinks and if you went out for dinner you would log that too?x

Of course...I don't understand the question lol.

williammuney

katiestenton wrote: »

So you still log your drinks and if you went out for dinner you would log that too?x

If you want to reach your goal then yes

bagge72

You should definitely log everything, it all counts to your weight loss goal. We all over indulge sometimes, but by logging, it lets us know by how much, and maybe will help us make better choices in the future, or at least help plan the next couple days of eating and exercise.

harieta

katiestenton wrote: »

So you still log your drinks and if you went out for dinner you would log that too?x

Of course! Otherwise, if you don't reach your goals, what would you blame it on? The days when you were good with your diet? Or the food and drinks you HAVE LOGGED?
The body does log everything and so should you.

Francl27

What I do is eat less during the week so I can eat more on week ends (or Tuesdays if I feel like it, lol). Basically I keep a bigger deficit than I should to make up for those days. It's worked for 2 years (I'm maintaining though... I tried much harder to stick to my goal before that).

But logging the ugly helps me... Ok so I was 1200 calories over on Tuesday, it just means I have to make sure that I have a 800 deficit the rest of the week to make up for it (my goal is 400 under maintenance). If I didn't log it, I would probably end up gaining because I wouldn't know how much exactly I have to make up for.

But my best advice is not to drink just because everyone's doing it. If I'm going to have to go to bed hungry 3 days this week, I'm NOT wasting calories on something I don't really want. In my case, alcohol is the first thing I stopped drinking when I decided to lose weight, because it's not worth the calories to me. If people go drinking, I'll have some seltzer or an iced tea.

katiestenton

Yeah will have to try eating less during the week to make up for it! I havent got much to lose (3kg.. Probably 5 after last night ) so dont mind if i dont lose anything one week, just dont want to gain!

I know what you mean about drinking, i hardly ever drink and it doesnt bother me, just clubbing isnt so much fun when youre sober

lillivewire87

I am getting back on the bandwagon myself, but this has worked for me in the past and will work for me again. I stopped logging for about a year, and I have learned I can't maintain without continuing to log.

LOG it, because then you are still going to hold yourself accountable for anything extra you consume, and if you can try and find out where you are going ahead of time. I like to look at the menu if I can and make my decision based on what will fit within or near my calorie goal ahead of time...that way I am not faced with making a last minute decision and I am not surprised by just how many calories were in what I ate later. Additionally, if I know ahead of time I am going somewhere I am going to go over my calories...I can get in an extra workout to give myself some additional room.

I try to allow myself at least one social day per week. That day I will make sure to really watch what I am eating and cut back a little on my portions at breakfast and lunch. I will also switch over to seltzer water with lime juice or a iced tea with lemon after I have the drinks I have allotted myself...usually only 1 and no more than 2. Then you still feel social with what looks like a drink in your hand...just minus the extra alcohol calories.

kateraichu

This is such a tough one!! I'm in the same boat. It's so much fun to go out with friends to a cool restaurant or bar, but inevitably appetizers are ordered or, in the case of many places, family-style dishes to be passed around. I have to make a reeeeally conscious effort to drink lots of water and make a mental note to limit the amount of food I reach for. It also helps to focus on making conversation rather than focus on the food (which is hard, because if there's beautiful food around, I'm gonna stare at it like it's Scarlett Johansson)

MissusMoon

I haven't found this tough at all. I pre-plan what drinks and food I will enjoy and keep under my deficit.

Spontaneously

Hi,

One thing that helps me is to keep as many of the food-dates that is comfortable, and to plan your day around that meal. Same idea as creating a deficit within the week, but on a smaller scale. I eat slowly and smaller amounts compared to my friends/peers, so saving as much space/desire to share the (dining) moment with them helps to make me still feel included.

lillivewire87 wrote: »

LOG it, because then you are still going to hold yourself accountable for anything extra you consume, and if you can try and find out where you are going ahead of time.

2. Then you still feel social with what looks like a drink in your hand...just minus the extra alcohol calories.

Great points, lillivewire87. Estimate & put in a quick add number if it seems ominous, but it'll help keep things in perspective.

Doing homework on the menu beforehand saves my grass time and time again. It also reduces room for peer pressure if you go in with your mind set on 1-2 options, with a little wiggle room for sharing. You'll look decisive.

Mock-tails, none the wiser! If they are, they may forget quickly or decide they don't care because you still appear to be participating in the same activity. Consider non-alcoholic specialty drinks/virgins & watered down juice at parties & bars.

I brought up a similar topic after your posting over here about food functions that might be helpful.

katiestenton wrote: »

I know what you mean about drinking, i hardly ever drink and it doesnt bother me, just clubbing isnt so much fun when youre sober

No joke. I dig the "high on life" approach, but honestly haven't been out dancing since going dry. Especially NYE.

Good luck. You're so close!

cwolfman13

I eat well most of the time and then I train hard and play hard.

peaceout_aly

katiestenton wrote: »

hi guys im so nearly at my goal but my question to you all is how do you manage to keep a social life whilst trying to get healthy/lose weight?! Meeting up with friends always seems to me involve eating out or drinking (i'm 24) which is a sure way to undo all my hard work! None of my friends are into fitness or nutrition so they just think im sad for not wanting to eat out/drink and try and tempt me! And if you guys do have a cheat day/meal, do you still count the calories? If i'm gonna eat a whole dominos by myself i just feel like i'm guilt tripping myself but logging it

Honestly, throughout my fitness journey I've focused on strictly meeting macros all throughout the week, and then I let myself splurge a little on the weekend. Typically I don't eat as much throughout the day, which means calories are in abundance for dinner - I focus on avoiding appetizers and bread, get a nutritious meal (little to no carbs in my case with lots of protein, grilled meat, veggies, etc.) and then I splurge with alcohol OR dessert. Never both. Live a little, it's okay. One night out won't ruin your progress. Took me a while to accept that. Do a little extra running, lift a little heavier than usual, put those excess calories to good use. That's my mentality.

NorthCascades

katiestenton wrote: »

hi guys im so nearly at my goal but my question to you all is how do you manage to keep a social life whilst trying to get healthy/lose weight?! Meeting up with friends always seems to me involve eating out or drinking (i'm 24) which is a sure way to undo all my hard work! None of my friends are into fitness or nutrition so they just think im sad for not wanting to eat out/drink and try and tempt me! And if you guys do have a cheat day/meal, do you still count the calories? If i'm gonna eat a whole dominos by myself i just feel like i'm guilt tripping myself but logging it

Here was a phone call I had recently.

Me: "Hey, man, let's go hiking this weekend."
Friend: "Sounds great. Sloan Peak?"
Me: "I was thinking North Lake. We'll bring inflatable boats."
Friend: "My wife hates that area."
Me: "Don't bring your wife, I can't stand her."

So that's one option: keep your friends, but make some new ones that will be active and do fun things with you. And then insult them.

Another option: do some exercise so you have more calories to work with.

Still another option: moderation in all things. Eat less going into it, don't have quite as much on the night out.

LeoZandi

Yeah save your calories that day for when you go out I find it really hard staying on track if I drink! Terrible

trollerskates

I do intermittent fasting. So i eat slash drink all my calories in a 4 hour window. So its not really a problem here. My food choices when i go out are pretty dank though

clairelouisekaa

I certainly don't log my Friday nights, I don't eat but drink like I'm going to die !!! I need that one night off to recharge and remember to live life !!!

cecsav1

Find other activities to do with your friends. If they're not down, make friends at the gym. If your friends can't support your healthy lifestyle, are they really your friends?

Some ideas for social but active outings:
(Kind of dependent upon where you live/season)
Simply go for a walk in the neighborhood
Take a bike ride together
Rock climbing (I have an indoor facility nearby)
Roller skating... not just for middle schoolers! Lol
Ice skating
Pick up game of basketball
Join a rec volleyball team
SkyZone or the like (in my area... kind of like an indoor gymnasium, trampolines, etc. Again, not just for kids!)
Sign up for a 5k as a team and train together

Isabelle_1929

Quite frankly, at 1200 calories per day, I have to stay away from many social events. I am 45 years-old, and ALL social meeting involves food and/or drink.

Now you'll tell me that I could go, enjoy the company as I don't have to eat or drink, but when the activity is to go to the restaurant and/or "to have drinks", it's really too hard to just stay there watching others. Don't even get me started with the fact that if I go, I have to tell everyone that I am on a diet.

No thanks.

So most of the time, I skip.

My weight loss journey is a very lonely one. That's the toughest part for me.

Going back to your question, OP: you should try as much as possible to organize the activities yourself, so that it does not necessarily revolves around food and drinks. It should be easier if your friends don't have children yet so they have free time outside lunch or "happy hour" time.