How do you deal with social gatherings and parties ?

mylaizai

When we have guests over or I'm at a friend's I try to eat as little as possible but still it's too much for my daily calorie intake goal which is 1100, since I'm really short.
How do you normally deal with these situations ?

rosebarnalice

I have different strategies, but most involve recognizing that nobody but me puts food in my mouth.

1. Most often, I prepare to have a good time. by "banking" calories for several days, and then "spending" them for the occasion
2. In cocktail settings, it's easy to avoid food or just pick up a few light noshes like raw veggies, because nobody is really looking at what I'm eating anyway. And I can nurse one drink (a glass of wine, a tall glass of sparkling water) for several hours
3. In the VERY rare instances that someone is being a "food pusher", I've learned to say (a) "Just a bite!", or (b) "gosh, I can't-- I just ate!" (even if that's a lie); or (c) "that looks amazing, but I have dinner plans later!"; or "thank you SOOO much-- maybe later!" The emphasis here is on acknowledging and showing appreciation for their wanting to share their love with food without actually blowing my plans.

Lizzy622

Water. Lots and lots of water. It keeps you full and if you always have a glass in your hand, people don't usually push more on you.

camoballerina91

Planning.

If I'm hosting guests I make sure to cook and portion my plate so that it fits in my budget. If I'm going to a friends house, I just do my best to guess at what they've put into the dish and again portion it out so it fits. Now if I'm going out to eat I like to look up the restaurant ahead of time and plan what I'm going to order. It's really just about planning and doing your best to stay within your goal but also not stressing to much if you go over cause you're still trying to have a good time.

Also, are sure your goal should be 1,100? I'm really short too but MFP set my goal 1,220 and that plus a little exercise calories suits me just fine.

uawxman

What I do is have something shortly before the party that is on my meal plan (Like a protein shake). Then I'm not so hungry at the party.

JeromeBarry1

I hang with a teetotalling crowd so it's very easy to not have a problem with being around them.

jessiferrrb

I eat at home before whenever possible, or if it is a potluck I bring something healthy and eat mostly that. Generally though if it's a party I'm gonna save my calories for drinking - things that are easily tracked like bottled light beer usually - keep count and be relatively glad that alcohol actually curbs my appetite.

Justme_1

I just hope they have a dog, have better time and don't deal with any B.S. talk.
A dog and a beer.

Shawshankcan

I have fun and enjoy myself. One day doesn't ruin it all.

Dove0804

One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me regarding events: Only eat things that you can't easily find somewhere else or are unlikely to ever make/buy yourself. If your aunt's homemade deviled eggs are just the bomb- go ahead and grab them. You could easily buy a bag of potato chips from the grocery store, so skip putting them on your plate at the BBQ (or if you really just want a taste- take 1 or 2).

I usually don't eat much the rest of the day before going to a big event like that, but this doesn't work for everyone. I usually have no problem not eating until, say, 6 PM dinnertime if I know I'm about to have a big meal but I know that's unrealistic for a lot of people. Also, I do bank calories on other days if I know an event is coming up.

Keep portions small so you can get a taste of everything you want, and if you really love something you don't have to feel guilty about going back for more.

A combination of the above helps keep me from going overboard.

pomegranatecloud

Shawshankcan wrote: »

I have fun and enjoy myself. One day doesn't ruin it all.

Same.

sunnybeaches105

If it's during the holidays then I don't care and I enjoy myself.

If it's during a bulk or during maintenance then I don'te care and I enjoy myself.

If it's during a cut then I preplan and do one of the following:

(1) eat first or eat salad and lean meat and enjoy diet sodas and maybe with a shot of vodka or light beer depending on my goals.
(2) take a cheat day if I've been on plan and I'm finding it hard to care.

Dove0804

pomegranatecloud wrote: »

Shawshankcan wrote: »

I have fun and enjoy myself. One day doesn't ruin it all.

Same.

I see this advice on the boards a lot, and while I appreciate it to some extent, it's important to remember that events like these can be very frequent in an individual's life (such as those with large families), while rare in another's. Excess eating from events without accounting for it in other parts of your life (whether you are trying to lose or maintain) will definitely add up to extra lbs over the course of a year.

amusedmonkey

I plan a maintenance day and only eat the things that I really like. This automatically controls for calories somewhat instead of sampling everything, and makes it feel like those extra calories were worth it.

andream1976

I like to try to eat "light" before the event so I have a few extra calories to indulge. Also do your homework before you go. Know the best and worst foods for BBQs, cookouts, fairs, etc and know going in what might be the best and worst choices for you. Avoid a ton of bread. Skip the chips and dip. Have a ton of fruit and veggies. Small portions of potatoes or pasta is fine. A burger or hot dog is ok, but chicken is better. Careful of sauces and butter. Allow yourself a beer or cocktail and drink plenty of water. Split that cupcake or cookie with your kid or spouse. It will be ok. I recently went to our county fair and typically this means lots of fried and fattening foods but I did a little research and felt like I made some decent choices. I had a pulled chicken sandwich for dinner and split the smallest order of fries I could find with the hubby as a snack later on. I so so wanted funnel cake. But funnel cake is over 1000 calories without any toppings....just wasn't worth it to me.