How to survive family dinners/ functions?

Ok, here is my question.... How do y'all avoid eating unhealthy at family dinners or functions that revolve around food? And do your families give you the "why are you starving yourselves" comments.
So far I have just explained that I'm eating healthier not "starving" but with summer coming there are sure to be plenty more functions, meaning more temptations. Also anyone wanting to friend me feel free!

Replies

andreamariexoxo

Fill up on healthy snacks before you go! Or eat what you like but only have a half a serving of everything, and eat the rest of the day considering the calories you ate at the function

pinggolfer96

Bring your own healthy items

Lounmoun

Eat reasonable portions. Don't go back for seconds.
Drink water or other low cal/no cal drinks.
Put more vegetables on your plate. You can really pile on low calorie vegetables without adding a lot of calories.
Bring food you feel comfortable eating to share. Summer is great for fresh vegetables and fruits for everyone.
Get away from the food table if you tend to keep munching.
Be active. Get up and play with kids. Help set up or clean up. Go for a walk.
Keep your hands or mouth busy. Pop some mint gum in your mouth when you want to stop eating.
Eat lighter the day before or after or the rest of the day if you know you have a food event.

VUA21

Pile on low calorie foods. If there's a garden salad, loading your plate with that looks like a lot of food, but is very low in calories. Also drink water or other zero calorie beverages.

Veggie platter: another thing to load up on. A pound of broccoli has only about 150 calories. Avoid most desserts and anything creamy!!!!

Pastaprincess1978

I agree with the load up on low cal comments. I load my plate with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes any time I can, also carrot and celery if there is any. Top with soy sauce instead of oil based dressing and you're doing fine. Lean meat if there is any. Then have a smidge of dessert. People cope with this comment-wise better than if you don't eat.

amusedmonkey

People handle that differently. The way I handle it is by eating the same foods I always have, but saving calories for it. As for food choices, I don't really pick something over another because it has fewer calories unless I like the lower calorie option just as much, but I find smaller portions is my norm now. No one notices anything, though, because my eating doesn't really stand out. If I'm presented with several food choices, I pick my top favorites and don't bother with the rest. I used to eat a portion of everything presented and be uncomfortably overfull, now I know how much it takes to fill me up so I just eat appropriate portions of my favorite foods until pleasantly full.

Lillymoo01

I just bring a salad to share with balsamic vinegar dressing and a dessert. As I have made the dessert myself I know the calories in it. Add whatever meat is available and you can have a nice full plate without heaps of calories.

You can also reduce your calorie intake by 100 per day for the week prior (or burn an extra 100 calories more) to give you more to eat on the day. That or simply eat at maintenance for the day. One day at maintenance will mean just 1 extra day until you reach your goal.

NovusDies

Decide how you intend to handle these functions after the weight is lost and for the rest of your life and then do that. I am very comfortable banking calories so I can easily see myself doing that for a very long time. I do not, however, see myself being the person with a plate of broccoli while everyone else is enjoying chips and dip for the rest of my life.

You have to do you but I would be more inclined (if I didn't want to use my bank) to use an approach like @amusedmonkey.

h1udd

I binge and eat everything .... one day will not make you fat in the same way that dieting 1 day wont make you thin.

as long as your trend is downwards, which it will be if you are good for the rest of the time, then there are no issues.

All that said though I dont like my progress to be stalled, so I bank calories on the lead up to all my "known" events ... even tonight I am expecting to go over goal, so during the week I have banked enough to break even

Francl27

h1udd wrote: »

I binge and eat everything .... one day will not make you fat in the same way that dieting 1 day wont make you thin.

Oh yeah? It's easy to eat a 1750 calorie surplus in a day. Good luck having that kind of deficit in one day though...

OP, I agree with banking calories, bringing your own food, and getting smaller portions. And stay active, of course.

I meet with my friends at least once a week and we don't always have the healthiest food, but as long as I eat lightly the rest of the day and get my steps in, I can usually indulge a little. You just have to be mindful not to wipe your weekly deficit (I have a small deficit so it's extremely easy for me to wipe out my deficit in one day).

kami3006

I have small amounts of any of the food that I like and keep a mental tally of what I think the calories work out to be. Over time that becomes much easier and pretty much second nature. And, I follow a weekly deficit so I will either bank calories or balance it out over a few days if I think I need to.

NovusDies

h1udd wrote: »

I binge and eat everything .... one day will not make you fat in the same way that dieting 1 day wont make you thin.

as long as your trend is downwards, which it will be if you are good for the rest of the time, then there are no issues.

All that said though I dont like my progress to be stalled, so I bank calories on the lead up to all my "known" events ... even tonight I am expecting to go over goal, so during the week I have banked enough to break even

The binge idea might be fine if this is a fairly rare event, you have a 1k deficit, and don't mind erasing 2 or 3 other days of deficit. If the OP has enough aunts, uncles, and cousins though this could be a very regular thing.

In any event, it is not something I would do because I don't like being stuffed and miserable but you do you.

callsitlikeiseeit

its not hard. you eat samples of everything. fill up your plate with green salad (bring one yourself if no one usually makes one), bring a dressing that works for you and one everyone else enjoys and sample everything else.

Caralarma

Personally I would eat fewer calories that day, and then at the dinner have small portions of everything without actually counting every calorie. This is a way of life so I think sometimes u have to let go a bit, and i don't mean binging on the food.. I just mean stop eating when you are full and try fill up on the lower calorie foods. Most importantly.. do not weigh yourself the next day. Carry on as normal and the weight will carry on dropping over time

missysippy930

Fresh fruit, vegetables, grilled foods etc
There are usually lower calorie options at family functions, no matter the time of the year.
Smarter choices, portion control, moderation, just like everyday. Log it the best you can and If you go over, adjust for it over the next few days.

nicolehorn0114

For me, it would depend how frequent these functions were. If it just happened occasionally, I would splurge a bit and eat what I wanted but not to the point of being overly full and uncomfortable. If it is a weekly thing, I would try to make good choices and estimate the calories in dishes to the best of my ability.

nicolehorn0114

h1udd wrote: »

I binge and eat everything .... one day will not make you fat in the same way that dieting 1 day wont make you thin.

as long as your trend is downwards, which it will be if you are good for the rest of the time, then there are no issues.

All that said though I dont like my progress to be stalled, so I bank calories on the lead up to all my "known" events ... even tonight I am expecting to go over goal, so during the week I have banked enough to break even

I’m not sure what bingeing means to you, but to me, it’s eating WAY too much food which is never okay. It’s something I’m working really hard to get past. Maybe that’s not what you mean. I’ve noticed a lot of people throw that word around when they’ve just went over maintenance or just ate a little more than they were planning on. That’s really not what the word means...

kroe4

I never get the "why are you starving yourself" but I do get the "Oh get a piece of cheesecake! Oh wait, your on a diet right?" or the "Just get a smaller slice of pizza! You'll be fine." LOL They mean well, but it's definitely not easy being the one on the diet. If I know what they are going to be having I can usually look it up on MFP and see what fits in my calories. For instance, I know I can go to the family cookout and have a cheeseburger, some fruit and a water and it fits fine in my daily goals. I just don't eat two burgers and a plate full of BBQ chips and a coke like I used too. hahaha If I do decide to splurge on something, I make up for those calories by walking/exercising that evening. Good luck!!

jefamer2017

For me it depends on what time food is being served if it's noon, I'll skip breakfast. If it's later I'll eat low calorie filling items during the day. To save room for the stuff I want.

GOT_Obsessed

h1udd wrote: »

I binge and eat everything .... one day will not make you fat in the same way that dieting 1 day wont make you thin.

as long as your trend is downwards, which it will be if you are good for the rest of the time, then there are no issues.

All that said though I dont like my progress to be stalled, so I bank calories on the lead up to all my "known" events ... even tonight I am expecting to go over goal, so during the week I have banked enough to break even

I personally avoid doing this. I was away last week and it accidentally happened. (Ok, I admit it. I pigged out and ate way too much) and I felt so sick. My body was not used to this and it was not worth it. Perhaps work out the day of the event then after the meal grab some family members and head out for a walk.

kshama2001

Family parties are a LOT of work for me - there's extra shopping, cooking, cleaning. I log calories for cooking and cleaning that's above everyday time for that.

I'm throwing the party Sunday, so am in charge of the menu, and will be putting in a lot of work for it.

All I'm doing for the party Saturday is showing up, but I've been very active this week so have extra calories for it. At my family parties, there are always low calorie, high volume options but if there weren't I'd bring a veggie tray or green salad.

At buffets, I always get really small portions, so I can try lots of things and not get stuck with a large amount of something that turns out to be unpalatable.

Yes, these events are more frequent during the summer, but not so frequent that the inherent difficulty in logging accurately is going to make a difference. My NEAT is also up in the summer, so that helps.

WinoGelato

NovusDies wrote: »

Decide how you intend to handle these functions after the weight is lost and for the rest of your life and then do that. I am very comfortable banking calories so I can easily see myself doing that for a very long time. I do not, however, see myself being the person with a plate of broccoli while everyone else is enjoying chips and dip for the rest of my life.

.

Almost exactly what I was going to say. Family functions and special events are a part of life, and some of the best ones in my opinions. Stressing about them or coming up with extreme plans that take your focus off what should be a fun event is no way to live while losing weight or in the long term.

I also bank calories for events fairly regularly but I also agree with the advice to offer to bring something that you can enjoy eating and fits within your plan well. After eating, Organize a game of tag with kids or take a walk around the block with a relative you don’t see often to have a quiet chat. Get activity in as part of the event too.

Enjoy!

emmamcgarity

I try to bring a fruit and/or veggie tray to events. If bringing desserts I make the portion sizes tiny fir everyone. At the last picnic I attended there were lots of comments about the cute “brownie bites” that I had cut into 3/4 inch squares. I know I ate over my regular calories but I had extra servings of fruit and veggies and tiny servings of other items. I also logged it all in with the best estimates I could find.

xxzenabxx

Family gatherings are the hardest for me. Especially because it’s mainly curry and oily based dishes LOADED with calories and tonnes of rice, tonnes of 6 different desserts...one tiny salad. Nope it’s always a disaster for me. And if you don’t go for seconds then it’s a crime! And it’s not like this once a year. Nope it’s every week or every few weeks. Especially in the summer. No wonder I dread meeting family members now as they make comments on how ‘skinny’ I am (compared to them I’m very skinny apparently) with how much I eat. ‘What’s the secret?’ they ask whilst stuffing their faces...

jemhh

Nobody really pays attention to what/how much people are eating at my family's get togethers. I've never had a "why are you starving yourself" comment.

hesn92

Eat smaller portions. Pay attention to your hunger and stop eating when you’re full. If there aren’t any healthy / low cal options, bring something yourself, a fruit platter or veggie tray to munch on. ( or whatever)

seltzermint555

jemhh wrote: »

Nobody really pays attention to what/how much people are eating at my family's get togethers. I've never had a "why are you starving yourself" comment.

Oh man. Some families are definitely not like this, but will watch like hawks and try to shove food down your throat and maybe even CRY if you aren't enjoying what they brought/cooked.

Especially large Southern families, Italian American families, and more...

NovusDies

seltzermint555 wrote: »

Oh man. Some families are definitely not like this, but will watch like hawks and try to shove food down your throat and maybe even CRY if you aren't enjoying what they brought/cooked.

Especially large Southern families, Italian American families, and more...

QFT

Italians who live in the south... DOUBLE WHAMMY

seltzermint555

NovusDies wrote: »

seltzermint555 wrote: »

Oh man. Some families are definitely not like this, but will watch like hawks and try to shove food down your throat and maybe even CRY if you aren't enjoying what they brought/cooked.

Especially large Southern families, Italian American families, and more...

QFT

Italians who live in the south... DOUBLE WHAMMY

Preach!

My Italian American mom split with my "normal" dad and he married a Southern woman. So I have 2 insane families.

mbaker566

i bank some calories.
i eat smaller portions of the "good" stuff
i eat lots of low calorie veggies and fruit