Social eating

coderdan82
coderdan82 Posts: 133 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone feel like their social life is at odds with their calorie counting efforts? We had a celebratory lunch yesterday at work at an all-you-can-eat sushi place, I had no idea how to put some of that stuff into MFP. Today I'm going to my nephew's birthday party, there will be home made food there that will be difficult or impossible to log as well. Tomorrow I'm visiting my parents, same problem. Next weekend I'm visiting some more family, same problem. What do you do in these situations? Do you carry around a small scale or something? I usually end up not logging at all and my weight always ends up spiking on the weekends.

I also find it hard to socialize at work. Everyone always eats out, and I mean everyone, every day. Most of the places they go to don't even provide nutritional info. I brown-bag my carefully measured and prepared lunch and usually eat alone.

Replies

  • Running2Fit
    Running2Fit Posts: 702 Member
    Eating out or over at friend/family’s place can be challenging. Being mindful of portion sizes is probably the easiest way to keep it from getting off track. And don’t be afraid to say no to certain things - like dessert. If it’s not a sit-down dinner event then sometimes I won’t have anything or just snack on some veggies.
  • deepwoodslady
    deepwoodslady Posts: 12,168 Member
    Many restaurant's foods are already in the data base. If not, pick the one closest to what you think it is. Guess about how many ounces. Logging anything is better than nothing but make sure you include every single food and condiment. It may be off a bit but it is still holding you accountable. When going to restaurants just do the same. If you are low calorie just watch your portion sizes and try to include a salad or something lower calorie. If you are low carb, consider ordering breakfast. It's cheaper and easily fits into your macros. It is easy to look up 2 eggs scrambled for example. I hope this helps.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    When eating out for celebrations I opt to eat at/near maintenance for that day. I do my best but don’t sweat it too much. I do try to make mindful choices and limit portion sizes. But celebrations are infrequent enough for me that it hasn’t caused me too much trouble.

    If eating out socially but not part of a celebration, I try to work in extra exercise during the day and generally opt for soup/salad combo. I skip dessert usually and have a glass of wine instead of a higher calorie cocktail. However some places have “skinny cocktails” which can be fun to try.
  • MrSunshinez
    MrSunshinez Posts: 573 Member
    edited December 2018
    I'd just enter a higher amount than what you think it is as a quick add. If there's no way you could have eaten 3000 calories that day then enter it and then get back on the wagon tomorrow. And also how much you eat doesn't display or determine your personal commitment to anyone. Your time and personal connection does. Have a cup of soup and half sandwich when everyone else wants four plates. Who cares?! If they do they are innocent enablers so watch out.
  • Stellamom2018
    Stellamom2018 Posts: 120 Member
    During the weeks I always stay under 100-200 calories. Basically every Saturday i have some type of social event, tonight it is the neighborhood chrisrmas party. I went to the gym for over an hour this morning, and planned out what I think I will eat and drink tonight already. I've learned I can easily binge eat thousands of calories if I go without a plan, so I always guess ahead of time and then alter as I go.
  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
    I don't really have a social life /cry
    Seriously though..... I don't..........
    Used to go out with family every friday and I can't now. I do keto and with how many people go out with us (there are a bunch of us), we're limited on where we can go and those places usually don't have anything keto friendly so I just end up staying home.
    It sucks b/c I want to go out and visit and NOT cook but the hell if I want to pay for some overpriced tiny salad b/c it's the only thing that I can eat on the menu. And I know what some will say... Oh It's just ONE meal. My body does not do well on cheats and it stalls me.. so it's not JUST anything.
    It gets frustrating as heck, but... my health comes first right now. Once I'm at my goal and in maintenance, I'll ease up on my restrictions then, but until then... just gotta come to terms that I can't just go out and get something quick. That I can't have all the yummy comfort foods that are associated with group gatherings. I'll still go to birthday parties and whatnot, but I won't be eating most of what is available.
  • kbmnurse1
    kbmnurse1 Posts: 316 Member
    I usually eat before I go to many of these events. Grab a little something at the event and carry on. Really not a big deal.
  • OddDitty
    OddDitty Posts: 248 Member
    coderdan82 wrote: »
    Does anyone feel like their social life is at odds with their calorie counting efforts? We had a celebratory lunch yesterday at work at an all-you-can-eat sushi place, I had no idea how to put some of that stuff into MFP. Today I'm going to my nephew's birthday party, there will be home made food there that will be difficult or impossible to log as well. Tomorrow I'm visiting my parents, same problem. Next weekend I'm visiting some more family, same problem. What do you do in these situations? Do you carry around a small scale or something? I usually end up not logging at all and my weight always ends up spiking on the weekends.

    I also find it hard to socialize at work. Everyone always eats out, and I mean everyone, every day. Most of the places they go to don't even provide nutritional info. I brown-bag my carefully measured and prepared lunch and usually eat alone.

    One of the things about food is that it's a social event. Few people "eat alone" all the time. Food brings people together!

    Maybe you could talk with whomever sets these things up and ask if they could select places that have a menu friendly to people on restricted diets or that has their calorie count on the menu? Or, perhaps, see if they will tell you about the place in advance so you can check out the online menu (many places do this now) and calculate ahead of time?

    I will be honest, we have a church class party coming up on next Saturday and I decided to stop caring what anyone else does and do whatever I have to. I have a serious health issue that affects my eating. So, while others are munching on subway stuff, I will take my own sandwich from home and, for the side we're supposed to bring, I will be bringing a Waldorf Salad, adjusted for lower sodium.

    This time of year is very difficult for those with highly restrictive food plans. And as much as it would be nice to have others cater to our needs, it really isn't fair to ask. So maybe nobody will mind if you just sit with a cup of coffee or tea or nibble at a plate of meat and veggies instead. But do what you have to FOR YOU.
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    I don't really have a social life /cry
    Seriously though..... I don't..........
    Used to go out with family every friday and I can't now. I do keto and with how many people go out with us (there are a bunch of us), we're limited on where we can go and those places usually don't have anything keto friendly so I just end up staying home.
    It sucks b/c I want to go out and visit and NOT cook but the hell if I want to pay for some overpriced tiny salad b/c it's the only thing that I can eat on the menu. And I know what some will say... Oh It's just ONE meal. My body does not do well on cheats and it stalls me.. so it's not JUST anything.
    It gets frustrating as heck, but... my health comes first right now. Once I'm at my goal and in maintenance, I'll ease up on my restrictions then, but until then... just gotta come to terms that I can't just go out and get something quick. That I can't have all the yummy comfort foods that are associated with group gatherings. I'll still go to birthday parties and whatnot, but I won't be eating most of what is available.

    Where do you go? I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy it’s been to eat out on keto. Salads are rarely the best option, though, unless they have a Cobb. Just today I had a great burger, where I asked for greens instead of fries and left the bun. At my parents’ favorite Indian place I had chicken in cream sauce and saag paneer; I just skipped the rice and the naan. Diners have omelets, usually all day. Pizza places are probably the toughest, but the one near us does a great loaded cheesesteak—just pretend the bun is a bowl.

    Restaurants notoriously sneak fat into every nook and cranny, which sucks for calories but is perfect for keto. Once you break out of the “healthy eating means lettuce” mindset (and come to terms with leaving some things on your plate), keto is surprisingly compatible with a social life. :)
  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
    edited December 2018
    FlyingMolly wrote: »
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    I don't really have a social life /cry
    Seriously though..... I don't..........
    Used to go out with family every friday and I can't now. I do keto and with how many people go out with us (there are a bunch of us), we're limited on where we can go and those places usually don't have anything keto friendly so I just end up staying home.
    It sucks b/c I want to go out and visit and NOT cook but the hell if I want to pay for some overpriced tiny salad b/c it's the only thing that I can eat on the menu. And I know what some will say... Oh It's just ONE meal. My body does not do well on cheats and it stalls me.. so it's not JUST anything.
    It gets frustrating as heck, but... my health comes first right now. Once I'm at my goal and in maintenance, I'll ease up on my restrictions then, but until then... just gotta come to terms that I can't just go out and get something quick. That I can't have all the yummy comfort foods that are associated with group gatherings. I'll still go to birthday parties and whatnot, but I won't be eating most of what is available.

    Where do you go? I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy it’s been to eat out on keto. Salads are rarely the best option, though, unless they have a Cobb. Just today I had a great burger, where I asked for greens instead of fries and left the bun. At my parents’ favorite Indian place I had chicken in cream sauce and saag paneer; I just skipped the rice and the naan. Diners have omelets, usually all day. Pizza places are probably the toughest, but the one near us does a great loaded cheesesteak—just pretend the bun is a bowl.

    Restaurants notoriously sneak fat into every nook and cranny, which sucks for calories but is perfect for keto. Once you break out of the “healthy eating means lettuce” mindset (and come to terms with leaving some things on your plate), keto is surprisingly compatible with a social life. :)

    I wish there were more options but there aren't. Like last night. They wanted to go to this specific Chinese place, but ALL the Chinese places here sell Americanized Chinese food. Ones that are battered and deep fried or that are covered in some sugary corn starchy sauce.
    Went to a wings place the other week with family. Thought we'd be ok and even asked if their bone in wings were coated at all. Told, No so that's what we got. Turns out, yep, they had a light dusting of flour on them.
    When my husband's friend visited, we even went to Zaxby's b/c their wings used to be safe, but NOPE... the one we went to also had a light dusting of flour on them.
    There's a seafood place they like going to as well. They have good grilled options, BUT the seafood part is a tiny portion and the rest of the plate is filler carbs. Rice, bread, hushpuppies, etc so it's not worth it if we can't eat the majority of what you get and that place doesn't do substitutions either.
    We're really limited on where we can go since it's Friday night and everywhere is busy and we have non-adventurous eaters.
    It's just been easier not going out unfortunately.
  • Salixiana
    Salixiana Posts: 37 Member
    For me, the key to social eating is to NOT mention the fact that I'm limiting calories, and then just take very small portions of everything. I often won't finish certain foods, but when you've taken only a tiny bit to begin with, the wastage isn't bad. When you don't call attention to what you're eating, nobody notices. (Excepting mothers, possibly, which is a whole other challenge.) As someone above mentioned, it's easy to just keep a bit of everything on your plate and deflect with compliments. I've even resorted to smuggling a starchy food like bread into a napkin and into my purse, so that it looks like I ate it. (I feed it to the birds later.) In general, though, nobody is paying attention.

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    edited December 2018
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    FlyingMolly wrote: »
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    I don't really have a social life /cry
    Seriously though..... I don't..........
    Used to go out with family every friday and I can't now. I do keto and with how many people go out with us (there are a bunch of us), we're limited on where we can go and those places usually don't have anything keto friendly so I just end up staying home.
    It sucks b/c I want to go out and visit and NOT cook but the hell if I want to pay for some overpriced tiny salad b/c it's the only thing that I can eat on the menu. And I know what some will say... Oh It's just ONE meal. My body does not do well on cheats and it stalls me.. so it's not JUST anything.
    It gets frustrating as heck, but... my health comes first right now. Once I'm at my goal and in maintenance, I'll ease up on my restrictions then, but until then... just gotta come to terms that I can't just go out and get something quick. That I can't have all the yummy comfort foods that are associated with group gatherings. I'll still go to birthday parties and whatnot, but I won't be eating most of what is available.

    Where do you go? I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy it’s been to eat out on keto. Salads are rarely the best option, though, unless they have a Cobb. Just today I had a great burger, where I asked for greens instead of fries and left the bun. At my parents’ favorite Indian place I had chicken in cream sauce and saag paneer; I just skipped the rice and the naan. Diners have omelets, usually all day. Pizza places are probably the toughest, but the one near us does a great loaded cheesesteak—just pretend the bun is a bowl.

    Restaurants notoriously sneak fat into every nook and cranny, which sucks for calories but is perfect for keto. Once you break out of the “healthy eating means lettuce” mindset (and come to terms with leaving some things on your plate), keto is surprisingly compatible with a social life. :)

    I wish there were more options but there aren't. Like last night. They wanted to go to this specific Chinese place, but ALL the Chinese places here sell Americanized Chinese food. Ones that are battered and deep fried or that are covered in some sugary corn starchy sauce.
    Went to a wings place the other week with family. Thought we'd be ok and even asked if their bone in wings were coated at all. Told, No so that's what we got. Turns out, yep, they had a light dusting of flour on them.
    When my husband's friend visited, we even went to Zaxby's b/c their wings used to be safe, but NOPE... the one we went to also had a light dusting of flour on them.
    There's a seafood place they like going to as well. They have good grilled options, BUT the seafood part is a tiny portion and the rest of the plate is filler carbs. Rice, bread, hushpuppies, etc so it's not worth it if we can't eat the majority of what you get and that place doesn't do substitutions either.
    We're really limited on where we can go since it's Friday night and everywhere is busy and we have non-adventurous eaters.
    It's just been easier not going out unfortunately.

    I worked in a full-service restaurant for decades.

    There's is no reason you have to eat anything at all in a restaurant. I mean, obviously don't go in by yourself and sit there for two hours with just a water but in a group there are often one or more people not eating.

    Or, you can order anything they have in the kitchen. Just a piece of fish and some veggie side with cheese or butter.
    A piece of chicken. Like one piece, and maybe some ranch dressing. Wings can be fried without flour. They can go ask if they don't know a price (if you ask for something off-menu.) We did that all the time. You can have a plate with cheese, olives, and meat.

    They want you to be happy. If it's in the kitchen they can make it, if they don't or won't then don't eat anything. You've decided on a self-limiting life, it's no one's fault but yours. :) Be politely assertive and live your life.

    You are certainly not the only Keto practicing customer going to restaurants these days. The kitchen is used to special orders.

    Any restaurant these days that doesn't do substitutions (yes, it may cost the customer a bit more) is really limiting their customer base. They must be super successful at their niche if that's the case.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited December 2018
    Salixiana wrote: »
    For me, the key to social eating is to NOT mention the fact that I'm limiting calories, and then just take very small portions of everything. I often won't finish certain foods, but when you've taken only a tiny bit to begin with, the wastage isn't bad. When you don't call attention to what you're eating, nobody notices. (Excepting mothers, possibly, which is a whole other challenge.) As someone above mentioned, it's easy to just keep a bit of everything on your plate and deflect with compliments. I've even resorted to smuggling a starchy food like bread into a napkin and into my purse, so that it looks like I ate it. (I feed it to the birds later.) In general, though, nobody is paying attention.

    My mother is such a food pusher, lol. She offers me everything in the house. I know she is just being hospitable, thought, so just take what I really want.

    Fortunately for my calorie budget, she's big on low calorie vegetables, and as long as she sees me with a plate full of those, she's happy.

    A strategy I employ at family buffets is to fill my plate with salad or veggies and when people prompt me to take this or that that I don't want (which happens less when they see my plate is already full) tell them I am saving room for dessert. And since I do want to save room for dessert, this helps me not overeat beforehand.

    Sometime over the years I've gotten over the urge to finish off less than serving sizes of food that is left, and can refrigerate it with no qualms. (I'll pair it with something else to make a full serving later.)

    (However, it does still hurt my brain when a tiny bit of food is in a large container, but that's another topic.)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    FlyingMolly wrote: »
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    I don't really have a social life /cry
    Seriously though..... I don't..........
    Used to go out with family every friday and I can't now. I do keto and with how many people go out with us (there are a bunch of us), we're limited on where we can go and those places usually don't have anything keto friendly so I just end up staying home.
    It sucks b/c I want to go out and visit and NOT cook but the hell if I want to pay for some overpriced tiny salad b/c it's the only thing that I can eat on the menu. And I know what some will say... Oh It's just ONE meal. My body does not do well on cheats and it stalls me.. so it's not JUST anything.
    It gets frustrating as heck, but... my health comes first right now. Once I'm at my goal and in maintenance, I'll ease up on my restrictions then, but until then... just gotta come to terms that I can't just go out and get something quick. That I can't have all the yummy comfort foods that are associated with group gatherings. I'll still go to birthday parties and whatnot, but I won't be eating most of what is available.

    Where do you go? I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy it’s been to eat out on keto. Salads are rarely the best option, though, unless they have a Cobb. Just today I had a great burger, where I asked for greens instead of fries and left the bun. At my parents’ favorite Indian place I had chicken in cream sauce and saag paneer; I just skipped the rice and the naan. Diners have omelets, usually all day. Pizza places are probably the toughest, but the one near us does a great loaded cheesesteak—just pretend the bun is a bowl.

    Restaurants notoriously sneak fat into every nook and cranny, which sucks for calories but is perfect for keto. Once you break out of the “healthy eating means lettuce” mindset (and come to terms with leaving some things on your plate), keto is surprisingly compatible with a social life. :)

    I wish there were more options but there aren't. Like last night. They wanted to go to this specific Chinese place, but ALL the Chinese places here sell Americanized Chinese food. Ones that are battered and deep fried or that are covered in some sugary corn starchy sauce.
    Went to a wings place the other week with family. Thought we'd be ok and even asked if their bone in wings were coated at all. Told, No so that's what we got. Turns out, yep, they had a light dusting of flour on them.
    When my husband's friend visited, we even went to Zaxby's b/c their wings used to be safe, but NOPE... the one we went to also had a light dusting of flour on them.
    There's a seafood place they like going to as well. They have good grilled options, BUT the seafood part is a tiny portion and the rest of the plate is filler carbs. Rice, bread, hushpuppies, etc so it's not worth it if we can't eat the majority of what you get and that place doesn't do substitutions either.
    We're really limited on where we can go since it's Friday night and everywhere is busy and we have non-adventurous eaters.
    It's just been easier not going out unfortunately.

    I've never been to an Americanized Chinese restaurant that didn't have naturally low carb options. Here are some tips: https://www.verywellfit.com/low-carb-eating-in-a-chinese-restaurant-2241931

    Safest Choices at a Chinese Restaurant

    Make these your go-to low-carb items:
    • Clear thin soups like egg drop, are better choices than other appetizers or thick soups.
    • Steamed food, including whole steamed fish or steamed tofu with vegetables, are a good substitute for those that are deep-fried.
    • Meat and vegetable combinations with thin, savory sauces can have fewer carbs and added sugar, perhaps 4 grams of carb for the whole dish. Examples would be chicken with mushrooms (in many places), Moo Goo Gai Pan, Szechuan prawns, and curry chicken. Again, use your eyes and taste buds to figure whether the sauce is sweet and/or thick.
    • Stir-fried dishes often have only a small amount of sugar or starch, perhaps a gram or two of carb per serving. You may ask whether they can leave out the cornstarch if they normally coat meat with it before stir-frying.
    • Black bean sauce does not tend to have as many carbs as some of the others, although there is a very small amount of beans in the sauce.
    • Mu shu can be enjoyed without the wrappers as a low-carb choice.
    • Walnut chicken is usually not made with starch or sugar.
    • Egg foo yung (without gravy) is another good choice.
    • For a different choice in Asian cuisine, Mongolian barbecue allows you to choose your meats and vegetables and prepare them to order without adding sugar or starch.
  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
    I'm telling ya. The places around here that we can go to with a large group are not keto friendly. I know there are options out there but we normally don't go to them and duh, of course I've put these restrictions on myself. Im still allowed to be frustrated with it sometimes lol.
    And the Chinese places here just.... No. There aren't steamed options that aren't covered in some thickened sauce. The soup is thickened with corn starch and sometimes sweet with sugar. The two places we tried going to battered their wings and add flour to their egg Foo. The place they went to this past Friday is ALL deep fried or sugary thickened sauce.
    I'm sure there are a ton of places I could get a very satisfying keto friendly meal, but the limited places we can go with family ...nope.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    edited December 2018
    I find it helpful to go in with a game plan. Mine is usually small portions of meats and sweets, and fill the plate with veggies whenever possible. In restaurants, I tend to order whatever I'd really like and eat most of it, but no dessert or drinks even if others are (usually). Little things count, like leaving chips/bread alone completely. I'll also plan ahead...for instance, I usually consume 400-500 cal at lunch, but if I'm going out to dinner with friends I may have a 300 cal lunch and just yogurt for breakfast instead of yogurt & an egg. Stuff like that. I also really try to stick with ONE plate at any type of potluck or buffet style situation.

    I don't want to sound like I'm eating to please others or hide some kind of disordered eating - but I have found that for me it usually works out better in restaurants or dinner parties to eat smaller portions of something rich/filling and "decadent" but turn down the "normal" things like bread/rolls, let's say. If I'm invited to a dinner where everyone's eating steak, mac n' cheese, salad, rolls, and pie...no one seems bothered by me having a medium portion of steak, a big salad and a small slice of pie. They don't notice the lack of mac or rolls. Or if they do, they are less likely to comment. I don't like being that person who is watching their intake and makes a huge fuss about how much they would looooove some pie and mac n' cheese but can only eat the salad. It's just not for me.
  • coderdan82
    coderdan82 Posts: 133 Member
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    I don't really have a social life /cry
    Seriously though..... I don't..........
    Used to go out with family every friday and I can't now. I do keto and with how many people go out with us (there are a bunch of us), we're limited on where we can go and those places usually don't have anything keto friendly so I just end up staying home.
    It sucks b/c I want to go out and visit and NOT cook but the hell if I want to pay for some overpriced tiny salad b/c it's the only thing that I can eat on the menu. And I know what some will say... Oh It's just ONE meal. My body does not do well on cheats and it stalls me.. so it's not JUST anything.
    It gets frustrating as heck, but... my health comes first right now. Once I'm at my goal and in maintenance, I'll ease up on my restrictions then, but until then... just gotta come to terms that I can't just go out and get something quick. That I can't have all the yummy comfort foods that are associated with group gatherings. I'll still go to birthday parties and whatnot, but I won't be eating most of what is available.

    I totally get this. I was doing a strict keto diet in the summer and I heard this so many times at events. It drove me crazy.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    FlyingMolly wrote: »
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    I don't really have a social life /cry
    Seriously though..... I don't..........
    Used to go out with family every friday and I can't now. I do keto and with how many people go out with us (there are a bunch of us), we're limited on where we can go and those places usually don't have anything keto friendly so I just end up staying home.
    It sucks b/c I want to go out and visit and NOT cook but the hell if I want to pay for some overpriced tiny salad b/c it's the only thing that I can eat on the menu. And I know what some will say... Oh It's just ONE meal. My body does not do well on cheats and it stalls me.. so it's not JUST anything.
    It gets frustrating as heck, but... my health comes first right now. Once I'm at my goal and in maintenance, I'll ease up on my restrictions then, but until then... just gotta come to terms that I can't just go out and get something quick. That I can't have all the yummy comfort foods that are associated with group gatherings. I'll still go to birthday parties and whatnot, but I won't be eating most of what is available.

    Where do you go? I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy it’s been to eat out on keto. Salads are rarely the best option, though, unless they have a Cobb. Just today I had a great burger, where I asked for greens instead of fries and left the bun. At my parents’ favorite Indian place I had chicken in cream sauce and saag paneer; I just skipped the rice and the naan. Diners have omelets, usually all day. Pizza places are probably the toughest, but the one near us does a great loaded cheesesteak—just pretend the bun is a bowl.

    Restaurants notoriously sneak fat into every nook and cranny, which sucks for calories but is perfect for keto. Once you break out of the “healthy eating means lettuce” mindset (and come to terms with leaving some things on your plate), keto is surprisingly compatible with a social life. :)

    I wish there were more options but there aren't. Like last night. They wanted to go to this specific Chinese place, but ALL the Chinese places here sell Americanized Chinese food. Ones that are battered and deep fried or that are covered in some sugary corn starchy sauce.
    Went to a wings place the other week with family. Thought we'd be ok and even asked if their bone in wings were coated at all. Told, No so that's what we got. Turns out, yep, they had a light dusting of flour on them.
    When my husband's friend visited, we even went to Zaxby's b/c their wings used to be safe, but NOPE... the one we went to also had a light dusting of flour on them.
    There's a seafood place they like going to as well. They have good grilled options, BUT the seafood part is a tiny portion and the rest of the plate is filler carbs. Rice, bread, hushpuppies, etc so it's not worth it if we can't eat the majority of what you get and that place doesn't do substitutions either.
    We're really limited on where we can go since it's Friday night and everywhere is busy and we have non-adventurous eaters.
    It's just been easier not going out unfortunately.

    I've never been to an Americanized Chinese restaurant that didn't have naturally low carb options. Here are some tips: https://www.verywellfit.com/low-carb-eating-in-a-chinese-restaurant-2241931

    Safest Choices at a Chinese Restaurant

    Make these your go-to low-carb items:
    • Clear thin soups like egg drop, are better choices than other appetizers or thick soups.
    • Steamed food, including whole steamed fish or steamed tofu with vegetables, are a good substitute for those that are deep-fried.
    • Meat and vegetable combinations with thin, savory sauces can have fewer carbs and added sugar, perhaps 4 grams of carb for the whole dish. Examples would be chicken with mushrooms (in many places), Moo Goo Gai Pan, Szechuan prawns, and curry chicken. Again, use your eyes and taste buds to figure whether the sauce is sweet and/or thick.
    • Stir-fried dishes often have only a small amount of sugar or starch, perhaps a gram or two of carb per serving. You may ask whether they can leave out the cornstarch if they normally coat meat with it before stir-frying.
    • Black bean sauce does not tend to have as many carbs as some of the others, although there is a very small amount of beans in the sauce.
    • Mu shu can be enjoyed without the wrappers as a low-carb choice.
    • Walnut chicken is usually not made with starch or sugar.
    • Egg foo yung (without gravy) is another good choice.
    • For a different choice in Asian cuisine, Mongolian barbecue allows you to choose your meats and vegetables and prepare them to order without adding sugar or starch.

    This is a good list. I've never been at a Chinese restaurant where steamed vegetables were not an option, that's what I usually get. You can also usually ask for sauces on the side and you can control how much you want to use, which is nice if you prefer higher calorie sauces.
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  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    edited December 2018
    I guess it helps to be lame and unpopular. I wouldn't go out to lunch everyday regardless of calories. That's a waste of money (in my opinion).

    For going out to restaurants I just eat what I like and keep mental track of it. Then later I just kind of throw stuff on my food diary that sounds like it's close enough. I look at my calories on a weekly basis so one day of going over isn't a big deal to me.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Monogirl279 wrote: »
    coderdan82 wrote: »
    Does anyone feel like their social life is at odds with their calorie counting efforts? We had a celebratory lunch yesterday at work at an all-you-can-eat sushi place, I had no idea how to put some of that stuff into MFP. Today I'm going to my nephew's birthday party, there will be home made food there that will be difficult or impossible to log as well. Tomorrow I'm visiting my parents, same problem. Next weekend I'm visiting some more family, same problem. What do you do in these situations? Do you carry around a small scale or something? I usually end up not logging at all and my weight always ends up spiking on the weekends.

    I also find it hard to socialize at work. Everyone always eats out, and I mean everyone, every day. Most of the places they go to don't even provide nutritional info. I brown-bag my carefully measured and prepared lunch and usually eat alone.

    I have social eating and I successfully keep my weight on the low end bmi17.5 through some simple tricks. Pick on the foods that you know will not give you weight. For example at that all you can eat sushi I would pick and eat only sashimi and some seaweed salad whatnot without using any sauce. And at family dinners don’t eat that butter ladened smashed potatoe, if you’re eating chicken take off the skin, always skip dessert and etc. I log my food everyday and I check my weight everyday so I know what kinds of food make me gain weight. Everyone reacts differently to different foods.

    "Kinds" of foods don't make you gain weight (unless you're talking about purely temporary water weight), it comes down to calories. What you weigh the day after eating certain foods isn't a reliable indicator of whether or not a meal will result in weight gain. It takes longer for your body to process food and actually gain real weight.

    But this kind of hyper-focus does explain why you're medically underweight. In your quest to reach a healthy body fat percentage, this is the type of behavior you may have to moderate.
  • walktalkdog
    walktalkdog Posts: 102 Member
    My problem is that I have very little self-restraint when there are tables full of chips, dips, etc., food items that I normally don't have on hand. I went to a gathering last Saturday, and I didn't eat much during the entire day before going, in anticipation. I managed to deny crackers and bread, but once I started on the chips and guacamole, and wine(!), I ended up eating more than I had hoped I would. Someone also brought these amazing pastries and I ate one to be gracious, and it was SO good and was TOTALLY worth the calories. I just logged a high number of caloried to the day, enjoyed myself, and started the next day with renewed focus.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    edited December 2018
    Not at all because social eating is included in my calorie counting efforts or probably more accurately excluded.

    I realised that managing my weight isn't about depriving myself during 'special' occasions. It's about what I do the other 95% of the time and in fact letting go and indulging that 5% of the time makes the other 95% so much easier. Sure I'm managing my weight but that doesn't mean I have to stop living and enjoying my life.

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