How do you handle what I call, "EATING EVENTS"

niricava

I love wine tastings... This has been my downfall in the past but I have made a pact to myself that I will only taste and spit the wines when I do this. I know some people find it gross, but that works for me, especially if you go to wine festivals. It helps you control your alcohol and calorie consumption. If I don't like it, I have not wasted many calories. I only drink and eat what I like at these events. Otherwise, what's the point?! Self control is the key. And knowing what works or doesn't work for you.

cwolfman13

But what I was thinking was that for the long run if I should/could find something to replace the social type events with. Yes I know there is not harm in attending one once in a while but there are quite a few that I normally attend each year.

What kind of social events if any do you attend that promote or at least do not derail good health? I'm just realizing that almost everything I do socially centers around eating and/or drinking. No one's ever asked me if I would like to hang out and drink a water or go out for steamed broccoli

Social events, holidays, birthday parties, etc are a part of life...you have to learn to moderate. Things like holidays and birthday parties and what not are also not "routine"...they are "occasions"...no body became unhealthy or fat becasue of an occasion...they became unhealthy and fat because they treated every day like an "occasion" and stuffed themselves. Just as one day of eating well doesn't make one healthy, one day of indulgence doesn't make one unhealthy.

You need to look at the bigger picture. "Lifestyle" isn't about the minutia of one day or even a week or even a bad month...it's about how you're livin' overall for the rest of your life.

niricava

If anyone is thinking about taking a cruise, I came across this great article as a way to manage your eating during that time.
http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1517&et_cid=985075&et_rid=83151458
I loved the idea of ordering half portions and had never heard of doing that...only ordering multiple appetizers and entrees.

You have to enjoy your life and be healthy at the same time! :drinker:

jmoliveson

I usually fast before an event so that when I do eat, I have the calories to spare; but I am very picky with how I use them so I don't go overboard. Its always fun to try a little of everything though.

SoDamnHungry

I'd say save up extra calories by eating a little less or working out extra that week. Can't say no to my favorite foods. And not going...well that's just kind of depressing.

Mokey41

It's probably just me but I find it kind of sad when I hear people say that if they can't eat to excess or drink all night at a party that they won't have fun. A co worker told me yesterday that she has never had fun without drinking. It's really sad to think that someone doesn't have the capacity to have a good time without over indulging.

If you only go to events because of the food or drink then why go? If it can't be a fun social time without eating or drinking then it probably wasn't something worth doing.

I_Will_End_You

I handle them like this:

Fitfully_me

I handle them like this:

This just gave me the giggles! :laugh:


I usually just eat what I like and ignore the rest.

NoAdditives

As long as I feel the food is "worth it" I eat some. If I think the food isn't worth the calories, I don't. Things like this are going to come up, you don't have to avoid them or overly restrict yourself. Occasional indulgences are fine.

Acg67

If you only go to events because of the food or drink then why go? If it can't be a fun social time without eating or drinking then it probably wasn't something worth doing.

Perhaps since it is a food centric event? They happen all the time, and the only reason to go or purchase a ticket is because of the food

mcibty

With both hands on my plate as I carry it back to the table as not to drop a single thing.

Sarah0866

I plan ahead for them, either by making that day my cheat day for the week, or accounting for what I eat in my food log and making sure the rest of my day is clean

3foldchord

Sometimes I nibble and sometimes I indulge, depending on how "good" I have been recently. For the really big ones, like Thanksgivng,I workout a littl more and eat a little less the week before and the week after, and drink lots of carbonated water and protein before I head out the door to the event.

bcattoes

If you only go to events because of the food or drink then why go? If it can't be a fun social time without eating or drinking then it probably wasn't something worth doing.

Chili cook offs are a blast, and yes, the whole point of going is to taste the chili. And certainly one could invite friends over to watch the big game and not offer beer and munchies, but why lose that part of the occasion? Food and drink enhance gatherings. One does not have to give that up in order to be healthy and fit.

servilia

I make up for it by being extra careful the other days that week.

livesmith

I just did a fair last weekend. It's definitely defining the parameters in my brain. I can just as easily binge on free food in the office. Right now I have signed up for 4 Dietbets and I just try to visualise "4", as in I need to lose 4% in 4 weeks(or else I lose money). And I have "1800" calories max for today. (I have on occasion let myself bump to 2000, but that's it). And I have binged on donuts at the office, I had 4 of them. But I also went for the "lower" calorie ones and tried to use the rest of my calories for some beneficial foods.
As for the fair, I also had an idea that we'd be likely to get a bloomin' onion or fried dough or funnelcake, so i specifically looked those up ahead of time to see what sort of damage I'd be looking at. Which was good because 1/3 of the onion was the same as a fried dough or funnel cake. And that's what my wife wanted. So I ate about 1/3 and just said "I'm done". No question about it. After that, either toss it or take it home if she doesn't want the rest. I'm not eating it. (that's another one I have to fight, I've always been an "eat everything you're given" person.)

Mokey41

If you only go to events because of the food or drink then why go? If it can't be a fun social time without eating or drinking then it probably wasn't something worth doing.

Chili cook offs are a blast, and yes, the whole point of going is to taste the chili. And certainly one could invite friends over to watch the big game and not offer beer and munchies, but why lose that part of the occasion? Food and drink enhance gatherings. One does not have to give that up in order to be healthy and fit.

So you "taste" the chili. How many calories can a spoonful of chili be? You don't have to eat 50 bowls of chili. You can certainly have friends over to watch the game and provide snacks. Have some munchies that aren't chips, dip and junk food. Put out a veggie tray as well or some cut fruit.

No you don't have to give up food to be healthy but you do need to learn to manage food so it's sustenance or a small treat not a binge or your only reason for going out.

highervibes

I recently went to Ribfest and while I didn't try every,single.ribplace I still had a great time and I ate about 2500 calories. The next couple of days I ate at 1600 calories instead of my usual 1850.

bcattoes

If you only go to events because of the food or drink then why go? If it can't be a fun social time without eating or drinking then it probably wasn't something worth doing.

Chili cook offs are a blast, and yes, the whole point of going is to taste the chili. And certainly one could invite friends over to watch the big game and not offer beer and munchies, but why lose that part of the occasion? Food and drink enhance gatherings. One does not have to give that up in order to be healthy and fit.

So you "taste" the chili. How many calories can a spoonful of chili be? You don't have to eat 50 bowls of chili. You can certainly have friends over to watch the game and provide snacks. Have some munchies that aren't chips, dip and junk food. Put out a veggie tray as well or some cut fruit.

No you don't have to give up food to be healthy but you do need to learn to manage food so it's sustenance or a small treat not a binge or your only reason for going out.

Um ... I never said one had to eat 50 bowls of chili (nor do I think anyone else suggested anything close to that). The point was that eating is the main reason for the event. Same with a rib fest or other cooking contests. You taste as many as you want.

I disagree that I have give up food being the only reason I go out to be heatlhy and fit. I often go to events for the food and drink as much as the socializing. The two are so interwined in the culture I grew up in that separating them would mean a total change in my way of life. One I have no intention of making. Yet, I've been healthy for more than half a century now.

Acg67

If you only go to events because of the food or drink then why go? If it can't be a fun social time without eating or drinking then it probably wasn't something worth doing.

Chili cook offs are a blast, and yes, the whole point of going is to taste the chili. And certainly one could invite friends over to watch the big game and not offer beer and munchies, but why lose that part of the occasion? Food and drink enhance gatherings. One does not have to give that up in order to be healthy and fit.

So you "taste" the chili. How many calories can a spoonful of chili be? You don't have to eat 50 bowls of chili. You can certainly have friends over to watch the game and provide snacks. Have some munchies that aren't chips, dip and junk food. Put out a veggie tray as well or some cut fruit.

No you don't have to give up food to be healthy but you do need to learn to manage food so it's sustenance or a small treat not a binge or your only reason for going out.

Here are some of the things I've been to this yr, you went for the food and drink and there would be no point in going to any of them without eating everything that they had to offer

http://amusecochon.com/2013/epic/

http://www.phillyburgerbrawl.com/

http://streetvendor.org/vendys/events/event/philly/

acpgee

I do a massive cardio workout beforehand to earn 600-1000 extra calories.

action_figure

I just went to the state fair. I made a plan to have the one thing I really wanted. (You really can pick just one. It doesn't have to be an all day stuff-your-face-fest, there's actual stuff to DO at the fair.) Then I wore my fitness band and we walked for hours and hours and hours. At the end of the day, I had a chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick, I had taken 22,000 steps, and I was under my calorie goal for the day. Focus less on "eating events". Focus on what you're going to do there besides eating. Like at the fair, there are rides, exhibits, shows, etc. It's more than just food. Pick ONE treat. Enjoy it. Make up for it with exercise. Boom.

LoosingMyLast15

Just curious how all of you wonderful people handle what I call "Eating Events"? You know the kind of thing that basically the food brings you out to. There are several of them coming up that I usually attend and I'm wondering what I should do.

a)just not go
b) go and TRY to control myself
c) other- cause there's always an other

Examples of these kinds of events that are coming up in the next two months are a chili cook off, the county fair, and a charity gala. The Gala is more of a drinking issue for me than overindulging in food. But the fair, OMG, fried oreos, caramel apples, funnel cakes.....

Guess I'm not really looking for advice. I know what I NEED to do. I just wonder how other people deal with these sort of things.

i say get up early get in an amazing workout then go and enjoy yourself. you might find out that while you're at the fair you decide no i don't want to eat that entire fried oreo because i worked so hard this morning or you could devour the entire thing and enjoy/savor every single bite of it.

you can't hide in your room because you are trying to be healthy. we all have lives and indulging every now and then is not going to ruin our healthy ways (unless YOU let it).

as for the charity gala - drink slower and depending upon what you drink you could add a bit of seltzer water (or club soda or tonic water whatever you call it) to your drinks to water them down a bit.

jaycbrf4

I call it a cheat day and enjoy!

chezjuan

I plan them, to a degree. Like when I went to the county fair, I knew I was going to want to have a few tasty treats, so I had a light breakfast and got in a good workout after we came home. And I made sensible food choices around the treats while I was there, so I came out about on target with my daily calorie goals.

frommetobetterme

I haven't read the replies, so I apologize if I'm repeating.

I find that eating something healthy at home before I leave helps me resist temptation. I bring a water bottle as to not drink all the bad stuff and to stay well hydrated (I'm more hungry when I don't drink enough).

I also find that I will choose one or two things that I NEED to have and do away without the rest. For example, I LOVE cotton candy and it's something that I can't make at home or eat just anywhere. So I will have my cotton candy at the fair, but not have the cold treats or popcorn. I still end up eating more calories than I should sometimes but at least I'm minimizing the damage and don't feel cheated out of the eating experience and then get bitter and want to eat everything in sight. Also, note that at the fair, you'll most likely get more walking done, so take those exercise calories and enjoy them.

Also, you have to try to change your mindset to not associate the whole fun with eating. i.e. there is so much at the fair, it's not the food that will be the highlight of the day. Easier for some events than others, but I try to always see what else there will make me happy and satisfied with my experience that doesn't involve food and that usually helps.

Good luck!