HELP NEEDED WITH BALANCING COUNTING CALORIES & A SOCIAL LIFE

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ghalliday
ghalliday Posts: 46 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Last night I had an Indian takeaway with my partner......& chose what I thought to be the most sensible option of chicken tikka salad ......with a plain naan, which I only ate half of. Just wondered if anybody knew of any other "damage limitation" indian/ chinese choices as I am meeting the girls for a chinese takeaway & DVD 2night.......I'm thinking chicken chow mein with a curry sauce ??!!! Finding it difficult to balance my social life...which seems to evolve mainly around food .....with counting calories & making sensible choices!!! Have just turned down lunch out with a friend as I ate out last night & will be having takeway tonight so want to have a low cal lunch!!!! :-S

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  • mrsyatesy
    mrsyatesy Posts: 173
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    Personally I would avoid the curry sauce, I would probably go for a veggie stir fry with some jasmine / boiled rice.
    It's hard to mix the two (social and watching) but if you are more aware of what you're doing you automatically do better than you would have done before!
    Enjoy your girls night!
  • ghalliday
    ghalliday Posts: 46 Member
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    Thanks for the advice.....appreciated :-)
  • bathori
    bathori Posts: 33
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    Eat dinner before meeting up with the girls and then just have a little side salad or soup. You don't have to eat or drink to have fun with your friends.
  • nicjane113
    nicjane113 Posts: 48
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    It is tough balancing eating out and losing weight but for me I like to have a takeaway once in a while and I enjoy a night out having a few drinks.
    I don't have much weight to lose so for me I tend not to count calories on a weekend and if I want something a bit naughty I have it as long as I stick to being healthy during the week.
    I'm losing weight to feel better about myself but I don't want calorie counting to take over what i eat.
    Good luck!
  • mekhala
    mekhala Posts: 123 Member
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    Eat dinner before meeting up with the girls and then just have a little side salad or soup. You don't have to eat or drink to have fun with your friends.

    OMG!!! do not give up your social life for watching, you really dont have too!!

    I have only just found a balace - when i go to lunch with my friends, we go to starbucks, i have a skinny caramel machiato that feels like a treat and fresh tastes dinner from asda - usually 400 cals - thats 540 max but i dont need or want an afternoon snack.

    with 200 for my smoothie in the morning, 100 cal for mid morning snack... that leaves plenty for the evening.

    For chinese i would go for the chicken chowmain, its the least calories and you dont need the curry as you a sauce in the dish already, if you really do fancy curry, i would go for a prawn curry and teamed rice, - popcorn is needed for movie night - i get the microwave salty stuff less cals - a bit of sodium, but thats ok as my sodium levels are not usually high .. put it in small ish bowls so you have to go to the kitchen for a refill... you will automatically think twice!!

    Dont deprive yourself have what you want but not as much or as often. I am finding that i dont eat a full meal to myself from a chinese anymore because i have started to listen to my body.... it hasnt been easy but i think i am getting the hang of it.

    Another thing i have found... when eating out the other night, i didnt want anything else on the menu other than the cajun salmon sald, it was that filling i couldnt finnish the salad!! i had 2 bacadi and diet cokes and a small glass of wine - didnt feel deprived or that i was on a diet, really nice evening and all within cals.
  • ghalliday
    ghalliday Posts: 46 Member
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    Great ....thanks :-) I'm definately going to go for the chicken chow mein 2night.....I think forward planning will definately help!!!!! & I have decided to drive 2night rather than drinking as I have a night out planned for tmorro.....takeaway 2night & drinks tmorro seems like a perfect compromise :-))) I totally agree with you tho mekhala you don't have 2 give up your social life for watching....& for me my social life is all about friends, food & drink.....they all go hand in hand. I will definately b looking out for the salmon salad next time im eating out :-)

    Thanks Again
  • glypta
    glypta Posts: 440 Member
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    You did well with the Indian meal (toughie too, as if you're like me you'll have wanted Tikka Masala or something else creamy!). I agree with the others, for the Chinese go with chicken/king prawn/veg chow mein, and ditch the curry sauce, they're pretty fattening. Or boiled/steamed rice with a non-sweet sauce, like chicken, ginger and sprink onion, or stir fry.

    I sometimes do eat before I meet people, but only if I'm not going to 'miss out' - there are some people and some meals that I will eat with and not do that, but if it's a run of the mill dinner that I'm not going to feel deprived by not having, then go without.

    My only other suggestion would be to up the exercise to combat it!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    So, I guess I've been lucky in that, my friends don't focus on food. and my wife is just as health conscious as I am so we don't really visit the places that are horrible.

    Here's a few of the things that I do when eating out will be in the picture.

    First and foremost, if you are planning a night out with the friends, make sure you try to find something that will not center around the meal. For guys that's pretty easy, but I've noticed that for women (my wife at least) many of their nighttime activities focus around eating or drinking.
    Next, have a plan, if you don't have a plan going in, even just a lose plan without any details filled in, you're more likely (or at least I am) to go off the deep end.
    Lastly, make sure everyone you are going out with knows what your intentions are. I'm a guy, and there's a lot of odd looks when I tell them I'm counting calories (the first time I did it at least), but now they all just take it in stride. The don't look at me odd when I order the chicken Cobb salad with dressing on the side any more. And they've seen my results so... most of them do some of their own curbing as well now.

    Oh, and if you're drinking, substitute a 0 calorie drink (water, soda water...etc.) between every drink you get, it really won't affect your night, and really will cut down the calories to a more manageable level.
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    Chinese food is noted for its sodium level, so be sure to drink lots of water. I would recommend that when you place your order, tell them to bring you a take out box and only eat 1/2 of your food. It is hard to negotiate the social with the calorie counting, especially early on, but the fact that you are conscientiously trying to do it speaks volumes about your commitment and focus. Also I would look at the day as a whole and try to plan my other meals to be fresh vegetables and lighter fares.
  • bathori
    bathori Posts: 33
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    *shrug* If you ate take awya yesterday and you eat take away today that's not really a plan. It's not giving up your social life to arrive not hungry, have a good time with your friends and just say no thank you. there's no shame in saying no thank you.

    Keep in mind if you are trying to lose fat it's not a permanent thing. It's a few months max and then you go back to normal, so it's not like you will feel deprived forever. It's temporary. If you can't even manage to skip the overly salted, greasy take away one time because ZOMGMYFRIENDS then... well you don't really want it.
  • FemininGuns
    FemininGuns Posts: 605 Member
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    Avoid ANY and ALL sauce as they are usually packed with sugar/salt/flour. Chinese restaurants are VERY open to steaming veggies etc... I would ask them to do so and you'll be happy with your choice. What I've done in the past (at the restaurant, inside - that's why I got some funny looks) was order a dish of steamed veggies and I had brought my own chicken :) They never said a word and I was happy with myself in following my meal plan!
  • thenebean9
    thenebean9 Posts: 216
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    I find when I eat out less, I lose more weight. That being said, I still go out and have a good time, I just choose to do it on days where I have plenty of calories to work with. What if instead of going out for girls night, you stay in for some food? Perhaps you can make your own asian style food at home - with healthier ingredients! Maybe dice up a bunch of veggies, have some rice or noodles, and some chicken, and you can quick saute what everyone wants in their stir fry with a bit of low sodium soy sauce or other sauce.
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
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    What I've done in the past (at the restaurant, inside - that's why I got some funny looks) was order a dish of steamed veggies and I had brought my own chicken :) They never said a word and I was happy with myself in following my meal plan!

    WOW!! that is serious dedication!!

    I've had to compromise on my social life unfortunately, as i have very little will power once I get started on the wine!! :laugh: So, I've restricted myself to one weekend in two!

    You gotta do, what you gotta do!! This diet lark is definitely a sacrifice IMHO :grumble:

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