Valentine's day dinner and NOT falling off the wagon

TapouTFTW

I generally give some or all of the following to my wife:
* Card
* Chocolates
* Flowers
* Edible Arrangements
* Dinner
* Bottle of Wine she really likes

We are both trying to change our diet, so a lot of these options become problematic. We are both food lovers, so times like this usually involves a dinner at a nice place that is usually very fattening: romantic Italian, secluded fondu, etc. What are your thoughts about giving or receiving food/drink during a "inter-personal" holiday such as Valentine's Day?

martyqueen52

It's one day dude, it won't matter if you go a bit over calories.

People don't get overweight from one cheese-burger. Just like you won't get skinny eating one salad.

My wife and I don't go out on V-Day. Too many kids, too long of a wait for a place to eat, etc.

We just get some Chinese takeout.... usually rice with vegetables and some chicken and rent movies off of Vudu.

YorriaRaine

Holidays only come around so few times of the year, I personally don't worry about it. I forget who said it, but I love this quote I heard on here.

"Your running a marathon, not a sprint, one day wont undo all your hard work"

Just work out more the days before, or the days after, or both. Or you could just leave yourself some extra calories the week following, or the week after, so it all evens out by the end of the eek. Eat light on all the other meals the day of your dinner.

Don't let the fear / stress of your weight loss journey ruin your special day.

MinnieInMaine

There are basically two approaches you can take. The good part is that you two are in this together so you can have a talk and agree on how you'd like to proceed.

1) Pick one or two goodies that you really want out of all those options and plan for a slight indulgence (eat lighter, get some exercise in). You may still go over goal but not by much.

2) It's a special occasion - just eat and drink what you like, enjoy your evening and get back on track the next day!

I personaly tend to go with option 2 or sort of a combination of the two. For instance, if I'm going to meet up with my friends for dinner and drinks, I'll work hard on staying within my calories all week and eat light that day then try to make good choices but if someone suggests sharing a dessert and having another cocktail or two, I'll go for it.. The hardest part is getting back on track so you have to be committed to doing it the very next day and sticking with your plan. Sometimes it helps to plan meals and even exercise in advance so you have no excuses.

weber22c

The trick is three-fold: moderation, choosing treats wisely, and deciding how far over your normal calorie budget you're willing to go.

You may want to cut out the edible arrangement as that's a lot of fruit that will need to be eaten quickly before it spoils; chocolates, on the other hand, can last for a week or two if you're able to limit yourselves to one per day. For dinner, you can choose delicious but lower-calorie foods. For example, depending on how it's prepared, seafood is often low calorie (assuming it's not drenched in butter). I'm cooking rather than going out with my husband this year, so I'm going to make seared scallops with roasted fennel and maybe some couscous.

I do plan on going a bit over my calorie limits on Valentine's Day, but so long as it's not above my BMR, I'm not going to worry. I'll just eat a very light lunch and then enjoy the hell out of dinner.

spade117

Oy vey.

Francl27

Save calories for dinner, have your wine, nice meal, and dessert... Just try to keep the entree lower calorie than you usually would. You can have the chocolate as dessert too, but buy a smaller box.

Ready2Rock206

I generally give some or all of the following to my wife:
* Card
* Chocolates
* Flowers
* Edible Arrangements
* Dinner
* Bottle of Wine she really likes

It's one day splurge a little!

Card - no calories - go for it
Chocolates - buy a small box of really good chocolates rather than a big box of the cheap stuff - enjoy
Flowers - don't eat them
Edible arrangements - these are mostly fruit - seems like a healthy option to me.
Dinner - nice steak or seafood restaurant - lots of healthy choices available (or splurge and enjoy your night!)
Wine - good for the heart - drink up

ndj1979

It's one day dude, it won't matter if you go a bit over calories.

People don't get overweight from one cheese-burger. Just like you won't get skinny eating one salad.

My wife and I don't go out on V-Day. Too many kids, too long of a wait for a place to eat, etc.

We just get some Chinese takeout.... usually rice with vegetables and some chicken and rent movies off of Vudu.

pretty much this..

if you are that concerned about have a lighter breakfast and lunch so that you have more room for dinner and dessert....I assume you plan on burning off some of those calories later at night..if you catch my drift....