Your strategy for dealing with big family gatherings

SezxyStef

I have a very large family and when we are all together we eat and drink hordes of food.

What I typically do is take a bit of everything on a plate eat some of it or all of it and go back and get the stuff that I want more of...but it's never large amounts...

If you are pressured that usually helps because your plate is full and if you talk a lot well..you eat less...

Like when I go get pie I come back with a small slice of each one...:laugh: it usually adds up to about 3/4 of a whole piece but this way no one is saying "oh is that all, have more" because they look at my plate and see a full piece.

Tabithas_Transformation

I'm glad you posted this as our whole family's birthdays are centred across a two month period and I was wondering how I'd cope! My plan of action will be to accept tastes of everything but focus on portions and not going overboard. I know how hard my Mum will have worked on the cooking and I know how delicious it will be, I just have to have smaller amounts and remember not to feel guilty.

I also intend to be a bit stricter with my calories in the run up to the event so that I have more of a deficit for the week.

leggup

Holding onto a glass of wine is good. You can always take it into the bathroom and dump it over the course of the day if you really don't want to drink it. If you want to drink it, just savor it slowly.

If you are sitting down at the table it can be harder to say no to dishes as they are passed around. Get up as much as possible to talk to people, offer to refill drinks, bring out more dishes, and so on. If you're hungry, eat. Keep portions small and spread them out of the plate. "Oh, I'll add more when I finish trying everything." "I need to save room for dessert." "I'm waiting on the ________ to come out." Ask about who made what dish, how they did it, ingredients. It can help you log later and people love talking about their own recipes.

I also second bringing a healthier option so that there is one there, such as salad with dressing on the side or something savory with a lighter cheese, like feta.

mamasmaltz3

just eat and move on. you still have to live and enjoy the times with your family or all this work is for nothing, have a good time.

This 100x. Celebrations are a part of life. Enjoy yourself.

Rosie_McA

After all the considered replies I thought I should at least post as to how the family gathering went at the weekend.

Due to the unseasonally warm weather the event was pretty much 100% outside. This made it easier to abstain when it suited me.
When it came to alcoholic drinks I had a small glass of champagne to toast the newly crowned octogenarian and the rest of the time it was water. I ought to make it clear that my generally not drinking alcohol is a preference rather than for weight control reasons.
As far as the food was concerned I had a bit of everything particularly the seafood and white meats. Had some wonderful salmon and crab amongst many other super dishes. For the staples I had a small portion of rice, potatoes, and the like, but generally ate plenty of salads, shredded carrot, and coleslaw. Heck I was even eating fresh baguette with dollops of home-made mustard.
I side-stepped the ice cream and whipped cream (particularly as I have suffered episodes of binging on the stuff), but did eat an enormous piece of birthday cake washed down with numerous black coffees.
So in summary it all went very well, but I certainly didn't need a snack before bedtime once I arrived home a few hours later!
For the record the scales told me the following morning that my weight had jumped exactly 2kg (4.5lbs), which I'm sure was simply glycogen/water so I wasn't concerned at all by this. Thanks again for the advice.

thavoice

Even tho you already went to this party and any advice I would give would be moot but maybe for the next one, or for others looking for advice.

+enjoy the party. Have alot of water before you go/on the way so you feel full.
+adjust your workouts/intake in the days prior.
+adjust your weigh in date if needed. If you usually weigh in a day or two after the event, weigh in the morning OF the event all the while you spent the few days prior doing a little extra excercise. By weighing yourself a day after that event you are going to see an increase and it can be mentally challenging for alot of people.
This happens to me alot during the holidays. I sually weigh in on Friday or Sat AM. For thanksgiving I do so Thanksgiving morning and then not again until that following saturday. Set yourself up for success, not for failure. For many people, myself included, seeing a gain on that scale can be devastating so dont set yourself up for it.