What to do in the face of impending "carb dinner"?

Shaselai

Ok so i going to a dinner and they are making dumplings which while delicious has quite a bit of carbs. I did a quick look up on myfitness pal and it seems the average carb per dumpling is 4ish so it basically means eating 10 is my "max". I can't/dont want to ask them to change the entire plan for my sake so what do i do to make the whole thing not too awkward? What has others done in similar situations?

MelRC117

There will, at some point, be a time where you will be somewhere with few or no options.

I take it the dumplings are just dumplings? I've honestly only heard of chicken and dumpling soup. So assuming they are just dumplings I would:

1. Bring a side that is low carb friendly, like a tossed salad, a veggie type side salad (like broccoli slaw or broccoli salad (the kind made with mayo, vinegar, splenda, then mixed with broccoli, onion, bacon, and cheese)) , or cheese and sausage tray (with crackers too)

2. Be strict on your carbs/calories for the day of/day after. It's possible you won't go over your calories allotted for the day, but you will probably knock yourself out of ketosis and may have a gain even though you weren't over calories.

3. I don't particularly like doing this when it's someone else that made the food, but you could eat the filling (if it has meat and veggie filling), and try to limit the actual dumpling part (if there are potatoes in the filling that could get difficult and not really worth it). I've eaten only the toppings off a pizza more than a few times at places...I just take what I would if I was eating the crust so I don't take more than my share.

Leonidas_meets_Spartacus

If I was in your shoes, I would have drank a heavy cream coffee and keep just little place for food. You can rip open the dumpling and eat the filling. I have been going to at least two social gatherings per weekend in last 4 or 6 weeks with out much problem.

kristafb

I have issue with this all the time. My mom is old school, meat, potato & veg for every meal. and by veg she means carrots or can corn. seriously high carb stuff. I've started bringing a side dish to "help out" and she loves it. Like another poster said, be super strict with your carbs before and have a little if you like, but have lots of fat with it. butter or cream. Be mindful of what you are eating but enjoy your dinner party with your friends.

Shaselai

yeah it is chinese dumplings typically have veggies and meat in it. Typically that will be the main dish and depending on families there may or may not be side dishes but if there are it will have meat and veggies for sure. I guess I could just out right say i am on a diet and eat the fillings then? Keto is still a foreign word to most people and at least the people i associate with still believes in "eat less and it will be OK" way which to them could just mean "ok to eat lots of carbs as long as below calories"..

In terms of testing the success/failure of the dinner to my program - is there a way to tell if i was knocked out of keto? I do have the ketostix...

Miamiuu

If you found a close carb count already I'd limit the amount to 5 and eat veggies on the side with it

tru2one

I can't/dont want to ask them to change the entire plan for my sake so what do i do to make the whole thing not too awkward? What has others done in similar situations?

I've found that the "gluten intolerance" angle works very well in situations like this. Saying you're on a diet only opens the door to cajoling and "Aw, come on...live a little" kinds of remarks. Stating that you've discovered you have to avoid wheat and grain based products in order to maintain optimal health (digestive and otherwise) usually preempts further discussion. I mean, if a guest of yours was allergic to a food, say shellfish, you wouldn't be insulted or think it odd if they passed on the Spanish Paella you prepared and just ate the salad you served with, right?

As other posters have said, it should be about the gathering and fellowship with the people there...not about your diet. Eat what you can (and what you want to), pass on the rest. :-)

jessicamoye33

Wow! Tru2one said it so eloquently...I was going to say there's not amount of hurting someone's feelings that will make me eat off my plan.

If they don't have anything I can eat (and I didn't bring anything)...I won't eat. No big deal.

Good luck!

lorarte

I was at lunch club today at the local Church Hall, helping out, they gave me some chicken casserole. I ignored the veggies (carrots, parsnip) ate some chicken and a bit of onion and left the rest saying I was sensitive to certain foods. No problem at all and no one tried to force or cajole.
I am intolerant of wheat and allergic to shellfish, soya and other things so they're respectful of that :-)

crepes_

You can break open the dumplings and eat the filling, all while making sure that they understand how much you love and appreciate the food. Explain to them that you recently found out that certain foods, like wheat, potatoes, and sugar are upsetting your stomach (definitely not a lie for most ketoers), but that you still like to enjoy the foods with them. As long as you let them know you appreciate what they've done for you and that you like the food they've prepared, it should go over well. I never explain that I'm on a diet. That's when people say, "Oh, one can't hurt." or "You don't need to be dieting." That's the thing - I don't consider this "a diet" in that sense. It's just a way of eating.

Booksandbeaches

I've had to do this. People invite me for lunch or dinner and there's no way to get around it. Eat the protien filling or eat as little of the starch as you can. Eat the least starchy veggies you can choose. Also, be strict the rest of the day and exercise afterwards. Maybe the exercise will burn off some of the carbs you had. And then realize it's only one meal and one day. It's the general trend that matters, not one particular meal or day.

Shaselai

So a different topic but similar theme... I am going on a cooking class this weekend and will be making some food and eating it... the menu is :
Seared Scallops with Romesco Sauce
Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce –
Grilled Asparagus with Sherry and Honey
Crème Catalana

The Creme catalana is definitely a no no (looks like flan) although it is very delicious.. The other 3 while by itself are OK but i am worried about the sauce - i know i will be making my own but still in class setting i will probably follow the instructions so do you guys think having a bit of those sauces will knock me out of ketosis?