small issue with eating out

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Oberon70
Oberon70 Posts: 8
in Motivation and Support
Okay, I have been loosing weight since January and have currently lost 27.2 kilos (60lbs) and I am doing really good with my dieting and excercise but this weekend coming up is a late my late birthday celebration with my 2 boys.

I promised them that I would take them to see Godzilla and dinner at TGI Fridays.

the problem is I am trying to stay within 1200 calories a day, but one burger there is 1300 calories:(. I am thinking about saying we won't do dinner, but I can tell they are disappointed with the thought of not having a nice dinner out.

I just don't know what to do as I was looking forward to this diner and time with my boys.
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Replies

  • kk_140
    kk_140 Posts: 518 Member
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    Have a night to enjoy yourself. Eat at maintenance that day. That way you're not unraveling any hard work. It will be fun. Special occasions happen and they still deserve to be treated special. :)

    PS. On an unrelated note. 1,200 calories is the least recommended intake for women. Since you're a male, you should be eating at least 1,500 a day. But do what works for you. :)

    Have fun!
  • brizzeem
    brizzeem Posts: 82 Member
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    i havent been to that place in a while but id imagine they have good selections for you to stay within ur limit. If not just portion the meal u choose to fit ur targets. If u still cant or dont want to do this then enjoy the meal. NO REGRETS
  • rm33064
    rm33064 Posts: 270 Member
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    It's ok to take a day off once in a while. Have a good time with your kids and enjoy a burger. Have dessert while you're at it, it's not going to hurt your progress.
  • redwoodkestrel
    redwoodkestrel Posts: 339 Member
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    Try to think about your calories eaten as a weekly total, at least for this weekend. So - if you've been eaten below your calorie goal a couple days this week, eating a bit over it on the weekend is fine - it all averages out.

    Or, just don't worry about it! It's your birthday, treating yourself and eating at maintenance for one day will NOT derail your weight loss!
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    Okay, I have been loosing weight since January and have currently lost 27.2 kilos (60lbs) and I am doing really good with my dieting and excercise but this weekend coming up is a late my late birthday celebration with my 2 boys.

    I promised them that I would take them to see Godzilla and dinner at TGI Fridays.

    the problem is I am trying to stay within 1200 calories a day, but one burger there is 1300 calories:(. I am thinking about saying we won't do dinner, but I can tell they are disappointed with the thought of not having a nice dinner out.

    I just don't know what to do as I was looking forward to this diner and time with my boys.


    Dude. It's your birthday. Seriously...have your burger, and wash it down with some cake and ice cream! As long as you aren't dong that every day, or even every week, then you're fine. You can't undo 60lbs of hard work with one meal.

    Also, 1200 cals? You might want to rethink that limit. I'm a 5'3" woman and I eat more than that.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    You could either take a day off for this special occasion or you could order something with fewer calories. No need to cancel.
  • IIIIISerenityNowIIIII
    IIIIISerenityNowIIIII Posts: 425 Member
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    Can you do one cheat meal without derailing your health goals?

    Some of us can, but some of us can't.

    If you feel that eating over your limit during your birthday celebration will ultimately hurt you, then just order something else. They do have salad and other lower calorie options (including a bean burger).

    If you can do it and go back to eating at your goal the next day, then enjoy yourself! Get the burger, fries, a slice of cake, whatever you want.
  • 2BeHappy2
    2BeHappy2 Posts: 811 Member
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    When you order your burger, ask for No condiments (cheese, mayo etc), remove bun and eat the meat & veggies (lettuce, tomato, etc)
    Instead of fries ask for the vegetable medley (I believe its like zucchini & squash...I cant recall if there's anything else with it).
    That way IF you want dessert but don't wish to use up your Calorie points all in 1 sitting, let your boys order something and tell them "Dad wants to "taste test" it to make sure it's good" & have A bite!
    OR order 1 dessert for the 3 of you to enjoy together, that way neither of you are ingesting tons of sugar.
    Now, will the party continue on into the movie theater with popcorn, drinks, candy?
    Just be careful, some people can't just do 1 piece of candy, 1 sip of pop or 1 small handful of popcorn (extra butter does Not make it extra healthy :wink:).
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    It's okay to go over your calories every now and then. This is part of the journey - unless of course, you plan on giving up any and all celebratory foods in the future, FOREVER. I'm guessing not.

    If you're stressed about it, work off a couple hundred extra calories for a couple days before and after to negate the difference. Or order a healthier version of the meal (i.e. ask for lettuce wrap instead of a bun, get a side salad instead of the friest, etc).

    Otherwise, just relax and enjoy your time and your meal. That IS okay you know ;)
  • Oberon70
    Oberon70 Posts: 8
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    Thanks for all the great advice and it is helping me decide what to do and defiantly 100% I am not going to let this meal cause me to give up. I have worked hard going from 136 kilos to 108.4 and it am looking forward to being under 100 kilos, which will be the 1st time in over 10 years.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    why are you only eating 1200 cals?
  • mathandcats
    mathandcats Posts: 786 Member
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    why are you only eating 1200 cals?

    This. As a man, you can definitely lose weight at a sustainable and healthy weight with a much higher calorie limit. I'm a 5' 4" woman weighing approximately 200lbs and I've lost 12lbs in a month (4 in the first 2 days - water weight) eating 1500 cal/day. If you've lost 60lbs since you joined in April, that's very concerning. Such a high rate is not healthy or sustainable. You will be losing much more than just fat, and not getting the nutrients your body needs.

    edit: I reread your post and I see you said it's since January. That's still quite fast - about 2.85lbs/week. The recommended rate is 1-2lbs per week. Don't rush it! What I said above about the nutrients you need still stands.

    edit again: And is this 1200 calories net or are you not eating back exercise calories? Because if you are eating 1200 without eating back exercise calories, that is definitely too low, unless it is doctor supervised.
  • BurntCoffee
    BurntCoffee Posts: 234 Member
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    I ate at TGIF yesterday. There is a grilled or baked chicken dish there that is called "Chicken and Cheese" and I got them to not add the cheese and instead of the traditional sides I got a salad. Worked pretty well for me. :) It's those appetizers that really were hard to turn down. My friend ordered the fried green beans and I had 10. But when I compare that to what I used to eat I am really proud of myself.

    Good luck!
  • lilithsrose
    lilithsrose Posts: 752 Member
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    TGIF does have some semi-healthy options. Why not get one of those instead of a burger?

    Personally, I suggest the Dragonfire Chicken with rice and broccoli.

    670 calories, 15g fat, 2,160mg sodium, 99g carbs, 6g fiber, 40g protein

    Self recently released an article about TGIF as well.

    http://www.self.com/blogs/flash/2014/01/nutrition-what-to-order-tgifridays.html

    OR

    http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/2580-tgi-fridays-survival-guide
  • halfpintpeggy
    halfpintpeggy Posts: 64 Member
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    Okay, I have been loosing weight since January and have currently lost 27.2 kilos (60lbs) and I am doing really good with my dieting and excercise but this weekend coming up is a late my late birthday celebration with my 2 boys.

    I promised them that I would take them to see Godzilla and dinner at TGI Fridays.

    the problem is I am trying to stay within 1200 calories a day, but one burger there is 1300 calories:(. I am thinking about saying we won't do dinner, but I can tell they are disappointed with the thought of not having a nice dinner out.

    I just don't know what to do as I was looking forward to this diner and time with my boys.

    Never fear....TGI Fridays has several new low calorie dishes on their menu!!! They have the calories counts of these dishes listed on the menu, so choose one of these rather than a high calorie burger! Oh, and by the way....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    I love these thread titles

    Oh, and please, please eat more than 1200.
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
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    They have several low cal selections. One is really good sirloin on a bed of spinach with miso sauce and a side of mozerella and tomato salad. Really good.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    Okay, I have been loosing weight since January and have currently lost 27.2 kilos (60lbs) and I am doing really good with my dieting and excercise but this weekend coming up is a late my late birthday celebration with my 2 boys.

    I promised them that I would take them to see Godzilla and dinner at TGI Fridays.

    the problem is I am trying to stay within 1200 calories a day, but one burger there is 1300 calories:(. I am thinking about saying we won't do dinner, but I can tell they are disappointed with the thought of not having a nice dinner out.

    I just don't know what to do as I was looking forward to this diner and time with my boys.

    You're a dude. You should be eating more than 1200 calories per day.
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
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    It's okay to have a burger every now and again. With the mayo, cheese, bun, AND bacon. WITH fries. AND A BEER!

    It's okay to indulge every now and again. You would have to eat 3,500 calories OVER your maintenance numbers to gain 1 lb. Also, if you bug out about eating out, it's possible that your kids will pick up on your issues and make them their own. I know that's what my mom did with her body issues...

    So enjoy Godzilla, enjoy your food, enjoy your family!!
  • Glossysweets
    Glossysweets Posts: 69
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    Go out but be mindful. When I used to work as restaurants I used to have people ask for lots of modifications. With regards to a burger perhaps ask for no bun, or the bun on the side and that way you can eat it with just one bun on the bottom or no buns (that we help with reducing calories). Choose a good side like a salad but ask for dressing on the side and be mindful about croutons. Also if they offer any thing like glazed nuts on the salad be mindful about those.

    Like someone else suggested condiments on the side. But honestly if you are doing the burger thing the bun will help out significantly so don't feel too bad. You would be surprised what restaurants will do for you if you just ask nicely (it is a little harder on a weekend evening) but often they will help you with your request as best they can.

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