Birthday food

emmascott

OK guys- am pretty new here and could do with some help/advice on a couple of things:

It's my Sons 9th Birthday on Friday and we are taking some friends to the cinema - I've never been in the habit of eating at the cinema, so that won't be a problem, however, we are taking them to a buffet place afterwards called Taybarns. I've never been before so don't really know what to expect, but I think they do Indian, Chinese and Italian. Aaaaaarrrrggggghhh what shall I do?

Well that was the first problem. Secondly, we are having a little buffet tea party for him on Saturday. There are three of us MFP people eating, so any suggestions other than the usual salad that we can eat and not feel deprived? Have already stated we are not having cake! Lol. This is only our first week of our healthy regime and would like to keep it up! Lol

Thanks guys xxx

Lazyboy09

If it's a birthday or a holiday... I celebrate. I consider it a free day, enjoy myself, and get back on track the next day.

jkestens63

For me, I've been most successful when I don't deprive myself of foods. So if I go to buffet I will choose what I want BUT I watch the portion sizes. Instead of a huge helping of mashed potato I have a tablespoon. I'll split an egg roll with my husband, that sort of thing. Same thing for the Sunday tea - if there are 3 of you there and you want cake, cut a normal slice and the 3 of you split it.

However, if yu have difficulty controlling portions - when you go to the buffet, look for things which don't appear to be fried. I.e. instead of mashed potato see if they have baked. Do they have a roast or ham instead of fried chicken? And be careful with toppings - have a slice of bread but skip the butter. And if you have salad - dressings can be loaded with calories.

Finally for tea - not sure what you're serving but I like the Stella Dora breakfast treats with tea. They will look nice on a plate at the table and its a nice little snack.

Good luck and most important - have fun!!!!!!!!

lkm111

For any restaurant that is buffet style, I fill up on salad first. Then I get a smaller plate and take small bites of things that look good to me. I don't feel deprived and I was able to choose what I wanted. I don't eat dessert.

For your other function - the first thought that popped into my head was go to Hungry Girl's website and search for "Party food". She always has great recipes for things like that.

Hope this helps!

ickybella

Well, they have nutritional information online. It's here:

http://www.taybarns.com/home/menus/taybarn-nutrition-oct-2010.pdf

Everything is per 100g, so you'll have to guess how much that is. If you have a food scale, you can get a good idea. If not, though, it's better than nothing, and at least you'll have an idea of what you're getting. I'd say you could count one big spoon (if you pick up the food with one of those spoons) as about 100g, but not if the spoon is heaped with food. I'd get some lean meat, lots of salad and cooked veggies, and find a dessert that fits within my calorie limits. As for the tea party buffet thing, who is making that food?

emmascott

Thank you sooooo much everyone.

What are Stella Dora rolls? Sound lovely, but don't have them in the UK, I could find something similar.

I'll be in control of making the birthday tea party myself, which helps.

Hadn't heard of Hungry Girl, but have now book marked it thank you.

Thank you again - off to check out the taybarns PDF - cheers xxx

janemartin02

HI!I would eat a salad first.Drink water.Have smaller portions and try to stay from anything fried.Eat slow and that tends to fill you up faster.
But have fun!Birthdays only come 1 time a year!!
Good luck!!
jane

jkestens63

I didn't realize you were in the UK - they're kind of a slightly sweet tea cookie. They're not as overwhelming as chocolate chip cookies or something like that - so maybe a nice tea buisquit would be a good substitute.

superwmn

Ideally, I would never have to work from the outside in and no 'tip' or 'trick' would be needed. I would just make amazing choices, listen to my body (i.e.: eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full), but in social situations this common sense stuff can frequently fly out the window. In order to set myself up for success, I do a few things:

- Spoil my appetite: I never enter a social situation hungry. I do not save calories for these events. I eat before I go and arrive to the event full. This way I can make rational decisions about what to taste/sample. Even if I plan on eating a full meal at a restaurant, I STILL spoil my appetite. Arriving full saves me hundreds (if not thousands) of calories. Office luncheon? Appetite spoiled. Pre-dinner bread basket? Nice try...I'll pass. Girls night dinner at the Melting Pot? I arrive full and make sane choices about what to sample and when I’ve had enough.

- I wear clothing that does not allow room for a huge meal/over eating: The belt-over-everything trend has been my friend. I always wear a fitted belt around my waist over button downs, sweaters, cardigans, whatever. Wear those skinny jeans. Wear that fitted dress. Put on that corsette (it’s called a ‘torsette’ now, but whatever). No matter what fitted outfit/garment I’m wearing it's my goal to make it fit comfortably ALL. NIGHT. It's really hard to stuff myself full of food when my outfit does not allow for much expansion of the belly. There's a reason people undo their pants after a big meal. I won't be that girl.

I also skip the bread basket. Start with a cup of broth based soup to fill me up. Half of my entree goes in a 'to go' container as soon as it arrives at the table. If dessert is ordered, I have a bite or two. I also keep the black, decaf coffee coming.

These tactics have worked for me for the past year

Charmagne