How to Deal with Dinner Parties!

tkroeker

Do you guys have any suggestions/general input on how to deal with dinner parties! Since I've been inputting everything into MFP before I eat it, how do I plan for a big dinner party where I have no idea what will be served!? I don't know how to possibly stay within my limits with the pressure of eating a little bit of everything...

Thoughts!?

luv2ash

eat before you go this way you are not starving. Bring your own salad dressing. Stay away from the starchy carbs. If you arrive before the meal is cooked, maybe you can talk with the hostess and see how she is cooking dinner, and maybe you can request that she not put "sauce on your meat" etc.

sdwill1

Great advice!

Chenoachem

I have done a bunch and these are my tips:

1. Try to do a good workout in the morning to get some extra calories.
2. Avoid alcohol or get one glass of wine and sip it all evening (people never notice or ask if it always looks full)
3. If it is a buffet I fill most of the plate with salad, get whole wheat rolls and only tiny bits of other things.
4. Avoid appetizers.
5. When it is serve yourself dessert, I skip it or get fruit. If it is a sitdown and they give you dessert, I eat only half.

Hope that helps.

richars65

Remember the reasons that you want to lose weight. We're all about increasing the quality of life, right? Spending time with our friends and family is an essential part of our wellness, even if they are not on the same eating routine as we are. I think many of these strategies make sense (planning ahead, eating a snack before, making sure to work out), but I would also offer a word of caution. It is a slippery slope in the world of compensatory behavior. Basically, I don't support the vision of "making up for" eating. We eat, we exercise, and we track food for the same purpose, not to battle each other. We need to be careful about getting pulled into the mindset of punishment for a less-than-healthy meal.

Now, off my soapbox. I whole-heartedly endorse taking a "meal off" of obsessive tracking. When we get rigid and locked into needing to track, we run into problems. I don't track two meals per week (usually Friday dinner and Saturday lunch) and treat myself and my partner to a dinner out. These two meals are not enough to derail my progress and I find that they actually increase my motivation (I use them as rewards for working hard during the week). I would guess that a dinner party with friends is a really positive experience. I would try to find space in your life for it. Remember that you don't need to go crazy just because it isn't being tracked or is being tracked less carefully. You don't need to eat six dinner rolls simply because they're available and you're off the radar. Instead, challenge yourself to eat responsibly and mindfully even in the presence of your inner voice saying "gobble up every unhealthy thing here!!!" As long as you aren't eating at dinner parties several nights per week, I think you're fine being thoughtful and deliberate about eating choices.

tkroeker

Wow - I must say that was a great response! As were the other ones of course - but you're right - I think we get to used to tracking every single little thing on MFP we forget how to eat in the "real world" (in this case a dinner party) - so tonight I won't be too over obsessive but eat with a better mind set compared to pre-MFP mindset and eat what my body needs and be sensible.

Thanks so much!

StaciO

richars65--That was a great response. This does need to be a lifestye change for most of us and sometimes in our lifestyle we are going to have a dinner party and we need to learn how to deal with it.

That being said at Christmas I went to a party where dinner was served buffet style. I filled most of my plate with salad and veggies and only bite sized portions of the rest. Then picked a seat with my back to the buffet table so I wasn't constantly reminded of the goodies I didn't choose to try.....it worked for me.

Cytherea

I totally agree with Rich. When I go somewhere for the holidays or to a dinner party-type thing, I don't eat before. You are going to want the food that is there regardless of whether or not you've eaten. I eat what I like- but I don't go crazy. I find that telling yourself any one thing that you CAN'T have (no appetizers, no dessert, etc.) is only going to make you want it more. I have a little bit of everything I want to try. Just a taste. If there is something that I really like and rarely get to have, I'll have a bit more of that. But you can eat a little bit of everything as long as it is just that- a little bit.

If you want to exercise beforehand and eat a little bit less throughout the day, that's fine. But don't stress over it while you are there. Part of this is learning how to eat normally in situations like this one. It is a way to learn that very important lesson. Eat what you like, then when you get home, record it all and see how you did. Don't beat yourself up over going over. You can still learn from that experience.

I've gone off-site for weeks at time (when I'm away from home and on vacation, or visiting family, or have people visiting me) and have not logged on and not logged a thing- and have successfully managed to maintain my weight and not gain anything back. I have confidence now, because of this, that I can make good choices and don't need to obsess so much. One dinner isn't going to sabotage you. Do you realize how many calories you'd have to eat to gain back even one pound??