Social things to do besides eat and drink

tonicia

I just went out to dinner with a friend...Brought my daily calorie intake to almost 1800...and lets not even talk about sodium....and I tried to be good! I haven't been "out" with my friends this month because I know I'll drink. Realized that everything social is always centered around eating and drinking....so...... Anybody have ideas of fun things to do socially that isn't centered around eating and drinking??

gev90744

well i dont know if ur in cali but at venice beach u can pack ur meal and walk the entire strip and even go swimming so u get a workout and see the shows that go on

bjam1234

movies, interesting walks, whatever you like just dont feel pressured to fit in when everyone else gets an icecream cone etc etc

you can still do the dinners and order something you enjoy - just eat smaller portions of it - be proud if you dont finish what is on your plate - skip dessert or just have a couple bites (sharing is good) - same with going out, I would still do it for the social side of things but not drink - or if it is a special night out and you are all going dancing etc then drink smart and DANCE lots

you won't feel very good about your new eating plan if it is taking all the fun out of life

Christine1110

Bowling, volleyball, play basketball, hiking.....anything that keeps you moving : )

megsta21

Rockclimbing!!! i did this the other week... it was AWESOME!

JayAlexander

I enjoy goofy stuff like bowling, mini golf, roller skating, playing board games and cheesy movie nights! Cheap and calorie free!

eeeekie

PUT-PUT! You can go play mini golf or disc golf!!! (Burn calories!)

Movies (sans the treats!)
Go for a walk or a hike and be one with nature (Burn tons of calories!)
Do something creative? (Photography, Design...etc)
Go swimming! (burn calories also!)

TacoGibbons

I sometimes face this problem, too. I noticed I go out a lot less now that I am watching calories (and BROKE!) You could invite the girls over to your place--when I lived in another city and had upwards of 15 girl friends I'd invite everyone over and we'd have clothing exchange parties once a month. Everyone brings garbage bags of clothes and you dump it in a big pile and everyone goes to town.

I also hosted a monthly dinner party. I always made it something easy--whole wheat spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce (3-4 cans of tomatoes, 1 stick of butter, one large diced onion)--it would be a potluck and game night. Encourage everyone to bring something and that way you don't have to "host" too much--or spend a bunch of money. Make sure if your friends bring beer you have an alternative if you do want a drink--like a bottle of vodka or gin.

Recently I hosted a game night with a make-your-own-pancake theme. I had the bisquick and everyone else brought topping and add-ins. It was easy to protion control and we all had fun creating weird combos.

Other things you can do if you don't want to host:

Manicures/Pedicures
Coffee Dates (bring madlibs, magazines, etc.)
Clothing Shopping
Grocery shopping and dinner making
Movie nights (in or out)
If you want to drink and eat make sure you have a good workout that day--or even better add dancing to the night, or encourage everyone to walk around the city afterwards.
Hikes, bike rides, swimming, paddle-boating, mini-golf, art galleries, laser tag.

It takes some convincing, though. Whenever I suggest something other than a bar the, "I'm broke" card always gets played (I'm guilty of this, too). But really you'll end up spending less or about the same amount and you'll do something different which is always fun. I have a friend in my group who is working out with me so it's nice that we have each other to break out of the bar every weekend night thing

kittytrix

Hiking
Spa Day
Take Swing Dance Lessons
Take a Gym Day
Go to a Museum
Take in a Musical or Theater Show
Help Feed the Homeless
Volunteer at a Charity Garden
Rock Climbing

The list goes on and on!

Jade_Butterfly

I sometimes face this problem, too. I noticed I go out a lot less now that I am watching calories (and BROKE!) You could invite the girls over to your place--when I lived in another city and had upwards of 15 girl friends I'd invite everyone over and we'd have clothing exchange parties once a month. Everyone brings garbage bags of clothes and you dump it in a big pile and everyone goes to town.

I also hosted a monthly dinner party. I always made it something easy--whole wheat spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce (3-4 cans of tomatoes, 1 stick of butter, one large diced onion)--it would be a potluck and game night. Encourage everyone to bring something and that way you don't have to "host" too much--or spend a bunch of money. Make sure if your friends bring beer you have an alternative if you do want a drink--like a bottle of vodka or gin.

Recently I hosted a game night with a make-your-own-pancake theme. I had the bisquick and everyone else brought topping and add-ins. It was easy to protion control and we all had fun creating weird combos.

Other things you can do if you don't want to host:

Manicures/Pedicures
Coffee Dates (bring madlibs, magazines, etc.)
Clothing Shopping
Grocery shopping and dinner making
Movie nights (in or out)
If you want to drink and eat make sure you have a good workout that day--or even better add dancing to the night, or encourage everyone to walk around the city afterwards.
Hikes, bike rides, swimming, paddle-boating, mini-golf, art galleries, laser tag.

It takes some convincing, though. Whenever I suggest something other than a bar the, "I'm broke" card always gets played (I'm guilty of this, too). But really you'll end up spending less or about the same amount and you'll do something different which is always fun. I have a friend in my group who is working out with me so it's nice that we have each other to break out of the bar every weekend night thing

What fantastic ideas. Love it.

LeelaLosing

When I first started retraining my brain to that of my former thin self (it had been awhile so I literally forgot that I needed to change my mind with my body), I did feel overwhelmed by restaurants and the pitfalls they represented to me and any event where I would be presented with choices that were unhealthy. I ate home alot and if I took my puppy to the beach for the day or hung out with a friend I would pack a small cooler with food and snacks for the day. I felt I needed to control every morsel and calorie and account for it or I might not succeed, or better yet I would be a failure. And it's stage and it's fine, do what is comfortable. I needed to gain my training wheels until I felt, hey I can handle this now, and finally, I'm at the stage where I think I could handle about anything except maybe not a vacation yet (I have a tendency still to tell myself it's ok to eat whatever I want if I'm travelling....this idea will need to eventually disappear).

Now I agree with BJAM1234....I know it can be difficult until eating healthy and making choices more easily becomes a way of life but if I'm going to restaurant or event I think might be a potential problem I usually make a goal or agreement with myself before I get there. I figure out what I'm in the mood for (maybe a glass of wine or cocktail) or maybe it's a special they have there or whatever, and work around that thing that is most important. Ok, I'm going to have a drink and enjoy it, and then order an appetizer and side salad or I'll have the main dish and take half home, or I'll skip wine and appetizer and have salad and dessert....you get the picture. I realize I can't have everything i might want (2 drinks and chips too) and expect to be thinner or even stay thinner when I get there. it's not reality, and me and my body live in reality now lol!

other non-food ideas.....meet friends for a hike and go to coffee afterwards, go mini-golfing, go the movies at a time when you're not hungry (or sometimes I budget for a kid's size popcorn), go bikeriding and bring a bag lunch for you and your friend! invite friends over, there are tons of sites and magazines where you can plan out healthy, yummy food or munchies and serve wine spritzers which are much fewer calories.

You can cut down unhealthy dinners/drinking but in the long-term you are going to need to figure out how to live your life normally and that includes around food, restaurants and special events and friends and family. When I visit my aunt for the weekend now, I bring a cooler with some of my own food (she never has food with enough protein for me) and skip dessert (she buys store-bought so it's easy). I also realize that one meal, no matter how poorly I eat is not going to cause me to gain 5 lbs. It's one meal. It's continual poor choices that caused us to gain weight.

Enjoy and with each step and each good choice you gain power and confidence, you can do this!!

kettlewitch

Gigs and spas. Gigs even burn calories if you get up and dance and spas make you feel so virtuous you won't want to eat badly

Dom_m

I went to paintball a couple of weeks ago. That was awesome. And not too expensive (about the same as dinner and a few drinks). Massive work out and the most fun I've had in ages.

Last weekend I went rogaining, but that may not be available near where you are. I'm sure some other kind of outdoor adventure sport is though.

I have a few friends that like to do a lot of bushwalking, and other friends that I go running with. Tennis isn't too hard either. If there's a lake nearby, you can go paddling on the lake, or sailing (get some friends together and do a beginners course).

Ok, just a few ideas. Back to work.

deeharley

Game night - some of my favorites are Apples to Apples, Imaginiff, and Spouseology.

callielizabethrocks

I like to invite people over for grilling and game night. That way I control what I eat and how it is cooked. I also try to keep sparkling water on hand so I can make myself a drink while my guests are having beers. I also have a walking buddy and we have a walking date every Thursday. Finally, I'm in Southern California and we have TON of adult sports leagues. Beach volleyball, Beach football, bowling, soccer, running clubs, bike clubs and a ton of great things that adults can do.

Pebble321

Lots of great ideas here... and some more if you have people over.
Look around at garage sales for some games like darts, bocce, hell, even twister would be fun with the right crowd!
Then you can eat and drink only as much as you need and everyone will be occupied so you have somethiing to do other than just sit and eat.
I think eating out at restaurants is a skill that we all have to relearn - I was away from home for nearly a week and was mostly pretty good (except for one night with a wonderful calorie-laden curry that I had been hankering after) by chosing better (not always good, but better!) options, not eating all of it (I had a curry and left most of the rice and bread on my plate) and skipping dessert or just eating a litte bit of it.

tonicia

Tons of great ideas! Thanks guys!!!! Any late night ideas??...(like instead of bar hopping).

Noctuary

Tons of great ideas! Thanks guys!!!! Any late night ideas??...(like instead of bar hopping).

Extreme bowling!
Open mic night.
Laser Tag
night batting cages
Dancing

Just eat before you go anywhere so you won't be tempted.

phinners

We go to a lot of concerts and theatre shows. We love that.

lolabugs

If your friends are hell bent on "going out" I would suggest going dancing. I love club dancing, but I also really enjoy Salsa, Swing, Bhangra, Line Dancing, etc. A lot of the dance halls here in Portland, that specialize in a type of dance, have free lessons at the beginning of the night. If your friends are interested, you get your workout and get to socialize and there's typically a bar for those friends that just can't do without. The other great thing about staying active while socializing is that you tend to drink more water.

Qarol

This is hard for me, too. Usually I suggest getting a coffee or a pedicure. Most of my friends understand when I explain my diet.

pittielover23

mini-golf, movie, lazer tag (seriously), hiking, look and find art fairs or other festivals in your area to go and browse, and if you do go out to eat, eat dinner before hand and get a small app and a low cal drink or two. That will keep you from going too overboard, but you can still have fun

Barneystinson

I'm lucky my friends enjoy outdoorsy things like rock climbing and hiking

If we're staying indoors, we go bowling or out to a movie sometimes. We're also into playing trivia once per week at a few local bars, so maybe keep bar/restaurant activity to a planned weekly thing instead of nightly. We all decided on this because going out to eat too much was not only killing our waistlines but also our wallets.

We also go geocaching frequently, if you're familiar with it at all. Nerdy hobby

CARNAT22

If the weather is good
* Go to the park with friends (or even on my own with a good book)
* Jump on a bus and head to the river, go for a nice long stroll along the Thames. Again this can be done with or without company
* Walk along the local canal
* head to the local market (granted it is a food market but that doesn't mean I have to eat)
* Coffee at the local coffee shop, whilst sitting outside people watching
* Go to the local Lido [outside swimming pool]
* Have the girls round for a healthy al fresco lunch on the balcony and a gossip - I cook so I know what we are eating LOL!
* Head to the beach for the day




If the weather is not so good
* Head to a Gallery or Museum or Exhibition
* See a film (but take my own snacks to the cinema)
* Ice skating - either indoors or open air - it's great fun and good exercise
* Head to the my local book store - it is massive and you can easily kill a few hours in there
* Window shopping at the local shopping centre
* Tenpin bowling
* Quiz night at local pub
* Head to a comedy club

All of the activites can be done with or without company!

amoffatt

My family and some friends are on a bowling league, we can burn calories and have fun. Play volleyball in the back yard (summer is around the corner). Good friends will support you for this effort.