Nightlife is killing me...well, my diet plan anyway

CapnWain

I've been using the MFP mobile app to keep count of calories for a couple of weeks I guess. And I've started back up with exercising. My goal - to drop 8 lbs in 6-8 weeks and to firm up the (fl)abs. Not a 6 pack at my age, just a flatter stomach.

I do really well for breakfast and now lunch. No more fast food, no more restaurant meals, no more sodas, no more snack crackers.

By the time I get off work I've still got 900+ calories left. Great! I can eat a decent meal, a glass of wine and still have some left for some fruit or something for dessert. Works great when we stay in.

But invariably, friends call and say, Hey let's go here or there. A restuarant meal later (even sharing), wine, three beers or 2 cocktails, popcorn at a bar and BAM! I've gone over my allotment. And then we're out so late, there is no getting up to work out in the morning. I sleep in until the last possible moment to get to work on time.

It's not an every night thing, but it is often enough to kill the weekly average on the calorie count.

The one thing that keeps me motivated to keep trying is I faithfully add up my calories for every day and I see that I was in good shape until the cheese filled Ravioli, the sausage in the Jambalaya, or the bottle of wine, or the beer, or the booze (which reminds me.... I have to log last nights debauchery)

No real point to this other than express it outwardly...put in words the experience. Empathy, advice or criticism is welcome though.

drog2323

gotta cut that way back. it's hard....but also remember it's life. i'd shoot for maybe going out one night a week for some drinks and greasy food. the other nights - either decline or be the DD.

iAMaPhoenix

Just say no...or if you can't, you need to sacrifice sleep in the morning. I usually go out about 2 days a week, but even then I don't go overboard and I am always ready to get up at 4:30 in the morning to be on my favorite treadmill at 5. Discipline is key to losing weight and greater discipline is essential for keeping it off. Good Luck and drink one for me...but you gotta get up extra early to work it off.

amydray

I enjoy the camaraderie that can tend to lead to challenging food and drink choices. I try to keep the nights that I may "cheat" to once or twice a week. If its twice, then I'll tend to want to hit the gym or the yoga studio one extra day to make up for it so that my weekly goal is met. The sleep deprivation is also another factor that I can forget as well. Less sleep=slower progress. It's a challenge for me to hit the sack at a decent hour most nights and I end up needing my snooze button more than I care to admit. Getting on this site, and seeing progress by tracking accountability is motivating enough to remind myself most nights that that temptation is never going to taste as good as healthy feels. Good luck!

TMLPatrick

I know your pain.... I was having the same problem the first time I started counting last fall.... going out 3 or 4 times a week... trying to save enough calories to fit everything in. It was tough, but I was able to do it for about a month and a half, but eventually I couldn't keep that pace up and bailed on the counting.

This time through, I've had to just bite the bullet and stop drinking except maybe a beer or 2 a week and maybe 1 night of really living it up every few weeks. I hate to be a person who discourages drinking, as it is a wonderful past-time.... but it may be worth ditching for diet coke or whatever at the bar, unfortunately. If you can manage to keep drinking and counting, make sure its not becoming TOO hard for you to manage, otherwise you may ditch the diet plan like I did and regret it later.