Dieting at friends houses?

ShimmerKitten

So, over the past few days i've been going over my calorie limit by 500 - 900 calories. this really irritates me, because last week i was so good and lost two kilos, but now i'm beginning to gain it back
I've been going to friends houses and things like that, so it's really hard to restrain myself with bad food.
Any ideas to help restrain yourself at other peoples houses, anyone have any tips?

FaugHorn

So, over the past few days i've been going over my calorie limit by 500 - 900 calories. this really irritates me, because last week i was so good and lost two kilos, but now i'm beginning to gain it back
I've been going to friends houses and things like that, so it's really hard to restrain myself with bad food.
Any ideas to help restrain yourself at other peoples houses, anyone have any tips?

All my friends are in weight-loss mode right now so not too much of a problem with me. At other times though I've tried the following things and they usually help:

Pre-eat, have a snack or a good for you sandwich at home before heading over so you're not as hungry
Drink a lot of water while you're there to stave off the desire to omnom on whatever they have
Bring some of your own food, after all you should be providing too (potluck style)
Figure out what you're going to consume ahead of time and get an early workout in.

Hope that helps a little

LorinaLynn

Eating meals at a friend's house or eating snacks while hanging out?

If it's snacks, bring something you're comfortable munching on (but bring enough to share) like rice cakes, an assortment of raw veggies with a dip (mix a packet of ranch seasoning with greek yogurt), a bag of grapes, etc.

If it's a meal, preplan your day with enough wiggle room for a large dinner.

nxd10

Self restraint.

Eat small portions or skip things that you know have lots of calories. Eat a lot of things that are lower. If you are feeling strategic, bring a dish to pass for snacks of something you know you like and can eat.

vegantimtam

It's really hard. I find days with friends is when I go well above my goal too, it's incredibly irritating. Just a party where people have a few chips or a cake, I eat a moderate portion and suddenly realise it's a gazillion calories.

I did a vegan challenge for August and I was vegan the entire month (I have already been a vegetarian for years, mainly for animal rights but health is a benefit too). Last party, I suddenly found I was able to say "no, can't have that" to most of the nice food my friends had, because it wasn't vegan. It was great! Just because of the vegan challenge, I gained all this self-control I didn't have on my own. I didn't even feel bad turning the food down!

I realise becoming vegan is a bit extreme, but if you have some sort of external motivator or something else to feel accountable to, it might help. I realise health/weight loss should usually be that external thing, but for some people it's not enough. For me, the animal issue gave me more self-control than wanting to lose weight. Weird huh?

And obviously bring some of your own food. Or eat heavily before and drink loads of water so you're too full to eat the food your friends have. Sometimes this doesn't work though because you get hungry again and then you've had an overload.

Rocbola

Eat quality food before you go.

BluthLover

It's a mental game with me. I tell myself that I can have it if I still want it later. There will always be cookies and cake and ice cream somewhere for you to find. I usually say if i want it in half an hour I'll have some. Because I never do. I also ask myself if it's worth it. Some things are worth the splurge for me. Some things aren't. Hope this helps

xXAndrealphusXx

You could of just taken my offer to walk to Safeway and buy healthy food -_-"

ShimmerKitten

@andrealphus

You wanted to go home. Also, isn't just about you, i went to some other friends houses too :P

violetta88

Tell your friends in advance you're watching what you eat. Hopefully if they're good mates they'll sort some healthy options for you and not leave junk food lying around.

It also has the added bonus of making yourself accountable - if you've told your friends you're being healthy, you'll be less likely to reach for the chocolate or crisps because of the WTF? looks you'll get.

fiberartist219

I find it is just easier to plan the festivities yourself rather than always attending at a friend's house. For example, when I want to lose weight, I ask my friends if they want to go hiking with me, or play badminton, or attend a Zumba class. That way, the socializing isn't centered around food.

It is nearly impossible to resist food when someone worked hard to make it, they love you, you like the food, and they want you to have it.

If you can find an activity for everyone to participate in that has nothing to do with food, there are less feelings to be hurt, and less food to tempt you with.