Drinks and a BBQ....I need advice.

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MissMacyLacy
MissMacyLacy Posts: 19
in Health and Weight Loss
My best friend's birthday is this weekend and they always throw a BBQ. So everyone just hangs out eating and drinking most of the time into the wee hours. So how do I enjoy the days events without ruining my diet and without giving in to the little voice in my head that says "I'll just make up for it tomorrow" ?

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  • musenchild
    musenchild Posts: 182 Member
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    I would relax and enjoy it. Eat healthy the rest of the day, don't eat or drink more than you want to just because you are allowing yourself a rare splurge, and log everything, but don't worry about your numbers that day. What matters is your average deficit over a week or so. If you can't have fun with friends without feeling guilty, what is life for?
  • gbbhey
    gbbhey Posts: 188
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    Put in a little extra work in the gym this week, cut out some extra calories, make room for it. Then, this will be a reward for you. It's not the end of the world if you go over your calories one day. It's what you do the next day that will make this lifestyle change successful or not. Enjoy your friends birthday, and have fun!
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
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    If you're bringing a dish bring something you adore and will suit your caloric needs that evening. Either way remember it's about celebrating your friend's birthday and enjoying *people* so try to stay focused on your goals while still having a good time with your friends. It's probably a good idea to check out the food being served and give yourself a few minutes to plan what you really want verses what you generally eat out of habit. Your here on mfp so maybe it's time to get "out of habits" with foods? And celebrate your friend's birthday and your success throughout the night :)
  • jmatthews75
    jmatthews75 Posts: 525 Member
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    Go at it hard at the bbq, if you drink enough, you might hurl at the end of the night, thus getting rid of all the calories that you consumed during the bbq, its a good way to eat what ever you want and drink as much as you can.
    Or you could just try to do everything in moderation, one day of setback won't ruin you. its those days that make you human
  • JenKillough
    JenKillough Posts: 474 Member
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    Realize that there are always going to be days like this. And that moderation is key in most cases. Some people like to increase their activity that day or save up calories to splurge. So... you can treat it like any other day and eat moderately. Or you can have a fun day or free day and just plan ahead for the extra calories by increasing activity level or fasting the day before.
  • MissMacyLacy
    MissMacyLacy Posts: 19
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    That's true I don't want to stress over it because I don't want to be a downer at the party...and it's true I should allow myself to have a good time because I'm sure the point isn't to be miserable throughout my lifestyle change :) thanks!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Spend a bit of time thinking ahead about what you are going to do....here's a few suggestions to get you started:
    - offer to bring a fruit platter or some veggies and low fat dip (tzatkiki for example) so you know there will be some lower cal nibbles.
    - keep a full glass in your hand so people don't offer to get you a drink. Just make it sparkling water (or your low cal drink of choice) for most of the time. I usually have one beer then one or two soda waters before I'll have another beer.
    - offer to be the designated driver. Then you can feel smug and have a good reason not to drink.
    - fit in a bit of extra exercise early in the day so you have a few extra cals to enjoy.
    - take along bocce balls or twister or a cricket bat (or whatever americans play instead of backyard cricket if you aren't in UK or Aus) and get people up and playing around instead of eating and drinking all day/night.
    - don't let your desire/need to eat and drink in a certain way stop you enjoying the day. Maybe you'll decide to throw logging out of the window for the day and just have whatever you want - I think that's a valid choice too!
  • BIGJIMMYU
    BIGJIMMYU Posts: 1,221 Member
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    Take a day off and enjoy yourself. You are human. Do not be a slave to your life change. It is still a life change and you deserve to believe in yourself that enjoying yourself once in a blue moon doesn't mean failure.
  • MissMacyLacy
    MissMacyLacy Posts: 19
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    WOW!!! All of you have really great ideas. I think I'm definitely going to workout really well this weekend save some calories....and I'll try to drink and eat responsibly but without depriving myself. You guys are all really great. Thanks.
  • btrippin
    btrippin Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm just a weight loss noob but I say best friends birthdays and weekend BBQs are the types of things that make life worth living. Just try and make good choices when you are there i.e. a turkey burger is better than ribs, and a whiskey and diet is better than a beer.
  • lbg257
    lbg257 Posts: 20 Member
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    At parties, I always like to have a few drinks so I do. Then, I try to just eat what is healthy there. Not that I do it that often because I prefer other drinks, but light beers actually fill me up and still get me buzzed. If I have a few beers, I find I don't eat as much!

    Definitely enjoy yourself!

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