Social eating

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theloppi
theloppi Posts: 18
edited January 2 in Motivation and Support
Hi!

I was wondering, what do you guys do when you're invited out for food or drinks?

For example, my colleagues are going for burritos on Friday and pestering me to come along with them. Something like a burrito meal is probably enough to undo half of the work I've done this week but I don't like having to exclude myself. I'm eating 1200 cal a day which is a deficit of about 400 so being accurate counts. I also exercise and eat back those calories but I don't tend to burn much.

Then there's the weekend... almost every weekend results in parties or meals out where there is an abundance of snacks and alcohol. HELP!

Any advice would be super helpful! Thanks!

Replies

  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    I'm a social deviant and bring tupperwared food. When people look at me I just laugh. Whatever, I look better and that satisfies me just fine.

    Or just eat before you go out and don't eat what's there. You won't be hungry so you won't feel as tempted to eat a burrito. Oh and alcohol is certainly its own ruin.

    It is possible to eat something there if you ask them to fix it to meet your macros.
  • kathyms13
    kathyms13 Posts: 497 Member
    first, google the menue and chose a low cal option, next when you go to parties dont eat all the food there pick things you know are ok and stick to small amounts drink well thats up to you, your a young lady with a mind of your own.
  • theloppi
    theloppi Posts: 18
    Thankfully I'm not a big drinker, but even a small glass of wine is a hell of a lot of calories for something that will probably only make me hungrier!

    I suppose Jester is right though, I just need to do right by myself and screw what other people think! It's the willpower part that I need to work on :P!
  • ruckerbenton
    ruckerbenton Posts: 94
    I'm betting that you have tried these ideas but here goes... The idea of googling the menu and planning in advance is a great idea. If that isn't an option, try ordering lighter fare. If burritos are a must...get a naked chicken variety. Be careful of flour tortillas and chips! I think I could eat my weight in chips and salsa sometimes. I'm amazed at the calories in flour tortillas. Ask to have more garnish (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) Skip the rice and beans.

    Another way would be to figure out a exercise plan to burn off the extra calories.

    I think the alcohol question is tough too. I was at a party last weekend. I knew the hostess well enough that I was able to explain and ask about the menu before the party. She made a champange punch. I figured up the calories per glass using the recipe calculator. I figured I could have 4 8 oz glasses. It was tough to stick too but I managed. Best wishes!
  • bufger
    bufger Posts: 763 Member
    I normally google the menu first and look for the best choice but sometimes when i'm either having a bad week or celebrating something bigger I will just make sure I offset 2000 cals for that evening with exercise during the week. This makes me feel less guilty! If i dont meet the 2000 (or whatever number i decide) then I wont have the treat so its a personal target.

    Last week was difficult as I had my brothers birthday at a palestinian restaurant and 4 days later had Tapas on a reunion. Both of those are very hard to count calories for as there are so many unknowns in them so i had to have a super hard offset week and quick add calories and choose based on my general knowledge of food and food prep! (ie no fried, avoided butters where possible)
  • ravengirl1611
    ravengirl1611 Posts: 285 Member
    As someone else mentioned if I know I'm going to a particular restaurant I look at the menu online ahead of time - it gives me lots of time to scrutinize the menu and I can pick the best choice. Another thing you can do is to "bank" some of your calories from during the week and use them on the weekends but this can lead to over-indulging so I try not to do this unless it's a special occasion. You can also just have a cheat day if that works for you and not worry about your Saturday cals so to speak.

    Usually what I do if I know I'm going out with friends or something is I'll eat really light earlier in the day so that I have a bigger chunk of my day's cals left over for the evening. Theres usually always something that's healthier on every menu / or party table. If you are going somewhere that you know they always have unhealthy snacks put out - bring your own - I've never met a hostess yet that complained because someone brought extra snacks.

    Drinks - a small glass of white wine might be higher in cals - if you dont mind not drinking - tell everyone you're the designated driver and just drink your water - no one will care or if you want the wine - try a wine spritzer made with soda - it's a little bit more than 1/2 the cals of regular glass of white wine.

    lots of choices - good luck & have fun
  • chooriyah
    chooriyah Posts: 469 Member
    If you don't want to drink but also don't want to deal with people pointing it out and asking why over and over again, a glass of sparkling water with lemon in it looks just like a gin and tonic (:
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,220 Member
    Eat half and save the leftovers for another day. When I go out to eat I cut all portions in half on my plate and push one half as far to the edge of the plate. Then I have a yummy meal for the next day and my BF is jealous since he shoveled everything on his plate into his mouth. :P
  • blakejohn
    blakejohn Posts: 1,129 Member
    I just get drunk and eat as much free food as I can stuff in my face

    made that's why I don't get invided to the social eating
  • Jesea
    Jesea Posts: 376 Member
    I have cut way back on soda, so when I go out for drinks, I have rum and Diet Coke. Depending on the rum, it's about 60-80 cals per glass, and the carbonation fills me up. To help keep track of munching, I found a great idea from Weight Watchers - wear bangle bracelets on one wrist, and for every bite switch one bracelet to the other side. When you run out of bracelets, stop eating! This might work for chips and salsa, as I tend to munch mindlessly.
  • jennibee70
    jennibee70 Posts: 1,067 Member
    Don't keep whipping your phone out to check the cals though - my parents came to stay for the weekend recently, so we ate out a lot and had takeaways, I thought I was doing the sensible thing by having what they were having but just working out how much I could reasonably have, but I think it really got on my Dad's nerves!!! Googling first seems like a good suggestion.
  • mulderpf
    mulderpf Posts: 209 Member
    Hi!

    I was wondering, what do you guys do when you're invited out for food or drinks?

    For example, my colleagues are going for burritos on Friday and pestering me to come along with them. Something like a burrito meal is probably enough to undo half of the work I've done this week but I don't like having to exclude myself. I'm eating 1200 cal a day which is a deficit of about 400 so being accurate counts. I also exercise and eat back those calories but I don't tend to burn much.

    Then there's the weekend... almost every weekend results in parties or meals out where there is an abundance of snacks and alcohol. HELP!

    Any advice would be super helpful! Thanks!

    Something BIG is wrong with your calculations. Your ticker says you have 100lbs that you want to lose. How on earth can 1200 calories only be a 400 calorie deficit? I think you used your BMR as a base instead of TDEE (calories required to maintain weight). You should really recalculate and make sure it's right - 1200 calories is generally too low and recommended as the ABSOLUTE minimum, not an "average".

    As for your question - look at the menu beforehand and see what fits in. If you have your mobile phone with you, you can also try to look for similar things on the internet. If there are no calorie counts anywhere on the menu, then use another restaurant's menu to at least try and be accurate. Don't not log it just because. Otherwise try and guess...
  • mulderpf
    mulderpf Posts: 209 Member
    Don't keep whipping your phone out to check the cals though - my parents came to stay for the weekend recently, so we ate out a lot and had takeaways, I thought I was doing the sensible thing by having what they were having but just working out how much I could reasonably have, but I think it really got on my Dad's nerves!!! Googling first seems like a good suggestion.

    Hahaha - that's what I suggested, but I suppose you have a point. I lately "make a thing" about it though rather than trying to do it sneakily. That way people know what I'm doing and that I'm not just busy texting someone...
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    You could save some of your exercise cals for the weekend.
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    I suppose Jester is right though, I just need to do right by myself and screw what other people think! It's the willpower part that I need to work on :P!

    Be counter culture!!! It's fun, trust me. Just by eating right and exercising you've effectively made yourself different than the average American... why stop there?
  • theloppi
    theloppi Posts: 18
    Hi!

    I was wondering, what do you guys do when you're invited out for food or drinks?

    For example, my colleagues are going for burritos on Friday and pestering me to come along with them. Something like a burrito meal is probably enough to undo half of the work I've done this week but I don't like having to exclude myself. I'm eating 1200 cal a day which is a deficit of about 400 so being accurate counts. I also exercise and eat back those calories but I don't tend to burn much.

    Then there's the weekend... almost every weekend results in parties or meals out where there is an abundance of snacks and alcohol. HELP!

    Any advice would be super helpful! Thanks!

    Something BIG is wrong with your calculations. Your ticker says you have 100lbs that you want to lose. How on earth can 1200 calories only be a 400 calorie deficit? I think you used your BMR as a base instead of TDEE (calories required to maintain weight). You should really recalculate and make sure it's right - 1200 calories is generally too low and recommended as the ABSOLUTE minimum, not an "average".

    As for your question - look at the menu beforehand and see what fits in. If you have your mobile phone with you, you can also try to look for similar things on the internet. If there are no calorie counts anywhere on the menu, then use another restaurant's menu to at least try and be accurate. Don't not log it just because. Otherwise try and guess...

    I think you must have misread! The tickers aren't very clear sometimes... I'm trying to get from 122lb - 105lb (I know it doesn't sound like much but back when I was that weight I was more comfortable with myself, I put weight on from working sedentary job and living in London!). Thanks for the advice.

    And thanks everybody else for the tips, planning is the key!
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I cancel on them at the last minute claiming something just came up. Warning, if you do this a lot, they'll stop asking you to go with them. It's a blessing and a curse. Works for me and my anti-social personality.
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