Help, Im going out tonight and.....

alanmonks
alanmonks Posts: 115 Member
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
Hey all, i need your help. My girlfriend is 26 today and we are going out tinight for some dinner. She has already said that she is having steak. I have made the conscious decision to not have any alcholol tonight or ever again, (people in wales wont understand this, ha ha). My concern is that i wont know how many calories i am having, so therfore wont kow how i tracked today.

any advice on what to do?

Replies

  • happy_jax
    happy_jax Posts: 289 Member
    Good choice on the alcohol I say!! I hardly drink at all too! Very, very occasionally a Gin & Slimline tonic, but in general it's really not worth the calories...I'd rather fill up on yummy food!! :happy:

    Why are you worried you won't know how many calories you are consuming? You mean before you eat? Or because the restaurant doesn't have nutritional data? I have eaten out a few times recently (unavoidable situations) and the restaurants didn't have this info - I still managed to have a great time, so you should too!! Use common sense, you know in general what is okay and what isn't. The steak wouldn't be so bad if you wanted to join your girlfriend - but a big salad and half a baked potato would be better to go with it then fries and a calorific sauce... As for entering into MFP - just guess as best as possible is my advice. People will have entered something similar - so just use your best estimate (over-estimating if you're unsure) for everything you ate, it's better than nothing and will keep you feeling on track with your health goals.

    Also - this is probably not the best advice...but personally, if I want to have a really good night, I have an emmense workout before I go out - do your thing at double the intensity for twice as long as you normally would - you'll buy yourself so many extra calories you might even still be under your calorie goal!! Okay, not the best thing to do every day, but for a one off, you can celebrate your girlfriend's birthday in style!! :happy:
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    Hey all, i need your help. My girlfriend is 26 today and we are going out tinight for some dinner. She has already said that she is having steak. I have made the conscious decision to not have any alcholol tonight or ever again, (people in wales wont understand this, ha ha). My concern is that i wont know how many calories i am having, so therfore wont kow how i tracked today.

    any advice on what to do?

    If you want to get as close as possible to calculating those calories, let's say you have steak too, it should say on the menu if it is an 8oz sirloin or a 16oz blowout rump of a steak, well you can put that in and it should come up with the calories. Then, if you have a jacket potato with it, usually they are around 8oz so you can put that in - tell the restaurant not to put on the butter, you can do that yourself if you want. Divide all the starter up and put it in manually and if you have a dessert, do the same with that.

    It may not be exact but it will be at least part way there and it is better than not putting anything in at all.

    If you wanted a wine, one 175ml glass is around 175 calories (white) not sure about red) so it would be entirely up to you.

    Whatever the case, enjoy enjoy enjoy - I don't know if your girlfriend is on any eating plan, but if she is not, there is nothing more boring for a non-eating planner than to be innundated with info regarding calories - so just enjoy, get right back on it tomorrow and forgive yourself any lapses. She only has one birthday per year and it is her special day :wink:
  • bikinimission
    bikinimission Posts: 97
    Good advice there!! I totally agree, I'm actually out for dinner tonight and in a similar situation to you - I did my shred before work though and plan on having a light lunch and then going for a run before I go out so hopefully I should be able to eat a tasty meal without doing too much damage.

    I always think it's sound advice when I see people on the boards reminding others that this is a lifestyle change - if you're going to keep it up you have to enjoy it and a treat every now and again isn't the end of the world. Enjoy your special occasions but use your knowledge to limit the damage where possible :) Have a lovely evening!
  • hopefullnyc
    hopefullnyc Posts: 5
    At the risk of sounding redundant, I'd echo what everyone has said so far. I've been in a similar situation a few times since I joined (about 2 months ago), and it's all about making a healthier choice (i.e. the salad and baked potato instead of fries) and tracking it as best you can afterwards. When you look at the big picture, one less than perfect meal here or there isn't a problem. As hard as it is, just try not to stress out too much tonight & enjoy her special day.
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