socializing

kbefit
kbefit Posts: 116
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone have any tips for social situations? I am really fired up to do this right and I just realized that I have plans for the next 4 Fridays! I can handle going to a public place because I choose what to order, but what about at a friends home or at a party? What do you all do? Any help would be appreciated!

Replies

  • brittlynne3579
    brittlynne3579 Posts: 217 Member
    I usually eat dinner BEFORE I go out and drink lots of water. If it is a dinner you're going to, I suggest eating some fruit or almonds beforehand and then make sure you check out the website for nutritional facts. That way you'll have an idea and not get overwhelmed and end up with cheese fries on your plate :smile:
  • MartiWillett
    MartiWillett Posts: 103 Member
    I say watch your portions. If you eat in moderation you will do just fine. Don't eat more than a bite of something unless you absolutley love it, so you make sure your calories really count. I also do extra exercise on a day when I know I am going to a social event just to cover all my bases! Hope this helps!
  • purple1butterfly
    purple1butterfly Posts: 626 Member
    I usually eat dinner BEFORE I go out and drink lots of water. If it is a dinner you're going to, I suggest eating some fruit or almonds beforehand and then make sure you check out the website for nutritional facts. That way you'll have an idea and not get overwhelmed and end up with cheese fries on your plate :smile:

    If there doing a meal for every1 you could ask what it is there making the day before & put it into your food diary. Then work out what your going to have for the rest of the day from the meal you have in there. If it is not in there you could put an approximation on what cals it could have.
  • Sharont213
    Sharont213 Posts: 323 Member
    That is my toughest situation too. I have one friend who often has people over and when she does so, there are so many foods to choose from, it is overwhelming. I try to do a little extra exercise on the days we are hanging out. I eat a light dinner becuase I know I will want to eat there. I also try to sit futherest away from the snacks that tempt me the most. I start the evening with the best of intentions and then by the end of it - there are times when I have consumed way more than I want to. Other nights, I do well though - sticking mostly with lots of water and some fruits. When that happens, I just remind myself it is only 1 night.
  • ifeelsqueaky
    ifeelsqueaky Posts: 193
    When I'm at home entertaining friends it's easy - I just provide lots of healthy snacks. Examples include apple slices, grapes, carrot sticks or other veg with houmous. People tend to eat themselves silly so they must like it! The other thing I do is buy pringles because I don't like them myself but other people love them :wink: Going round other people's houses is more difficult as they will put me in the way of temptation.

    I have a related question - what do you guys do when you've had a few drinks and you get the munchies? That's usually the time when I find it hard to resist fast food and high carb snacks :frown:
  • James501
    James501 Posts: 148
    When I'm at home entertaining friends it's easy - I just provide lots of healthy snacks. Examples include apple slices, grapes, carrot sticks or other veg with houmous. People tend to eat themselves silly so they must like it! The other thing I do is buy pringles because I don't like them myself but other people love them :wink: Going round other people's houses is more difficult as they will put me in the way of temptation.

    I have a related question - what do you guys do when you've had a few drinks and you get the munchies? That's usually the time when I find it hard to resist fast food and high carb snacks :frown:

    Well it aint a regular thing I do but I go to the kebab shop order a donner with lots of salad. I eat the sald and bin the kebab. got to be the way forward for the munchies. lol xx
  • superwmn
    superwmn Posts: 936
    Ideally we would all just make amazing choices, listen to our bodies (i.e.: eat when we're hungry and stop when we're full), but in social situations this common sense stuff can frequently fly out the window. In order to set myself up for success, I do a few things:

    - Spoil my appetite: I never enter a social situation hungry. I do not save calories for these events. I eat before I go and arrive at the event full. This way I can make rational decisions about what to taste/sample. Even if I plan on eating a full meal at a restaurant, I STILL spoil my appetite. Arriving full saves me hundreds (if not thousands) of calories.

    - I wear clothing that does not allow room for a huge meal/over eating: The belt-over-everything trend has been my friend. I always wear a fitted belt around my waist over button downs, sweaters, cardigans, whatever. Wear those skinny jeans. Wear that fitted dress. Whatever I chose, it's my goal to make it fit comfortably ALL. NIGHT. It's really hard to stuff myself full of food when my outfit does not allow for much expansion of the belly. There's a reason people undo their pants after a big meal. I won't be that girl.

    I also skip the bread basket. Start with a cup broth based soup to fill me up. Half of my entree goes in a 'to go' container as soon as it arrives at the table. If dessert is ordered, I have a bite or two. I also keep the black, decaf coffee coming.

    These tactics have worked for me for the past year :)

    YOU CAN DO IT!!!

    Charmagne
  • kbefit
    kbefit Posts: 116
    These are all great ideas...thanks. I like the idea of eating beforehand because it does seem that "saving" calories can backfire. I will definitely do the added exercise too. Fortunately these aren't dinner parties, just appetizers but we all know that those can be deadly. I just need to treat this the same way I did when I quit smoking years ago. I never gave in because I kept thinking about how I'd feel the next day. I'm tire of starting over. It's funny, I think I had more willpower 20 years ago than I do now! I think I need to go have a talk with my younger self! :laugh:
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