Do you stick to calories for social events?

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  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I do not but I am still careful about my choices and I still log everything.

    This. And I'm really choosy about what I do eat. It has to be something I REALLY like, and is absolutely worth the calories. No pointless empty calories just to make everyone feel "happy" in other words.
  • GonnaLoseIt50Plus
    GonnaLoseIt50Plus Posts: 78
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    You need one good binge day. My daughters birthday is coming up and we are going to go out to eat and i dont plan on being strickt that day... Have fun and enjoy yourself.
  • Siigh_duck
    Siigh_duck Posts: 161 Member
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    I think I did at first when I was getting used to calorie counting and understanding the calorie amounts in certain foods, so stuff like birthday cake + bbqs I learnt about but now I don't really log on a social event because I know what a sensible portion is and it's only one day :p plus you're usually active at these sort of things and it balances out more often than not
  • 1_Ton_Lady
    1_Ton_Lady Posts: 46 Member
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    bump :)
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
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    I do, last weekend I burnt 3200 cals on a 4.5+ hour hike first, and made certain I stayed under the extra 3200 at the social event, it was tough, and for a while I thought I might fail, but somehow I managed :P
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
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    Nope, but I log the best I can and drink lots of water the day before, the day of, and the day after to help flush the sodium.
  • morehealthymatt
    morehealthymatt Posts: 208 Member
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    Nope, but I don't splurge like I previously did.

    Only 4.5 drinks instead of 5.
  • keshabbaker
    keshabbaker Posts: 152 Member
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    I agree with most of the post I choose what I eat carefully but I eat what I want and what is good. I don't count calories I enjoy myself it's called life. I try a little of everything I like but I will not waste my calories on a hot dog I have had a thousand times in my life. I eat things that I usually don't have and I work out that day as well to get more calories to eat at the event.
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
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    No way~
    My social life is more important than controlling every single last aspect of my calories.

    I do my best to make smart decisions, eat light foods, more veggies and fruits, not drink too much alcohol.
    And also to spend as much time as I can on my feet, moving around, playing sports, dancing, active!
  • TinaLRoman
    TinaLRoman Posts: 41 Member
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    I eat lower a day or two before and after the event so that I can enjoy myself without having to be too conscious about what I'm eating.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
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    I don't focus on it. I decide what I'm going to do when I get there and that's worked well for me. I usually eat outside of my norm, but I never have regrets about it because I am "good" about bouncing back to the norm. Plus I don't give it much thought aside from logging it. It's life. I'm gonna live it, log it, and forget it. Tomorrow's a new day, baby.
  • fatfrost
    fatfrost Posts: 365 Member
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    I track, not count. There are some situations where I know I am going to go over and it's fine. What happens on a particular day isn't super relevant. What happens over the course of a week or a month is. And if you stop your count for day, then you don't really have an accurate picture of what happened during that week or month. On certain days, I've gone over by several thousand calories (mostly due to alcohol). But knowing that helps me get my butt in the gym, on the track and eating better the rest of the week.
  • sophayz
    sophayz Posts: 592 Member
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    i don't deprive myself, i eat what i want when i am hungry i just make sure i don't over do it . i sometimes go overboard but whatever i am active when i am there socialising , dancing of playing with the kids so i end up spending probably all those extra calories

    enjoy life !

    plus a cheat day / meal once in a while is proven to help regulating your hormones in weightloss . one meal wont make you gain weight .
  • chloeealicee
    chloeealicee Posts: 204 Member
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    nope nope nope NOpE
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    No, I have a good time on these OCCASIONS. You didn't get to the point where you need to lose weight because of a birthday party or a holiday or a vacation or whatever...you got to this point because you treated everyday like an occasion.

    Now, if you have social events all of the time, then they really cease to be occasions and you'd likely have to reevaluate.
  • yasminara
    yasminara Posts: 247 Member
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    You don't have to count it, but remember to watch portions! I myself love potato salad but mentally tell myself not to have more than a cup (estimated of course). I also only get some pieces, similar type of plate I would have on a diet--you know what it looks like! I also stil to plain liquor, no beer or mixed drinks!

    But I like to taste everything...so sometimes I make a mistake! :) I just drink a lot of water the next few days, and workout accordingly. We have to have fun sometimes! :D
  • CLDeyette
    CLDeyette Posts: 28 Member
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    My hubby and I went to a function last weekend and this is what I did:
    I exercised that morning (adding calories to the bank)
    Ate a lite meal before leaving (so that I wouldn't be "starving" by dinner-time)
    Brought my own beer, Budweiser Select 55
    At dinner I chose smoked pork, fresh fruit, and OMG! They had potato salad! I love potato salad!!! So I unapologetically dished some up. 6 beautiful, lovely, scrumptious bites. And you know what? I was fully satisfied with that and had a fantastic time.
    Don't stress over the little things, have fun and move on as the others have been saying.
  • invisiblelo
    invisiblelo Posts: 98 Member
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    what great informative replies! I think I am going to reduce my calories 2 days before and save up some in the bank. Beer would normally be my drink of choice at a BBQ but I will stick to the vodka and watch what I eat! I'm thinking fish and salad. I can do this!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    usually i manage to. sometimes even without trying.
  • JustinHastings
    JustinHastings Posts: 15
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    I always plan in advance for social events so I can make sure to really enjoy them. The last thing I want to do at a barbecue or holiday dinner is worry about how many calories I'm eating. Here are a few of the tips I use to make sure I don't do much, if any, damage:

    - If an event is at night, I'll create a calorie sink for the day by eating only low-fat proteins and vegetables before the event. I like to give myself 1500-2000 calories for the event, so I can eat a lot, including dessert, and still be reasonably close to my calorie target. So if I'm shooting for 2500 calories a day, I'll eat 500-1000 calories worth of protein and veggies prior to the event to keep hunger at bay until the big meal.

    - If an event is during the day, I pretty much do the same thing, except I'll usually try to estimate how much I actually ate at the event to see if I can eat more afterwards :) If I can't do this, I just eat according to my hunger, mostly protein and vegetables.

    - I focus on getting plenty of protein at the event, preferably starting my meal with meat and plenty of vegetables. This helps to ensure I'm eating foods that will make me feel satisfied, and therefore less likely to overeat when dessert comes. I can do some real damage when a bunch of delicious desserts come out, which brings me to my next point...

    - Stick to eating the foods you love, without trying to eat every food option that's available to you. When you have a lot of choices in front of you, you tend to eat more calories. So limit yourself to eating what you really enjoy. For example, if dessert comes out and there's ice cream, chocolate cake, cheesecake, cookies, pie, candy, etc., choose your favorite 1-2 desserts and enjoy them. If you want to taste everything, chances are you'll consume more calories than if you just eat a good portion of 1 or 2.

    That's all I can think of for now, but this is a big topic for me because I come from an Italian family that put out a TON of food on holidays, and I've had to learn to enjoy myself and indulge my love of food without sabotaging all my fitness efforts.

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