going to in-laws

kanikavishvesh
kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
in Getting Started
First off dont know the correct place to post this so posting it here.

At the end of the month i will b going to my in-laws place and am unable to carry the kitchen scale with me to measure food. Plus internet is patchy. Also the food will be prepared in bulk so accurate calorie measurement is dicey (but still mayb able to do manage a bit). How do i manage to keep on track. Now that i have started cant bear the thought of going back to my days of food debauchery. lol!!
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Replies

  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    First off dont know the correct place to post this so posting it here.

    At the end of the month i will b going to my in-laws place and am unable to carry the kitchen scale with me to measure food. Plus internet is patchy. Also the food will be prepared in bulk so accurate calorie measurement is dicey (but still mayb able to do manage a bit). How do i manage to keep on track. Now that i have started cant bear the thought of going back to my days of food debauchery. lol!!

    i mean next month!!
  • breesie11
    breesie11 Posts: 3,478 Member
    Just keep portion sizes small and do your best to log it. Don't completely fill your plate up and if you can manage to get onto the internet to log your food, use a generic of whatever it is you are eating. Don't over do the eating, be conscious of the amounts you are eating, and you should be fine.
  • LadyRN76
    LadyRN76 Posts: 4,275 Member
    I agree with breesie...your biggest thing is going to be portion control..just remember to be conscious of that with everything.
    If you can't log on - write it down..and remember everything that goes in your mouth goes on your log. It's sometimes harder for me if I don't log immediately.

    You will do great and I hope you have a great time!
  • freshstart180213
    freshstart180213 Posts: 170 Member
    I had this problem earlier this month but actually it werent an issue I told my mum in law so I had some support keep the portions small no snacking and then exercise exercise exercise I found that my uncle in law had stationary bike in his garage so I went there every evening by the end of the week I had done 100miles and once I got home I had lost 2 pounds so even bett than I expected
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    thanks girls!

    hope i am able to do this. i m so busy when i get there what with doin the household chores, cooking and just catching up. but hoping that the thought of putting what i m eating on MFP later will give me the incentive to keep at it.
  • caesar164
    caesar164 Posts: 312 Member
    Why can't you take your scale???
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Just try your best to eat in moderation.watch your portions, and try to make good choices.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    i have a small carry-around scale i use. it was cheap (like $12), and i got it just to bring along. any reason why you couldn't bring a scale like that with you?
  • Lumpy52403
    Lumpy52403 Posts: 187 Member
    I have the same situation whenever I travel to my parents' home (in rural Kentucky) or my in-laws' (in rural Wisconsin). I generally don't worry too much about it, because by watching my macronutrients while I am at home, I have become accustomed to what seems "right" as far as what I eat and how much. With that being said, I usually tuck some protein powder packets, a shaker, and some Quest bars into my suitcase when I travel.
  • F00LofaT00K
    F00LofaT00K Posts: 688 Member
    Keep an eye on your weighed portions that you've been eating and try to estimate a similar amount of food. If anything seems calorie dense, eat a smaller portion. Say "No thanks, I'm pretty full" if you're offered what appears to be a high-calorie dessert. Get up and go for a walk before everybody else wakes up and just enjoy yourself in moderation.
  • JuneFortune
    JuneFortune Posts: 129 Member
    Every time you eat something, be aware of whether you're having it as breakfast, lunch, dinner or your snack allowance. When you're out of your normal routine, it can be easy to eat extras just because they're there.
    And, when you come back home, you can always post on here how well you did , and we'll all be proud of you!
  • sarahsedai
    sarahsedai Posts: 273 Member
    Every time you eat something, be aware of whether you're having it as breakfast, lunch, dinner or your snack allowance. When you're out of your normal routine, it can be easy to eat extras just because they're there.
    And, when you come back home, you can always post on here how well you did , and we'll all be proud of you!

    this is a great bit of advice. whenever i go to stay at family members, there is always so much food around.. i guess because they feel like they need to provide for their guests, which is generous but can also be dangerous... especially at my grandparents!! my grandma is always in the kitchen cooking, baking.. when we're around.

    so i'd take to heart some of the great advice already offered up. watch portions, log as best you can, and enjoy yourself. :)
  • alexsondra34
    alexsondra34 Posts: 57 Member
    are we talking about meat/fish plus veggies or are we talking curry, rice, chapatis etc....if it's the former just load up on the veg and keep portions small, avoid sweet treats like the pest if it's the later you are in trouble, my ex-inlaws are from an asian background and it's very fatty, carb ladden food, not to mention the fact that as a guest you are going to be hassled to eat and eat.

    You've just started the journey, now more than ever you need to be strong and regimental to break bad habits.

    let your family know and maybe ask if you can make yourself a salad or something like that once a day to valance the extra calories, common sense reigns supreme, you know what you should avoid, write on a piece of paper the reasons why you are doing this and take it with you to remind yourself when weakness strikes.

    i hope it all goes well, take care .
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    You have been given great advice already, OP.

    How long will you be staying there? If it's just a long weekend, or a week...I think you will be totally fine. If you're trying to lose actively maybe realize the visit will be a time of "not gaining" rather than losing (and if you do lose, bonus!)

    However, if you're staying there for more than a week, I would actually make a bit more of a deal out of it. Ask if you can bring along (or buy while there) some raw/fresh produce and other things to supplement the meals served to all. Bring a smaller scale. Take walks while others are busy doing various things, and just try to stay in your normal routine as much as you can.
  • johnnylakis
    johnnylakis Posts: 812 Member
    you know what a tablespoon is right? 2 tablespoons = an ounce. 1 ounce = 28.4 grams

    be sure to pack a calculator :)
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    Every time you eat something, be aware of whether you're having it as breakfast, lunch, dinner or your snack allowance. When you're out of your normal routine, it can be easy to eat extras just because they're there.
    And, when you come back home, you can always post on here how well you did , and we'll all be proud of you!

    this is a great bit of advice. whenever i go to stay at family members, there is always so much food around.. i guess because they feel like they need to provide for their guests, which is generous but can also be dangerous... especially at my grandparents!! my grandma is always in the kitchen cooking, baking.. when we're around.

    so i'd take to heart some of the great advice already offered up. watch portions, log as best you can, and enjoy yourself. :)

    so true. thanks for the advice! and knowing u guys will b cheering for me helps a lot too!
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    you know what a tablespoon is right? 2 tablespoons = an ounce. 1 ounce = 28.4 grams

    be sure to pack a calculator :)

    nice bit of info! thanks! i'll b sure to carry my measuring spoons.
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    You have been given great advice already, OP.

    How long will you be staying there? If it's just a long weekend, or a week...I think you will be totally fine. If you're trying to lose actively maybe realize the visit will be a time of "not gaining" rather than losing (and if you do lose, bonus!)

    However, if you're staying there for more than a week, I would actually make a bit more of a deal out of it. Ask if you can bring along (or buy while there) some raw/fresh produce and other things to supplement the meals served to all. Bring a smaller scale. Take walks while others are busy doing various things, and just try to stay in your normal routine as much as you can.

    true about the adice! also thanks for getting me thinking to the idea that even if i am not able to adhere to the active loss atleast i can keep it constant and get back home and on MFP and start again.
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    thanks alexsondra. nice adive about the motivation.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    Just keep portion sizes small and do your best to log it. Don't completely fill your plate up and if you can manage to get onto the internet to log your food, use a generic of whatever it is you are eating. Don't over do the eating, be conscious of the amounts you are eating, and you should be fine.

    also keep a written journal as well to log everything you eat, go for walks after meals/dinner, skip the added carbs like breads/pasta and have extra vegie portions, use your hand as a measurement when it comes to judging portion sizes (you can find a chart on google), help out with meal preps if you can so you can witness how its made, most of all don't worry and have fun visting, its not a race to lose this weight but a lifestyle change ... this is good practice for you to overcome other future hurtles. :flowerforyou:
  • doctorregenerated
    doctorregenerated Posts: 188 Member
    Love the two tablespoon idea = an ounce. I can use that!
    I can relate to not being able to take a food scale. In my family, the presence of a food scale would invite questions - unending, personal and very pointed questions with the intention of derailing my weight loss. They all have issues with food and latch on to any reason to tell me that I'm eating too much - while then offering me more food. Its a friggin nightmare. Hopefully yours isn't as stressful!
    Here's a great site I found before I got my food scale.
    blog.photocalorie.com/portion-sizes/
  • alexsondra34
    alexsondra34 Posts: 57 Member
    you are welcome
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    Love the two tablespoon idea = an ounce. I can use that!
    I can relate to not being able to take a food scale. In my family, the presence of a food scale would invite questions - unending, personal and very pointed questions with the intention of derailing my weight loss. They all have issues with food and latch on to any reason to tell me that I'm eating too much - while then offering me more food. Its a friggin nightmare. Hopefully yours isn't as stressful!
    Here's a great site I found before I got my food scale.
    blog.photocalorie.com/portion-sizes/

    same here! :indifferent: and apart from that too much good and not-so-good natured ribbing!
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    If your in-laws eat heavy, cut the serving size way back. No internet. Would you be able to get to a place with wifi, and you can upload MFP to your smart phone and enter it that way.
  • Joannah700
    Joannah700 Posts: 2,665 Member
    And if you can....and it's acceptable in that household, offer food to the dog.

    I know! You're not supposed to give animals people food but my in- laws cook steak and ground beef for their dogs so when they give me a steak the size of my face I just eat what I want and then ask if the dogs want it.
  • 2BeHappy2
    2BeHappy2 Posts: 811 Member
    When we go to my in-laws, I might take a little of something I presume might not be that great for me to have and while eating or serving it I might say something like "this looks good, what all did you put in it."
    That way she might be more distracted on thinking the answer rather than seeing what all is going on my plate or in my mouth!
    Then I can come home and enter that on here or for you log it on paper for when youre able to get online :smile:
    It sounds like youre going to be burning calories by keeping busy over there so don't sweat it so much, enjoy your time w/ them!
    BTW...when we go stay w/ extended family 2 states away, when we get there as a way to doing "our" part, we look in their fridge, see what they need and then use that as a reason & time to get their things plus some "extras" that I know we'll enjoy (guilt free)while spending time there :happy:
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    My mother in law cooks enough food for an army when my husband and I come to visit, and it is all super tasty and high calories. For whatever reason they don't do leftovers much, so anything we don't eat, gets wasted. I abhor the idea of throwing away food, but I have to let it go. I often compliment her on the delicious food and ask for the recipe ( to enter later) and when I can, offer to help prepare the food. Usually I eat a small portion, (while trying to make it look like more) and either pass or just have a 'taste" of dessert, claiming I couldn't eat another bite. This means I will be hungry again soon, though, so I bring healthy low calorie snacks I can eat in private.

    For me sometimes coming home and getting back in to the routine of eating well and working out can be hard after a week 'off''. So no matter what happens while you are gone, be sure to get back on the horse when you get home!
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    If your in-laws eat heavy, cut the serving size way back. No internet. Would you be able to get to a place with wifi, and you can upload MFP to your smart phone and enter it that way.
    Will be trying that.
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    And if you can....and it's acceptable in that household, offer food to the dog.

    I know! You're not supposed to give animals people food but my in- laws cook steak and ground beef for their dogs so when they give me a steak the size of my face I just eat what I want and then ask if the dogs want it.

    They are great people and wont force me to eat all that often. The problem is all me!!

    No animals btw.
  • kanikavishvesh
    kanikavishvesh Posts: 30 Member
    When we go to my in-laws, I might take a little of something I presume might not be that great for me to have and while eating or serving it I might say something like "this looks good, what all did you put in it."
    That way she might be more distracted on thinking the answer rather than seeing what all is going on my plate or in my mouth!
    Then I can come home and enter that on here or for you log it on paper for when youre able to get online :smile:
    It sounds like youre going to be burning calories by keeping busy over there so don't sweat it so much, enjoy your time w/ them!
    BTW...when we go stay w/ extended family 2 states away, when we get there as a way to doing "our" part, we look in their fridge, see what they need and then use that as a reason & time to get their things plus some "extras" that I know we'll enjoy (guilt free)while spending time there :happy:

    :smile:

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