Dieting and Dating...

jenn3315
jenn3315 Posts: 7
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a single mom who is trying to date. The part I am having trouble with is eating or drinking with a man I don't know well while dieting. For example, I had a second date yesterday with a guy for lunch. There was nothing diety on the menu. I have no idea how many calories I consumed and couldn't check fitness pal on a date, ha ha. Anyone else out there dating and dealing with trying to stay on track and date? What do you do?

Replies

  • lisaw19855
    lisaw19855 Posts: 165 Member
    They are aware that I am losing weight and like to check out the calorie content of a menu first or that I'll allow one vodka and diet coke into my calories for that day. I'm looking to date men who will support me and motivate me so I'm completely open about my current needs.
    When I hit maintenance it will be easier. I see a guy casually who is amazingly supportive x
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Not dating but I have to ask, what do you mean by "diety" food?
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    One thing that you can do is when you know that you're going out for dinner, save up a bunch of calories for your date by going lighter on calories for the rest of the day. When I was losing weight and we were going out with the family, I would save up ~1000 calories and then have a nice dinner. Also, you can check out the menu ahead of time, see what options you have, pick what you're going to have, log it as best you can, and then work around that for the rest of the day. Basically, it comes down to planning :smile:
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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    just find something that you like, log it, and then fill in the rest of your day so that you hit your calorie/macro/micro goal ….

    If you are not sure about the place then have a little less for breakfast ….

    don't worry about "diety food" ..overall diet and dosage is what matters….
  • Agree with others; allow for enough calories to have an enjoyable meal. If you need to eat a little less during the rest of the day or exercise more, you can always do that too.

    Also, it gets much easier to guesstimate after awhile. If unsure and no calorie info is available, I'll search on MFP and make a decision based onwhat the average or highest calorie listings for that food type are after the fact.

    You could also just opt for going to maintenance for the day, or lowering your pound loss per week, depending on how often you're going out (or suggest restaurants that have foods you feel fit your allowance better).

    The most important thing though is to enjoy the date. :)
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I think you can make it work at most restaurants... I certainly did at Cheesecake Factory :)

    Anyways, I wouldn't cut down too much the same day if you are at all vulnerable to overdoing it when you get too hungry. I think it's better to bank a few hundred calories on the days preceding and following. But, basically do your best to get a good approximation of calories and keep your portions reasonable. If your weight loss really slows down than you may need to figure things out more closely. I have a lot to lose and going out a couple times a week doesn't seem to get in the way, but perhaps down the line when I'm much closer to my goal it will.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    Most restaurants have a grilled chicken salad that is 'diety' and yummy. Be careful with the dressing.

    I went on a date once with a girl who ordered a nice steak and then didn't eat her meal because she was dieting. I was PO'd that she wasted my money and it was our one and only date.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    Diety? What is that?

    I can sympathize with you because I'm dating as well and it is hard to stay focused on moderation when all you want to do is indulge and relax. When I go out on a date, it usually ends up being my meal for the day. And I try to get a workout in before hand and behave really well on the days that I'm home.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Why not just go on dates that aren't necessarily dinner dates?

    Go for coffee or a drink. Go skating at the park, or rock climbing, or on a walk. Go to a film festival or a sporting event or a board game day or, heck, I dunno, attend a geology convention. Whatever floats your collective boats.

    Dating is a great opportunity to discover common interests. And by breaking out of the traditional dinner date mould, maybe you'll set yourself apart as creative and interesting, and have more success getting to know him and getting to that second and third date.

    If there are meals involved, I agree with everyone else, just eat whatever you like in moderation. There's no need to bother with calorie counting apps or weighing everything on a first date -- unless that's the first impression you want to make, of course. There's no such thing as "diety" food -- there's just food. Practice portion control and don't stress about it.

    By the way, if you're looking for someone to be with in the long term, it might make sense for you to at least make mention of the fact that you are concerned about nutrition and exercise. I mean, you don't have to be one of *those* people who is constantly talking about what you eat or your weight loss on a first date (total turn-off for most guys, just as it is for us women to hear a guy go on and on about his gym habits or weight lifting on a first date), but it would be helpful to know if you're dating a guy who believes that couch potato-hood is the ultimate aspiration.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    I would imagine that you know where you're meeting ahead of time (or how else would you know where to meet??). Look at the menu before you go and plan ahead. I always do this when I go out to eat. Pre-log it and stick to what you logged.
  • Thanks everyone. I guess I meant low calorie options when I said diety, ha ha. It was early this morning. :smile: I like the idea of banking days before and being careful throughout the day. I'm only allowed 1350 calories, so it's hard to save much in one day.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    jenn3315 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. I guess I meant low calorie options when I said diety, ha ha. It was early this morning. :smile: I like the idea of banking days before and being careful throughout the day. I'm only allowed 1350 calories, so it's hard to save much in one day.

    I eat at 1325 and eat in restaurants a lot. Add me as a friend if you like; my diary is open to friends.
  • CanadaEh1
    CanadaEh1 Posts: 31 Member
    jenn3315 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. I guess I meant low calorie options when I said diety, ha ha. It was early this morning. :smile: I like the idea of banking days before and being careful throughout the day. I'm only allowed 1350 calories, so it's hard to save much in one day.

    You could look at your calories for the week and save some calories on other days, so ultimately you don't go over your daily allowance. You could also always make-up calories after the fact on following days; but I find it's easier to save them up beforehand. Take care :)
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    My boyfriend and I like to eat out A LOT. I say just look for the most healthy food item, or ask the server if they can cater to what you would like (ie. dressing or sauce on the side, and then you can control how much you use).

    I haven't logged food items for a long time so I don't have that problem, but I know a lot of what I eat isn't on there anyway, but you can guess as best you can about the items that you had.

    Good luck!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Look up the restaurant menu in advance or look at all the local places and create a list of foods that would fit your day comfortably.
    Eat half if the portions are too big.
    Log what you think you ate later.
    If it isn't every day don't stress about going over a bit.
    Do non-food or active dates.
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