To eat or not to eat

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francesca5253
francesca5253 Posts: 7
in Getting Started
hey

I'm going out this weekend with my grandparents. Like all grandparents they like to give me food, which I can refuse. However we are going out for dinner and the food is all very high in calories. Just dinner and desert alone covers my whole intake. What should I do? I want to enjoy dinner and a desert. Any suggestions?
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Replies

  • mscheftg
    mscheftg Posts: 485 Member
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    Do what you want.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    portion control.....skip a meal before or after....go for a run before......these are all things I do when I know I wont come in under my caloric goals.
    Otherwise just do your best to minimize the damage and move on. Life happens and we do need to enjoy our grandparents while you still got them :)
  • ladybarometer
    ladybarometer Posts: 205 Member
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    What I normally do is research the menu ahead of time, and find a very low calorie main dish for dinner. For the remainder of the day I'll eat very light to save some calories, so I may have a dessert. Depending on your dessert though, it may not matter. I don't think any amount of saving and watching what we eat will make up for a big delicious piece of cheesecake :)
  • huango
    huango Posts: 1,007 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Bank your calories and workout more.
    Eat ~200/calories less per day between now and said dinner, you could save 800calories Tues-Friday, and maybe another 1000 between the following Monday-Friday.
    So that's an additional 1800calories to use for Saturday's dinner.

    I do that for special occasions, especially ones where I have not control over the menu/I didn't cook it from scratch.

    Amanda
  • thismamarox
    thismamarox Posts: 105 Member
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    Cut your portion in half. Log it as good as you can. Up your workouts over the next few days. I have to think of calorie intake in a weekly sense on not a daily tally. There are days that I will go over on calories, I just adjust my calories in/out over the next few days to make up for it. I get a little more added exercise, and can enjoy my dinner with my loved one guilt free :)
  • Altagracia220
    Altagracia220 Posts: 876 Member
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    If you rarely ever eat out or enjoy foods like this i say live a little and just enjoy whatever you want. If you think you are going to feel guilty or bad or are afraid your'e going to gain, keep the portions small and/or choose the healthiest options on the menu. Your'e not going to gain all the weight you lost in one meal, keep that in mind :)
  • cheyenne_liddi
    cheyenne_liddi Posts: 8 Member
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    order the lowest calorie option and don't eat the whole portion. don't eat dessert it is bad for you. exercise before you go.
    Now you haven't ruined your diet. you're welcome.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Theres all sorts of common sense straegies, choose the one that best fits you.
    1. Take a day off and chill.
    2. Portion control and eat food you can share
    3. Choose lower calorie options.
    4. Allocate your days calories to the meal and cut back before.
    5. Do some exercise during the week so you have extra calories to play with.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
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    • Eat half and bring some home.
      Share an entrée with another person.
      Skip dessert.
      Budget the week so you come in under for the whole week, even if you're over one day.
      Put more time in at the gym/working out.
      Don't stress about it, one bad day does not undo all your progress.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    cheyenne_liddi wrote: »
    order the lowest calorie option and don't eat the whole portion. don't eat dessert it is bad for you. exercise before you go.
    Now you haven't ruined your diet. you're welcome.
    dessert is not bad for you, to the poster. if you want one day to eat whatever then do so,one day is not going to make much of a difference. if you want you can workout before or after but you dont really have to. I would just go enjoy myself and not worry about it for that one day. your weight loss will still happen.If you want to order a meal and eat half and save half(bring it home for lunch the next day if you want),then do so. Its entirely up to you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    cheyenne_liddi wrote: »
    order the lowest calorie option and don't eat the whole portion. don't eat dessert it is bad for you. exercise before you go.
    Now you haven't ruined your diet. you're welcome.

    I eat desert pretty much every night...it's not "bad" for me.

    To the OP...for me, dining out is usually a rare thing...like maybe once or twice per month or something...so I just enjoy myself...you don't get fat overnight.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    huango wrote: »
    Bank your calories and workout more.
    Eat ~200/calories less per day between now and said dinner, you could save 800calories Tues-Friday, and maybe another 1000 between the following Monday-Friday.
    So that's an additional 1800calories to use for Saturday's dinner.

    I do that for special occasions, especially ones where I have not control over the menu/I didn't cook it from scratch.

    Amanda
    without knowing her calorie allowance eating 200 less per day may not be the route to go especially if she is only eating say 1200 a day.telling someone to eat less to save calories is not good advice in my opinion.. you cant roll over calories like minutes on a phone.if you go over one day thats fine,just get back to eating better the next day.no need to feel guilty
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Do you know where you will be going? Do some research ahead of time about what you might order and figure out how to fit it into your day. You also can look at your total week's calorie budget, not just the individual day. When I know I have an event or something later in the week, I trim a hundred or so calories from the days leading up to have a few hundred extra at the event. I also try to make smart choices that day and get some extra exercise. Additionally, you have a deficit built into your daily goal, yes? Depending on how much you have that set at, could be a 250, 500, or even 1000 calorie deficit. That means you'd have to consume more than that deficit to go above your TDEE, and in order to gain even 1 lb, you would have to consume an extra 3,500 calories. It's highly unlikely you are going to do that in one meal at a restaurant.

    Other advice here is good as well, except the part about dessert being bad for you. Dessert is not bad for you.

    Also, grandparents will not be around forever. Enjoy your time with them and if that means special meals out, all the better.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Just get an appetizer and a dessert. They are the best part of the meal anyway! Go for a good run before you meet up with nana and pop pop
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
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    I agree with a lot of the posters. One day is not going to ruin you. You could work out a little more to counter the meal but really, one "cheat meal" isn't a big deal. If it were me I would be all about the portion control. You don't need to eat everything on your plate...I often leave food left on my plate at restaurants as the portions are usually ridiculously large.
  • huango
    huango Posts: 1,007 Member
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    @CharlieBeansmomTracey‌
    without knowing her calorie allowance eating 200 less per day may not be the route to go especially if she is only eating say 1200 a day.
    telling someone to eat less to save calories is not good advice in my opinion..
    you cant roll over calories like minutes on a phone.if you go over one day thats fine,just get back to eating better the next day.no need to feel guilty


    Yes, you can roll over your calories.
    It's an average of several days, several weeks, etc.

    How do I know this?
    I've been very successful at 5:2 FAST, banking 600+calories per day over the past 2.5months to lose almost 13pounds (I only have 5pounds left).

    The 200/800/1000 numbers were just suggestions.
    Main point was to bank your calories, and withdraw them on Saturday's dinner.

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    huango wrote: »
    @CharlieBeansmomTracey‌
    without knowing her calorie allowance eating 200 less per day may not be the route to go especially if she is only eating say 1200 a day.
    telling someone to eat less to save calories is not good advice in my opinion..
    you cant roll over calories like minutes on a phone.if you go over one day thats fine,just get back to eating better the next day.no need to feel guilty


    Yes, you can roll over your calories.
    It's an average of several days, several weeks, etc.

    How do I know this?
    I've been very successful at 5:2 FAST, banking 600+calories per day over the past 2.5months to lose almost 13pounds (I only have 5pounds left).

    The 200/800/1000 numbers were just suggestions.
    Main point was to bank your calories, and withdraw them on Saturday's dinner.
    maybe for you thats fine, but eating less than 1200 calories a day is not recommended(unless a dr is overseeing your care). 1200 for a woman is for someone who is short stature or sedentary. we dont know the posters caloric allowance is,so telling her to eat less so she can eat more one day to me is defeating the purpose. we also dont know her activity level,if its high or she is on her feet all day then hardly eating anything to "save" calories also is not good advice. to me (any many others) there is no need to eat so little and maybe feel and be miserable just to have one high calorie day.she can accomplish the same thing with some exercise before or after,watching what she eats, and controlling her portions.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
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    I ate and drank my way through New Orleans. I didn't gain any weight on that 5 day venture. One meal will not hurt you. Enjoy your time with your grandparents and enjoy a yummy meal. Perhaps get a longer workout in before you go to meet them.
  • JordisTSM
    JordisTSM Posts: 359 Member
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    riffraff2112 wrote: »
    portion control.....skip a meal before or after....go for a run before......these are all things I do when I know I wont come in under my caloric goals.
    Otherwise just do your best to minimize the damage and move on. Life happens and we do need to enjoy our grandparents while you still got them :)

    ^This. Particularly the bit about just enjoying your grandparents while you have them. Don't spend the meal worrying about silly calories! One day is nothing in the grand scheme of things and at the end of your journey it wont even register as a blip. Just go and have fun.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    What I do if I am going out for a meal is this:

    1) Get water for a drink instead of a lemonade or soda (if you like diet soda, getting that is an OK option too!)
    2) Evaluate the options available for dinner. Dishes with chicken may be lower in calorie than those with other meats. But it depends on how things are prepared and what else is in the dish. A really great plan is to pick whatever you want but only plan on eating half and saving the rest. This is what I did last time, and I had a yummy lunch the next day :)
    3) Eat half of your dessert, too.

    Most importantly....enjoy the food! So what if you go over your calorie allowance this one time? It's not going to be the end of the world. Try to walk or exercise a little more that day, maybe eat a smaller breakfast and lunch to help offset the extra at dinner.

    If you're at a deficit of 250 cal per day already, that's technically 1750 calories you could eat (in addition to your daily allowance) and just maintain your weight.

    Totally fine if it's just one day. Don't stress out about it :) And if you notice a weight gain after DON'T PANIC. The restaurant food may be higher in sodium and the excess weight should come back off within a week or so.

    ~Lyssa

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