Social eating and counting cals

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moledew
moledew Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
We have pot-luck style lunches at work pretty often and although they're supposed to be "healthy" one of the girls always brings a fruit pizza. Sugar cookie dough, cream cheese (or something like that) topped with kiwi and strawberry. That's kind of how most of the dishes are- something that looks "healthy" but its literally sugar coated crap. I'm just wondering how do you guys track calories in these situations? Or any family/social event where things are home cooked by someone else and you don't know exactly how much of what they used. Do I have to spend the rest of my life saying "no thank you" and eating something I brought for myself? :(
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  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
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    Hi there.

    I'd make room in my diary so I could partake. I'd just get a small amount of my favorite things (enough to make a meal). Case in point: today is free pizza day at the office. I'll be having the lunch I brought from home for dinner. :)
  • downongreenacres
    downongreenacres Posts: 327 Member
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    I do the best I can and then realize that it is probably not accurate.
    For me it is important to at least log it in the best I can so that I don't fool myself any more than I can help.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    Bring a salad from home and then pick one thing from the pot-luck that you want to try and have a small portion of it. Or skip every other one. Or bring in something actually healthy and eat that. You are constantly going to have to made decisions like these....you need to exercise the will power muscle often. I constantly have to explain why one time I say no and the next time I indulge when out with friends. I pick and choose how often and what I indulge in. My shrinking pant sizes feel way better than any fruit pizza ever tasted.....
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    In situations like this, if it's something that I really want then I'll have a serving and guesstimate the best that I can. The reality is that there's no way to accurately log it unless that person gave you their exact recipe. Enjoy some good food and indulge once in awhile :)
  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
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    You learn to portion it, fit it, log it, and move on. Honestly, I enjoy more foods now, then I ever did before counting because I know my maintenance and I know one day over or a slice of pizza, doesn't ruin all the hardwork I've done. You log things to the best of your ability and move forward. Some days, you might be over but you're looking at long term, not just one day.

    Heck, Christmas and Thanksgiving I've been over 3000 calories . I lost 53 lbs back in 2013 and maintaining or various goals since. Control is all you. I certainly wouldn't say there aren't times I pass things up but I certainly won't say no to everything. ..especially cake :)
  • sandryc79
    sandryc79 Posts: 250 Member
    edited May 2015
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    We have "food days" like this often. I honestly don't enjoy eating most of the crap people bring enough to waste calories on it. I bring my lunch and don't participate.

    Family gatherings I eat in moderation and track the best I can. I also am up front with friends and family about my diet and they respect that.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Guesstimate. Same as you would in restaurants. And make strategic choices. You don't have to sample everything that everyone brings in; eat what you like in reasonable portions, and say no thank you to the rest.
  • antoinetteg1957
    antoinetteg1957 Posts: 67 Member
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    Funny this post came up today. We had a Preakness bbq at work and I only took what looked to be the healthiest and easiest to track caloriewise. We don't HAVE to taste everything on the table.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    moledew wrote: »
    I'm just wondering how do you guys track calories in these situations? Or any family/social event where things are home cooked by someone else and you don't know exactly how much of what they used. Do I have to spend the rest of my life saying "no thank you" and eating something I brought for myself? :(

    1. In situations where someone else has cooked, I just do my best to estimate (this happened at a Mother's Day lunch last week). I try to overestimate the calories rather than underestimate.

    2. No you don't have to always say no thank you and eat something else. It's up to you to decide what's worth it. At work we have pizza once a month. I know days ahead of time when it is happening and I plan for it. I bring a small side salad and fruit and enjoy 1 slice of pizza. I personally know if I eat more than that I'll feel full and bloated. Now, when I'm at a family gathering, I never bring my own food. I just eat my "normal" meals the rest of the day and try my best to keep portions small at these events.

  • gramacanada
    gramacanada Posts: 558 Member
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    You'll learn to guesstimate what foods others bring contain. You don't have to be exact.
    At any buffett table take some of a few things you absolutely love, move away from the table, and don't go back!
    Keep a few filling, healthy snacks with you.
    Estimating serving sizes becomes easier. Google up visual portion matches. Palm of hand. Thumb. Fist. Walnut.
    They're not exact but can help you keep it in mind.
    Most food based occassions are not everyday occurrences. 'sometime' foods can be worked into your plan.
    Portion size. Portion size. Portion size.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    I estimate based on items in the MFP database. I dont cook my own food so I've always been estimating. I'm pretty good at it.
  • RadiantKayleigh
    RadiantKayleigh Posts: 20 Member
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    I like the idea of bringing a big, healthy and delicious salad and adding a little bit of some of the pot luck items. You can still live your life, but have things in moderation. Make your best guess when it comes to logging and you can always balance it out through the rest of the week.

    I try to keep within my calories but have a little bit of something if i really want it. If i point blank denied myself everything i know i wouldn't stay on the wagon x
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    moledew wrote: »
    We have pot-luck style lunches at work pretty often and although they're supposed to be "healthy" one of the girls always brings a fruit pizza. Sugar cookie dough, cream cheese (or something like that) topped with kiwi and strawberry. That's kind of how most of the dishes are- something that looks "healthy" but its literally sugar coated crap. I'm just wondering how do you guys track calories in these situations? Or any family/sociable event where things are home cooked by someone else and you don't know exactly how much of what they used. Do I have to spend the rest of my life saying "no thank you" and eating something I brought for myself? :(

    Now is not forever. What I mean is, while you are actively working to reduce your weight, you will be making choices about what and how much of any given food to eat with an eye toward minimizing excess calories to continue at a deficit. This may mean saying "no thank you" to some things, or having just a taste, or partaking and adjusting daily calories somewhere else. While you are trying to eat at a deficit, it may be easier to pass up a particular food item rather than try to estimate calories. What I found was that estimating was "close enough."

    Once you start "maintenance" you will find that you have more flexibility in managing calories. So, no, it is unlikely to be for the "rest of your life."

    I love "fruit pizza," by the way - I make it with a shortbread baked "crust" and there is, indeed, actual sugar involved in the fruit "toppings" (strawberries, blueberries, kiwi). It's awesome :) and your post inspires me to find time to make one once strawberries come in season here.
  • odddrums
    odddrums Posts: 342 Member
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    I second what GingerSka said, When we have food at work I'll just eat the lunch I brought later for dinner and estimate (sometimes overestimate) what I eat for lunch. One thing that helps is just get one plateful of food, and make sure half of the plate is some kind of salad or veggies. As for sugary stuff like the "fruit pizza" (which sounds so tasty!) reserve a bit of space for dessert and if people get pushy about it, just mention that you're trying to cut down on sugar. Sometimes people get really pushy about it with me and it can feel uncomfortable so I'll mention that my doctor recommended I cut back on sugar in a recent check up (not entirely true, it was a check up a long time ago) and that usually ends the pushiness.

    Training myself to eat smaller scoops and not totally filling my plate was difficult and took a lot of time, but it's one of the best things I did. Even harder was learning to be okay with going over calories for the right occasion and estimating things when needed, but they're the 3 best habits I've gained since joining MFP. You don't have to spend your whole life saying "No Thank You" and bringing your own food: "All good things in moderation."
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    Situations like this are exactly why I eat a lower calorie diet on routine days than I would if eating the same amount every day.

    When I'm at a restaurant or event where there is food for which I can't know the ingredients or calorie counts, I just do my best to choose wisely of the foods I enjoy and know I have a good cushion of calories to go over with.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    With potlucks, I take something that I know I'll eat. Usually it's a fruit or veggie tray or salad. Then I eat whatever protein is available and a little bit of the other stuff if I want it. I guesstimate the calories on that stuff as best I can.

    If I'm going to a party where I don't take the food, I do the best I can finding something that I like or else I eat before or after the party. I'm not terribly social so I really only go to that kind of thing 3-4 times a year. It's not often enough that I worry about inaccuracies logging that food.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Maybe it would benefit you to stop thinking of highly palatable foods as "crap."
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    lemonsnowdrop wrote: »
    Maybe it would benefit you to stop thinking of highly palatable foods as "crap."

    That fruit pizza sure sounded like crap to me.
  • ObiWanJacoby_
    ObiWanJacoby_ Posts: 56 Member
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    If you know ahead of time, plan for it. Eat a hundred or so calories less each day leading up to it. Or, do cardio to burn what ever you think you may have gone over your alloted calories for that day
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    lemonsnowdrop wrote: »
    Maybe it would benefit you to stop thinking of highly palatable foods as "crap."

    That fruit pizza sure sounded like crap to me.

    Why, because it's sweet? What's wrong with that?

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