Social Eating

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beachbebe
beachbebe Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What are your best strategies for dining out, take out, alcohol, and celebratory eating?
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  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Reasonable portion sizes.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    Usually I tend to eat the food with a knife and fork... enter in mouth, chew, swallow.


  • mewilliams11
    mewilliams11 Posts: 139 Member
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    I always look at the nutritional information before arriving so that I can plan out what I'm going to eat in advance. It really helps keep me on track!

    For instance, last week I ate at Chili's, so I looked to see what foods would fall into the calorie range that I had left for the day so that I wouldn't go over my daily allowance. The meal I chose was about 650 calories. Then I looked up the nutritional information for the meal that I used to order before starting on MFP & almost passed out when I seen that it contained 3000 calories.. yikes!!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Me, I don't do it, in general. On the rare (!) occasion that I do, I eat whatever the heck I want with no attention paid to calories.

    If I'm eating out (which, again, I almost never do), I'm not going to nitpick between the meatball or the white sauce. Neither is going to do me much good, so I just eat what I feel like eating. If I'm going to eat something that isn't good for me, I may as well enjoy it as much as possible. :)

    Salad bar places, like Souplantation, are cool, though. I don't fret over visiting places with salad bars. :)
  • Pinnacle_IAO
    Pinnacle_IAO Posts: 608 Member
    edited August 2015
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    beachbebe wrote: »
    What are your best strategies for dining out, take out, alcohol, and celebratory eating?
    I have been unable to moderate in such situations and still have fun.
    Bully for you if you can.

    My solution is to just call it christmas and enjoy a cheat day. It takes me 3 full days to recover, and it's so worth it.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    Pinnacle_Fitness wrote: »
    beachbebe wrote: »
    What are your best strategies for dining out, take out, alcohol, and celebratory eating?
    I have been unable to moderate in such situations and still have fun.
    Bully for you if you can.

    My solution is to just call it christmas and enjoy a cheat day. It takes me 3 full days to recover, and it's so worth it.

    Yup. I just eat what I like, try to log it all and move on.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,618 Member
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    Occasional............have fun. My wife and I go out alot so we just split everything.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Reasonable portion sizes.

    same here
  • beachbebe
    beachbebe Posts: 47 Member
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    Thanks for sharing your success strategies. So you recommended making eating out a special occasion, plan beforehand, substitute healthier meals or eat smaller portions, and when you indulge - enjoy it, but no matter what, slow down and chew (I liked the recommendation to chew both for the sarcasm and for the reality that if I am remembering to chew, I am noticing that I'm eating instead of mindless eating).

    Your suggestions also made me realized that I needed get back to doing the shopping and get good food in the house so we would eat out less often as an occasion instead of the norm.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
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    Alternate water in with drinks--inhibitions are what keep you on track, alcohol throws them out the window. Eat something healthy and hi-fiber prior to going out to take the edge off hunger and increase your will power.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    beachbebe wrote: »
    What are your best strategies for dining out, take out, alcohol, and celebratory eating?

    depends on the frequency...I don't really eat out all that often, so when I do I just have fun. Social gatherings with friends and family tend to revolve around birthdays and holidays and the occasional random BBQ during the summer...at any rate, they are OCCASIONS...I just have fun...occasions do not make or break you unless every day is an "occasion"...at which point, it would obviously cease to be a true occasion.
  • LunaInverse
    LunaInverse Posts: 109 Member
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    I try not to eat out in general (due to financial reasons), so when I do I eat whatever I want, simply because it's so rare. I never reach my daily calorie goal, so I always have some extra stored up for special occasions :)
  • z304
    z304 Posts: 84 Member
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    Dining out- I scope out food options ahead of time if it's possible- much easier with restaurants than special events, but even having a couple options to pick from when I arrive helps me make better choices. Sometimes I get an appetizer plus a side veggie for my meal as a way to get a splurge (fried) food with a limited food size. Especially crab cakes.

    Take out- I have some favorites that I know have options that work for me. Mostly, this is sushi places (because I love sushi and sashimi). DH and I split an appetizer or I get soup and save half for the next day, then I get a roll or two. We get take out more than we should, so we're cutting down on it by grocery shopping based on a list that mixes more complicated meals with meals with very low prep time (like mixing a frozen veggie pack in with one of those skillet meals PF Chang's makes).

    Alcohol- yup to alternating water and drinks in social situations. I also prefer wine and whiskey over sweetened cocktails, which makes it easier to begin with in terms of avoiding added sugars.

    Events & hanging out- I have something like a Quest bar before I leave. Depending on what it is I may have an extra salad or two the days beforehand. I cut down on my munching at events: I try not to do it mindlessly... and it makes shaking hands with new people you meet so much easier (you really start noting when other peoples' hands are sticky or crumb-y) I focus on that, and remind myself that I'm there for the people, not for the (usually not delicious, prepared en masse) food.

  • faye_machine
    faye_machine Posts: 8 Member
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    I tend to keep my caloric intake extremely low on Mon-Thurs, which helps me to cook at home during the work week and not dine out at all. Fri-Sun are my moderate cheat days, so burgers/fries, pizza, etc. Most events/hangouts I have tend to be on the weekends, so they're in line with my cheat days. For alcohol...I'm a whisky drinker, so they're fairly low in calories. But yeah, if you know you're dining out, totally look at their menu ahead of time - a lot of chain restaurants will have calories listed online.
  • NoIdea101NoIdea
    NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
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    See if I can find the nutritional info before hand-if not, I tend to stick to meats such as steak or chicken (especially if it is grilled) with no sauces and salad instead of chips.

    No starter unless everyone else is having one (because I can't stand to be left waiting whilst others are casually eating!) and no dessert.

    Unless it is a special occasion (birthday or something), then I just don't care and go nuts :p
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    beachbebe wrote: »
    What are your best strategies for dining out, take out, alcohol, and celebratory eating?

    I limit the frequency. I eat home made meals during most of the work week and save some calories for the weekend. If it's a weekend where we don't really have plans, I try not to go crazy and I save the splurging for when we have something awesome going on.

    I try to pre-log when possible. I don't have cheat days, but I do decide how many calories over my goal I am comfortable with. I might say, it's a special event, I'm ok with going 500 calories over my goal, and will then make up for it by saving 100 calories over the next 5 days. Kind of like going to a casino...I go there knowing how much cash I'm prepared to lose!
  • glitzy196
    glitzy196 Posts: 190 Member
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    it helps that my husband is also losing weight so we can share things or at least offer support, but if i know its it is coming i plan for it, as i don't want any meal bad enough to set me back 3 or 4 days. It is just not worth it to me. absolute worst case scenario is I eat to maintenance, but I have only done that like 3 times.

    I don't drink. unless I really have a lot of calories, unlikely since i only have 1500. I might have a glass of wine..but I have not since I have been on a diet.

    I know I am going to buffalo wild wings this sunday for a party. my favorite meal is 800 calories, so if I want to eat it (and I do) the rest of my day will be at 700. I will also probably eat 150 less the day before and the day after just because.

    knowledge is power, and not knowing what I was eating is what got me up to 200. I don't believe in cheat meals, but i don't just go crazy either, I eat what I want and make it work. Especially if this is lifestyle changing, I need to know that eating a 3000 calorie meal is bad, because I used to eat a lot of those.
  • FunSizedKJ
    FunSizedKJ Posts: 67 Member
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    For take out or going out, it depends on how planned this was. If I know it early in the day (like a planned date night), I'm very restrictive during the day so that I have max calories available for that meal. Usually I will even plan, in advance, what I'm going to eat and try different combinations to see what will leave me the most satisfied but also remain within, or close, to my numbers. If it is unplanned, it is all about portion sizes, which means there may be times I only allow myself to eat half of the meal we get.

    Alcohol, I guess I'm lucky in the sense that I hate cocktails and mixes. My drinks of choice are usually alcohol+soda water+lemon/lime, which I always as for in a taller glass with a ridiculous amount of ice. It usually amounts to 60-70 calories per drink, which I then record as "snacks" if the drinks are by themselves, or I add it to the meal I had the drink with.

    I've found the biggest thing to remain on track and successful, is to always be planning ahead and everything in moderation. If you have a long way to go weight-wise, like I do, the meal you are currently eating should have been thought out hours in advance. It leaves out the guess work, giving in to temptation, and the "grazing" that can come along with trying to figure out what you want to eat.
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
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    mewilliams11 wrote: »
    I always look at the nutritional information before arriving so that I can plan out what I'm going to eat in advance. It really helps keep me on track!

    For instance, last week I ate at Chili's, so I looked to see what foods would fall into the calorie range that I had left for the day so that I wouldn't go over my daily allowance. The meal I chose was about 650 calories. Then I looked up the nutritional information for the meal that I used to order before starting on MFP & almost passed out when I seen that it contained 3000 calories.. yikes!!

    Exactly this!! and once you see what you used to eat... OMG. Also that old eat before you go so your no so hungry, HA i'll eat it anyway, hungry so very rarely has anything to do with me being overweight.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    Beyond all of the other good suggestions, eat the protein first. Choose a high protein meal and eat all the protein first. That doesn't mean you can't have a bite of your veggies or starch, but protein first. Beyond that, I just don't worry about it. We eat out less than 5 times a month. I know I'm making a good choice when I'm gone and I know I make good choices the rest of the time, so I eat and enjoy.

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