Eating out, traveling, and potlucks

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Jbarbo01
Jbarbo01 Posts: 240 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've started to find that losing the last 30 lbs is harder than the first, like many do. A couple of things seem to get in my way both psychologically and physically and that is situations where I am not preparing my food. I get so stressed out by those situations and they happen fairly often.

How do you count calories while at parties or potlucks? I know consistency and weighing food is key, that is all over the message boards. What about when you go to a friends house for a potluck or BBQ, you don't always know how the food was prepared and I dont feel comfortable bringing measuring cups and a food scale haha. I usually feel deflated by these situations, what have you done to still count as closely as possible? Do you only eat a dish you bring or do you eat ahead of time and not eat at all or just "do your best"?

Same goes with staying at a friends house while traveling or going out to eat at a restaurant that isnt in the database, what tips or tricks have worked for you?




Replies

  • eileensofianmushinfine
    eileensofianmushinfine Posts: 303 Member
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    when these things happen, try to estimate to the best of your ability, choose something comparable from the MFP database, log it and move on.
  • sudmom
    sudmom Posts: 202 Member
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    I try to do the best I can at parties and potlucks. Stick to lean meats, fresh vegggies and only one plate. Dish it up and make a mental calculation on how many calories you are eating. (If you can't figure it out, try to log in MFP after the party for estimates-the more you do it, the easier it gets.) You can log it in MFP as a quick ad. Typically I can get pretty close. Get into the habit of finding out what restaurant you are going to and looking at the menu ahead of time and picking out what dish you want. Most menus on line will give you the calories and fat content. Most of my friends and family are very understanding about trying to eat healthier and are more than willing to accomidate. Good Luck!
  • clh72569
    clh72569 Posts: 280 Member
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    I try to plan some extra exercise and eat light the day of the event to save some calories. If the food is great then I eat slowly, a little bit of everything, with sips of water between bites. If the food is average, I'll eat fruit and salad. For eating out, try the restaurant website to pre-plan your meal. If they have no website then you will just have to estimate. And then I usually over-estimate.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    At parties and potlucks, I fill half my plate with salad, a quarter with the protein and a quarter for the carb. I usually pick one carb; either the bun or the pasta but not both. I'll pick fruit and one tid-bit for dessert.

    At restaurants, typically half the plate is a decent portion. I put the rest in a take-out container. When my discipline was lower, I used to ask for the take-out container right after my meal is served and put it away. Calorie counting gets easier as I take the chain restaurant calorie count for that meal and count half.

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