Thinking ahead
melissajayne1980
Posts: 12 Member
Through my church, I attend a bible study group that has a communal meal together. Sometimes our host prepares a meal for all of us, but more often than not we all bring a mish mash of items and therefore sometimes I have no idea as to what I am eating and the options of eating healthy are usually limited and I have no clue as to what I am going to be eating each time I attend. Usually there is a salad available, but I don't want to load up on salad, so as to make sure everybody attending gets some. And I usually I tend to have multiple helpings of the things I liked and usually grab a little of each the first time around. I probably won't be meeting with my group for about another month so I want to have some tips ahead of time before we start meeting again.
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Bring a salad with some protein in it. When you are making it, weigh your own portion, put it in a separate tupperware. Eat that and avoid everything else. Add some fruit if you like. Just because everyone makes and brings something doesn't mean you have to eat it.
If anyone asks about it just say you are committed to your weight loss or healthy lifestyle. Or say it's the extra you made.0 -
In fact, it doesn't have to be salad, make a casserole or whatever, but weigh your portion and keep it separate.0
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or you could eat before you go and take what you want, i doubt anyone will say anything, but if they do, just say, "i'm not very hungry, i just ate"0
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Have single servings of the things that look the most low calories. Take only one plate of food. Eat a little less during the day. Eat at home and either don't eat there or just munch on some of the salad (not all salads are low cal, some rival large burgers in terms of calories). Bring your lower cal meal, then some veggies. There are a lot of options.
If it only happens once a month, maybe just eat what you want (not gorge yourself). One day in a month won't hurt your progress much at all. If it's weekly then try some of the above tips.
When you get home try to guess at the cals you ate (using generic entries on mfp) and if you went quite a bit over you can just eat a little less (a LITTLE less) in the next few days to make up for it. This is why I go by weekly cals not daily cals, so I can have a high cal meal without it messing up my calories for the week.0 -
melissajayne1980 wrote: »Through my church, I attend a bible study group that has a communal meal together. Sometimes our host prepares a meal for all of us, but more often than not we all bring a mish mash of items and therefore sometimes I have no idea as to what I am eating and the options of eating healthy are usually limited and I have no clue as to what I am going to be eating each time I attend. Usually there is a salad available, but I don't want to load up on salad, so as to make sure everybody attending gets some. And I usually I tend to have multiple helpings of the things I liked and usually grab a little of each the first time around. I probably won't be meeting with my group for about another month so I want to have some tips ahead of time before we start meeting again.
Some suggestions:
1) have one helping of the things you like. Don't go back for seconds. Be selective and have small portions.
2) bring something you know is low-cal. That might be a salad (but as mentioned above, some salads aren't low cal, so you'll need to check that), or a plate of raw veggies, or a plate of fruit, or some other choice.
3) exercise a bit more than usual during the day.
4) eat a little bit less than usual during the day.
5) over the next month, make an effort to learn what "one serving" looks like with various foods. That might help give you an idea how much of each item to take.
6) drink black coffee or tea ... or water ... don't drink your calories.
7) avoid dressings, dips, sauces, etc. ... those things are often loaded with calories.
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Talk to your study group and ask if you guys can change the type of food being served.
Make it apart of your studies. Feeding your body with good food, health foods. Learn to love the natural foods God has given us.
God is apart of my weight loss. I prayer to him when things get tough. I ask for Strength when I am exercising.
I hope this helps.
Remember to speak up for your self.
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It happens twice a month and I don't want to appear rude and not eat anything or have something set aside for just myself. And I can't afford a food scale at this time, as I am on a low income and haven't worked since the end of June but will be back at work within the next few weeks for both of the jobs that I work at. And no I am not going to ask my group to change the foods that they bring.0
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Moderation will be key here.0
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Just remember uncontrolled eating like this is what got you where you are, with the rest of us tring to lose. Why not ask everyone to support healthy eating and post at least calorie and sodium content of their dishes.0
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melissajayne1980 wrote: »It happens twice a month and I don't want to appear rude and not eat anything or have something set aside for just myself. And I can't afford a food scale at this time, as I am on a low income and haven't worked since the end of June but will be back at work within the next few weeks for both of the jobs that I work at. And no I am not going to ask my group to change the foods that they bring.
If you aren't prepared to do anything about it (not eat, eat less, bring something for yourself, bring a food scale, ask the group to change what they bring) then I'm not sure what you want us to tell you?0 -
its not Rude to ask. there are a lot of people at my church who are on different diets for different reasons
people are understanding and your church would want the Best for you.
maybe you are not ready to start changing your life your habits. my friend stopped her weight loss because she got a Job and with 4 kids and a husband she had to put it a hold until she is more stable and until she gets into a routine.
maybe start with researching weight loss and have an understanding of what you need to do in your life to change it for the better.0 -
MysticRealm wrote: »melissajayne1980 wrote: »It happens twice a month and I don't want to appear rude and not eat anything or have something set aside for just myself. And I can't afford a food scale at this time, as I am on a low income and haven't worked since the end of June but will be back at work within the next few weeks for both of the jobs that I work at. And no I am not going to ask my group to change the foods that they bring.
If you aren't prepared to do anything about it (not eat, eat less, bring something for yourself, bring a food scale, ask the group to change what they bring) then I'm not sure what you want us to tell you?
Why would I bring something for myself, when everybody else is sharing food? It's not like I am celiac or have a nut allergy, where I would have to be very careful and would have to very careful as to what I did eat. I am not trying to be crass, but I really don't want to appear to be rude to the individuals coming to the group by either showing up late or bringing a food scale or bringing my food or insisting that everybody else bring healthy items (I should say that probably most of the food that is brought is probably fairly healthy).0 -
use a smaller plate?
aim to be the last person to finish. that way it will take you long to eat or do most of the talking. if you are like me and talk too much maybe try to not eat when someone is talking to you.
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melissajayne1980 wrote: »MysticRealm wrote: »melissajayne1980 wrote: »It happens twice a month and I don't want to appear rude and not eat anything or have something set aside for just myself. And I can't afford a food scale at this time, as I am on a low income and haven't worked since the end of June but will be back at work within the next few weeks for both of the jobs that I work at. And no I am not going to ask my group to change the foods that they bring.
If you aren't prepared to do anything about it (not eat, eat less, bring something for yourself, bring a food scale, ask the group to change what they bring) then I'm not sure what you want us to tell you?
Why would I bring something for myself, when everybody else is sharing food? It's not like I am celiac or have a nut allergy, where I would have to be very careful and would have to very careful as to what I did eat. I am not trying to be crass, but I really don't want to appear to be rude to the individuals coming to the group by either showing up late or bringing a food scale or bringing my food or insisting that everybody else bring healthy items (I should say that probably most of the food that is brought is probably fairly healthy).
Again I repeat my question. If you are not willing to do anything about it then I'm not sure what you want us to tell you?0 -
If everyone brings a dish, this would be a great way to bring your own low calorie something. And you don't have to eat everything that is offered. Im super picky, so rarely when there is a pot luck type event do i find myself with more than 2 or 3 things on my plate. Not one person ever has said "hey i noticed you didn't eat things 4,5,6, and 7..or whatever"
Learning to control the urge to get seconds would be a great place to start.0 -
Take a spoonful of each dish and put them all on one plate without overloading it.
That way you can compliment everyone on their food, and only eat a plateful.0 -
If everyone brings a dish, this would be a great way to bring your own low calorie something. And you don't have to eat everything that is offered. Im super picky, so rarely when there is a pot luck type event do i find myself with more than 2 or 3 things on my plate. Not one person ever has said "hey i noticed you didn't eat things 4,5,6, and 7..or whatever"
Learning to control the urge to get seconds would be a great place to start.
which is where i'm going to start0 -
melissajayne1980 wrote: »MysticRealm wrote: »melissajayne1980 wrote: »It happens twice a month and I don't want to appear rude and not eat anything or have something set aside for just myself. And I can't afford a food scale at this time, as I am on a low income and haven't worked since the end of June but will be back at work within the next few weeks for both of the jobs that I work at. And no I am not going to ask my group to change the foods that they bring.
If you aren't prepared to do anything about it (not eat, eat less, bring something for yourself, bring a food scale, ask the group to change what they bring) then I'm not sure what you want us to tell you?
Why would I bring something for myself, when everybody else is sharing food? It's not like I am celiac or have a nut allergy, where I would have to be very careful and would have to very careful as to what I did eat. I am not trying to be crass, but I really don't want to appear to be rude to the individuals coming to the group by either showing up late or bringing a food scale or bringing my food or insisting that everybody else bring healthy items (I should say that probably most of the food that is brought is probably fairly healthy).
Read my post below.
I'm not suggesting you show up late, or bring a food scale, or bring your own food, or insist that everyone else bring healthy items.
You've already said you have multiple helpings of thing things you like ... an easy choice would be to stop doing that. It doesn't cost you anything and it is polite.
If it is a situation where "we all bring a mish mash of items" ... then you can bring healthy choices.
And these days, all sorts of people have allergies or intolerances ... in just about every crowd there's someone who is a vegetarian, or gluten free, or sugar free, or who suffers from a peanut allergy. It's OK to decline food for one reason or another. We don't have to eat everything on offer at these sorts of functions ... in fact the beauty of these sorts of functions is that we can pick and choose what suits us.
I'm not a huge fan of meat, for example, it really depends what it is and how it is done. So if there were a lot of meat dishes at a potluck, I might only have a bit of one or two, because that might be all that appealed to me.melissajayne1980 wrote: »Through my church, I attend a bible study group that has a communal meal together. Sometimes our host prepares a meal for all of us, but more often than not we all bring a mish mash of items and therefore sometimes I have no idea as to what I am eating and the options of eating healthy are usually limited and I have no clue as to what I am going to be eating each time I attend. Usually there is a salad available, but I don't want to load up on salad, so as to make sure everybody attending gets some. And I usually I tend to have multiple helpings of the things I liked and usually grab a little of each the first time around. I probably won't be meeting with my group for about another month so I want to have some tips ahead of time before we start meeting again.
Some suggestions:
1) have one helping of the things you like. Don't go back for seconds. Be selective and have small portions.
2) bring something you know is low-cal. That might be a salad (but as mentioned above, some salads aren't low cal, so you'll need to check that), or a plate of raw veggies, or a plate of fruit, or some other choice.
3) exercise a bit more than usual during the day.
4) eat a little bit less than usual during the day.
5) over the next month, make an effort to learn what "one serving" looks like with various foods. That might help give you an idea how much of each item to take.
6) drink black coffee or tea ... or water ... don't drink your calories.
7) avoid dressings, dips, sauces, etc. ... those things are often loaded with calories.
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Bring your own healthy choice (salad or fruit), fill half your plate with it, then take smaller portions of what you like in the mish mash of other choices. Don't load your plate down, just a reasonable size plate. Eat it and don't go back for more.0
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I think I would eat before I left, to make it easy to be a light eater there. Also consider skipping desserts. If your gatherings are like any kind that I have gone to there will be a main dish, a cheesy casserole or two and 73 variations of cake, cookies, and pie. If people do the checklist thing and want everybody to try some of their dish, the best way to not offend is to skip them all.
If anybody asks, tell them you are cutting the sweets. To any further protests, say "you are so nice to think of me, thank you, but no." No drawn out discussions, no anti diet rationalisation, no accepting this one isn't that bad, just thank you but no. The only polite response to a kind but firm no, is to accept it. If somebody continues to push after that, it is their behavior issue. You don't need to need to ruin your diet because one person responded to you rudely. One key to making this work is doing it consistently for at least 3 or 4 meetings in a row. By then people will see that you mean what you say, and will stop bothering you about it. They will already know what to expect, and won't be surprised.
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Also, when encountered with the big table with every baked goods imaginable, I find that I don't want to choose just one, but really want to taste all of them. When I do that, I end up with a dinner plate full of dessert. If I look around I find that I'm really about the only person to do that, and it's an issue with me wanting it all, rather than an issue of other people getting offended.0
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Also, when encountered with the big table with every baked goods imaginable, I find that I don't want to choose just one, but really want to taste all of them. When I do that, I end up with a dinner plate full of dessert. If I look around I find that I'm really about the only person to do that, and it's an issue with me wanting it all, rather than an issue of other people getting offended.
Yes!
I've even selected just 2 things (and left the other 71 items on the table ... you're so right with your description in the post above
), then had a look around only to see that just about everyone else in the room selected 1 thing.
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You can guess on the calories. Just eat small amounts. One day out of the month won't sink your diet.
You can also eat before you go and just have a little salad.
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melissajayne1980 wrote: »Through my church, I attend a bible study group that has a communal meal together. Sometimes our host prepares a meal for all of us, but more often than not we all bring a mish mash of items and therefore sometimes I have no idea as to what I am eating and the options of eating healthy are usually limited and I have no clue as to what I am going to be eating each time I attend. Usually there is a salad available, but I don't want to load up on salad, so as to make sure everybody attending gets some. And I usually I tend to have multiple helpings of the things I liked and usually grab a little of each the first time around. I probably won't be meeting with my group for about another month so I want to have some tips ahead of time before we start meeting again.
If you get some salad, and moderate portions of the food you like (don't overload your plate), and don't go back around, you'll be fine
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melissajayne1980 wrote: »MysticRealm wrote: »melissajayne1980 wrote: »It happens twice a month and I don't want to appear rude and not eat anything or have something set aside for just myself. And I can't afford a food scale at this time, as I am on a low income and haven't worked since the end of June but will be back at work within the next few weeks for both of the jobs that I work at. And no I am not going to ask my group to change the foods that they bring.
If you aren't prepared to do anything about it (not eat, eat less, bring something for yourself, bring a food scale, ask the group to change what they bring) then I'm not sure what you want us to tell you?
Why would I bring something for myself, when everybody else is sharing food? It's not like I am celiac or have a nut allergy, where I would have to be very careful and would have to very careful as to what I did eat. I am not trying to be crass, but I really don't want to appear to be rude to the individuals coming to the group by either showing up late or bringing a food scale or bringing my food or insisting that everybody else bring healthy items (I should say that probably most of the food that is brought is probably fairly healthy).
It seems to me like you care a little bit too much about what people think. Why should you sacrifice your health goals just so you don't "appear rude"? Focus on your health. If this is a church group, I'm sure people will be understanding and if they aren't, maybe they need to study the bible a little harder.
Also with that in mind, if the food being brought is fairly healthy I wouldn't worry about it too much.0
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