When you are always invited somewhere..

I used to really struggle with this too, OP! You aren't alone - but know that there are ways around it.

Your weight loss journey should absolutely not hinder your social life whatsoever. Sure, you may not be eating the same high calorie foods as your friends, but there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't continue to enjoy your life. I'm not going to repeat what has already been said, but I'd say this - listen to the suggestions and advice that has been given to you - there are some good options here.

Also remember this, you are a human being - not a robot.

Regarding the original post, it is funny because I find it easier to eat less when I go out to eat or eat with friends. When I am by myself that is when I tend to munch and overeat.

Sip on a drink so that you aren't tempted to eat more than you planned. And I like the advice someone gave previously to look for food that really is special and you wouldn't get a chance to eat otherwise.

clgaram720 wrote: »

MarziPanda95 wrote: »

blkandwhite77 wrote: »

Bring your scale. Eat the food but the scale will help you eat in moderation. I know the scale keeps me grounded and not likely to go crazy

Not that I'd judge anyone who does, but... carrying around a scale with you seems a bit OTT.

Hmmm, maybe for some, but like for me as an example, I am way happier knowing that I have logged accurately so I don't find that I haven't lost and go "crap maybe I didn't log accurately". I'm really determined for this to work, and I am highly susceptible to burn out if I'm not seeing results, so it's absolutely necessary for my peace of mind. So I guess it's fair to say my worrying can get over the top, or my motivation, but it really is a great feeling to lose weight on track and know it's because I took the initiative and made sure I held myself accountable, even though dragging my scale around is kind of a pain in the rear. And I never wonder if I've accidentally cheated myself out of calories I totally could have nommed if I had just weighed the darn food;)

Why does the weight of the food matter if you don't know how it was prepared and you don't know the ingredients?

ETA:That would only work if we're talking like "ribeye, 5.5oz", etc. But most restaurants load up on the butter, cream, and oil and you have no idea what's in that pasta, dressing, mashed potatoes, rolls, rice side, sauteed veggies and so on.

Social situations fall into 3 logging categories for me:

-cocktail/open house/hang out type affairs without a sit down meal: I eat before I go, enjoy my friends, probably a glass of wine or two but don't look at the snack food. I'm a believer in partaking of something extraordinary when it is offered, but that is rarely the case at these events, in my experience. Even when catered and the passed hors d'oeuvres look special, they usually taste meh. Whatever I do, I try not to arrive hungry. After a glass of wine I'll be irretrievably in the chips. Game over.

- restaurant dinner: I try to find the menu online, pick something, best guess pre-log (+10g butter), and plan the rest of the day around that. After eating it, I'll adjust what I pre-logged as accurately as I can. Some people put half in a to-go box and weigh it at home to make a more accurate estimate, but I rarely do this. Only twice I can think of when the meal really was twice what I wanted to eat. I usually eat more than half.

- dinner party (or otherwise not pre-loggable): Say the party is Saturday. Know what you're having for dinner Sunday? Log Sunday's dinner Sat. After the party, log the party dinner on Sunday and fit the rest of your Sunday around that. Over the 2 days, it averages out. I rarely do this in maintenance, but when I'm tracking for a deficit as accurately as I can, a "dinner swap" can help.

Cheers!

I would respectfully suggest you owe OP an apology for insinuating her question was juvenile. The vast majority of MFP users have at some point had a problem controlling intake or else they would not be on MFP. Asking others about strategies for implementing new caloric goals and new eating behaviors is what these forums are for. Don't comment if a question doesn't interest you.

Agreed with ahoy! It is unfair and a bit rude to think the OP is faced with such an easy black and white decision. Yes, the OP could meet her goals better (and so would I) if we were to avoid certain social outings or "just control our intake" as you suggested. However, things aren't so easy. Sure I could be at my goal weight if I never went out, never had too many beers, never ate cheese fries after those beers. Yet I would live a boring life at home never going out. The truth is, we are all faced with decisions like these all the time and it is NOT easy to just say I want the perfect body and I will sit here happily while my friends indulge in fatty party food. On top of that, one of the biggest struggles is simply not knowing what is in the food you are eating. I can estimate from a similar entry on MFP, but depending on how it was prepared, I could be off by a factor of 100% or more.

To everyone else that has commented on here with helpful responses, thank you! I am a very social person and my outings almost always revolve around food and alcohol. There are some good tips in here that I can't wait to try out this weekend!

I have this same problem, I started making or buying my own snacks and bringing them along to parties! Bringing extra snacks to a get together is always appreciated so I always bring enough to share, but most of the time people aren't super interested in my healthy snacks so I can gorge myself on them which keeps me from eating too much of the less healthy snacks!

When it comes to booze I've just tried drinking healthier, I don't want to drink any less, so I've been drinking more vodka sodas instead of other cocktails or beer.

Initiate activities with your friends which are not focused around food and alcohol.

Make friends who are interested in doing fun things which are not food-centric.

I love to go out dancing--it's active and fun. Generally there are opportunities to eat or drink if you want to, but 95% of the time, I just choose not to indulge. Nobody cares.

Lots of other good strategies have been mentioned. One more to add--just take a drink, hold it and don't drink it. If your hands look occupied, people will leave you alone about eating or drinking more.

Based on your responses, it sounds like you live a very successful life, in which all your decisions and goals go exactly as planned without set backs?

I find it hard to believe that you've never implemented a decision/goal in your life in which you had a hard time maintaining the goal. Your response was rude, there must have been a more encouraging way you could've stated your response. The whole purpose of a weight loss forum is to ask for advice and support. Reading how others implement their decisions or use self control can be very helpful for someone else.