Social life since starting diet

Yeah always, can't go for drinks, meals or anywhere and everyone seems to like you that bit less when dieting, especially when you don't take part in stuff because of it.

I've lost 68 pounds continuing to go out to eat and drink and such--I suggest weekly calorie counts v. daily for that.

I mean, you certainly don't HAVE to, but I knew early on that I needed this to be something maintainable, and for me, not going out with friends a couple times a month is not sustainable.

I do, however, have dinner parties! I do the cooking. That helps.

Yeah 47lbs down so far and haven't changed my eating habits all that much aside from portion sizes and some choices. But I still regularly have take out and went out for brunch for a birthday today which included delicious delicious cake. I just ate light the rest of the day and it still fits within my goals. My losses have only slowed when I've done so intentionally, during diet breaks when I have no deficit or at Christmas when I took a few days off completely and gained a little.

If you don't learn how to manage your weight within the context of your life then you're going to have a hard time sustaining the losses and then maintaining. Working out how to navigate your social life is part of the learning curve.

My social life increased.

Yes. Every time I am losing weight, I see my friends less often. My friends like to drink, drink, drink... and on the day after, I get so hungover that I can't exercise or eat as healthily as usual. And then I am stuck playing catch-up for two or three days! Occasionally I will go out with them and limit myself to 1-2 drinks, or sticking to vodka/soda water, or not eating anything from a foodtruck, or ordering a bunless burger or salad at a restaurant, etc... but it's easier for me just to not go.

If I plan it into my day ahead of time, that helps. I can allot 500-800 calories for going out or whatever. But on a day like today, when I just got home from a long day at work, and I am only going to have 500 more calories for dinner... it's like... yeah, I should just stay home. If I go, I'll regret the extra calories... or worse, I'll go out and not drink and be boring!

So yeah, I feel you. The struggle is real.

Your social life will increase once you lose the weight and end up in shape. This is like adults who don't party on the weekends and instead focus on their school or career. Down the road it is the person who sacrificed their time that ends up with the most rewards. If you really care about being social then your best bet is to find a balance. Every minute your hanging out their is someone who is doing something productive and will reap the benefits later.

No, I don't let food dictate the fun I have. If I go out to a restaurant, I order either lighter fare options or a save up calories for a regular menu item. I look up fast food and restaurant nutrition info beforehand if I know where I'm going. If I'm going to a party, I try to be mindful, have a small piece of birthday cake, etc, I log it and move on. I'm not about to give up my life over something as silly as food. Life too short to keep saying "I can't eat that, I'm on a diet". Pfft, whatever. In the grand scheme of things, even if I go over my calories, or even my maintenance calories, it's not like I'm going to gain the 78 lbs I've lost back. It's only when you treat 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year like a party that you run into problems.

I go out with friends and family all the time. I don't drink and am the DD (designated driver) as well as the overseer making sure no one gets hurt or overboard from drinking. And food.................eat what you like, just don't over eat.
One doesn't have to avoid friends and parties. Think about it, when you get to goal, are you still going to do that?

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

Scamd83 wrote: »

I'm not a sociable person, dieting has made zero difference to my social life.

I go to the grocery store more often, is that being social?

I think it's sad that someone so young is putting her social life on hold because she's trying to lose weight.

Eating out with friends and family is part of life. Unless you want to avoid social situations forever, you have to learn to incorporate them into your plan, There are many ways you can do this:

• Eat less during the day, saving your calories for when you go out;
• Exercise more that day, earning some more calories;
• When it comes to alcohol, limit yourself to one drink, then switch to seltzer or plain water;
• Eat half of your entree and take the rest home.

Giving up something that is so easily managed is a bit extreme, IMO. Weight loss should be a part of your life, not your whole life. No need to hide yourself away while you're losing.

yes, i feel your pain

I've actually found my social life has just changed - my friends circle has shifted some to people who prefer to go out for a hike or pack a picnic to go to a winery, instead of people who want to hang out at the bar or burger joint all the time. I see it as a positive as I'm spending more time with people who have similar lifestyle goals. Not to say I've ditched the bar or burgers, but it is much less frequent.

my social life is actually better than before. But I actually made sure the close friends and family I usually hang out with know of the changes I'm trying to do in my life and are extremely supportive of me. My health is more important to them than the fact that I have to limit my intake of certain foods and had to ban alcohol completely (liver problems at far too young an age).

The game afternoons/evenings now include veggies and dip with homemade ice teas as snacks instead of chips and beer. We go for walks along the river for gossip times instead of the café where we'd eat cakes and drink overly sweet coffee drinks. The stop at the McDonalds is still included on the move night out, but instead of getting a meal per person, we end up sharing a bunch of nuggets and fries between the group. We'll meet a someone's flat and cook together instead of going to the restaurant.

Close friends and family should understand that you need to change something for the sake of your health.

Scamd83 wrote: »

I'm not a sociable person, dieting has made zero difference to my social life.

Lol yep. Except Holidays, and I just don't really care about calories those days anyway and enjoy the food!