Socializing...

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timeforachange2011
timeforachange2011 Posts: 155
in Motivation and Support
Have you ever noticed that socializing revolves mostly around food??? Just wondering, what are some of the other ways MFP members socialize besides meeting friends/family for a meal?? Would love some ideas! :) Thanks all!

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  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    I guess it's easier to do it in the summer, but meet at a beach? Or go out for a drink instead of dinner? My friends and I often just hang out in the living room together.
  • jujubean1992
    jujubean1992 Posts: 462 Member
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    i wish i could help with this one but my social events generally revolve around food, with my friends and family...
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    tough question as this is a common thread among all of humanity and has been since the beginning of time
  • Dornroschen
    Dornroschen Posts: 178 Member
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    To be quite honest - and I realize it probably won't be considered "facing the problem" or whatever - I have told my close friends that I will no longer be going to any social events that don't involve some sort of calorie-burning activity. Dinner and a bike ride. Drinks and a long walk. This is because I can't be trusted to make the proper choices when I'm out to dinner or even out for drinks.

    For instance, every couple months we usually have a "Girls' Day" where we go to the Cheesecake Factory, order a bunch of appetizers and drinks to share, and then go see a girly movie. This upcoming one, we're doing a bike ride after the movie and we're going to do a picnic lunch instead of the sodium-rich, calorie-high temptations at CF!

    I realize that someday I'll have to be strong enough to make the right choices on my own, but for now, I just need to get on track.
  • ninyagwa
    ninyagwa Posts: 341 Member
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    Well I like to make it about the thing we're doing not the food, but there may still be food involved, I met up with a friend the other day, and we went for a hike, but we packed some bagels to eat when we reached a certain point, but nothing too high in calories....not sure what other advise to offer.
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    Drugs?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Does Beer Pong and Flip Cup count as calorie burning activities? :wink:

    I did sustain a sports-related neck strain injury during a particularly grueling match of Flip Cup.
  • Collinsky
    Collinsky Posts: 593 Member
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    I usually don't have too much trouble staying around the 1200-net calorie mark, but I'm definitely finding that it's tough when a social occasion is involved. Plus all my friends are moms, so if you have a bad day, they're like, "You want us to bring some food over? You want some brownies?" Which is awesome, to have a community that is so supportive... but I'm not finding it easy to remember to not reach for the food in front of me when we're chatting.

    We went to a summer party at a friends' today, and I blew about 2000 calories there. "Just one more deviled egg" and "I'd love another piece of cake" sure does add up. Ridiculous. I've decided that next time, I'll definitely be bringing my own water bottle, to help me avoid the temptation to drink lemonade, but I'm not sure what to do about the food. Eating before you go might help, but honestly, the automatic eating at social gatherings is ...well, it's automatic. It's what we're conditioned to do, for a whole lot of really great reasons that just happen to backfire in these times of constant plenty.

    For occasions that happen once every three months or so, I can write that off as "feasting" and just trust that our bodies can cope with it. But for things that happen more frequently - playdates, mom's nights, etc etc, I don't think the system is made for quite that much feasting. Making better choices is more important for things that happen more often... not sure how to manage it quite yet, though.
  • reusky
    reusky Posts: 5
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    Really good topic. I certainly don't have the answer, but in the end I think it's a balance of adopting a new lifestyle without being afraid to live life. Like a prior post said, if it's a truly special occassion go ahead and indulge and just get right back on the wagon the next day. It's those everyday type "special" activities that you have to watch out for. My thoughts are to plan, plan, plan; balance your calorie indulgence with light meals the rest of the day, work in some excercise, and you'll be fine!
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
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    I have noticed this and honestly at first it was hard because it seemed like food and bad food was all over! Now it's to the point to where people know how I am and respect the fact that I won't be inhaling food like I used to :)
  • KickassYas
    KickassYas Posts: 397 Member
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    we hike now hit the parks go play Disc Golf go play pinball go to a concert we find ways. i have to now because if i'm around food i'll eat it.
  • timeforachange2011
    timeforachange2011 Posts: 155
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    thanks for all the ideas everyone! :) I thought of:
    Going to the dog park (I have 3 dogs so this is sort of a natural for me)..haha.
    Window shopping/power walking in the mall
    Meeting for coffee instead of a whole meal
    The other thing that I have started doing...which I used to hate: Custom ordering my food in the restaurant. As in, ordering steamed broccoli plain, salad dressing on the side or not at all, ordering my steak/fish/chicken without oil/butter. My friends do look at me a little weird but in the end it saves a TON of calories for me and I can still go out every once in a while without totaling going overboard. :smile:
    Have a great day everyone! Keep those ideas coming!
  • paul87920
    paul87920 Posts: 165 Member
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    I opt for going out to coffee instead of going out to dinner. I also like going out to lunch instead of dinner. You get smaller lunch portions, better prices, and a chance to redeem yourself with exercise.

    One of the hardest lessons I've had to learn is that I can't force the others around me to change too, and more often than not I was using that as an excuse. It's very easy to say "Well I'd make better choices if the people around me did too."

    I think I'd be able to offer better suggestions if I knew what specific group you're having the most trouble with. Is it friends, family, co-workers, or church congregation?
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    I hear you. It's the same way for me! And I can't even blame other people, usually the first thing that I think about when people want to hang out with me is, "What will we eat? And where?"
  • SpectacuLaura
    SpectacuLaura Posts: 144 Member
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    This is such a hard milestone to get through. I feel like I do really well with this for awhile and then say "what the hell" and go for it on bigger, special events with friends and feel awful afterward. The only advice I can give is to not go out to any sort of event absolutely starving (eat some beforehand), take it easy on the drinks (my absolute biggest problem!), and just muscle your way through it with sheer willpower. When you go home at the end of the evening, the high you get from knowing you resisted temptation and had a great night with friends without pigging out is worth the torture you have to endure in the moment. There is just simply no easy way- you have to commit to this lifestyle and be an example in your social group without being preachy or annoying about it.
  • SmileeBarbFLA
    SmileeBarbFLA Posts: 138
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    Have you ever noticed that socializing revolves mostly around food??? Just wondering, what are some of the other ways MFP members socialize besides meeting friends/family for a meal?? Would love some ideas! :) Thanks all!

    Yes they do of course!!! But, if you are watching your health, weight, your friends could/should understand that and support you. What I've done in the past (when I lost 50 lbs and now that I'm on MFP to lose the rest and get over my plateau) is that I eat before I go so I'm not starving and drawn to all the bad choices, chips, pizza, etc. If its a gathering where everyone brings a dish, make sure you bring the healthy dish, fruit salad, veggie tray, whole wheat crackers w/low fat cheese & grapes or something like that that you know is safe for you to munch on. I've gone to a friend's party just after eating a meal and have a piece of gum in my mouth so I'm not tempted to munch away. It may be tough while you are at the social event but you'll be proud of yourself after instead of regretting pigging out. And with drinks, be careful!!!! Fun fruity/frozen drinks are usually loaded with sugar. For beer, I always drink a Michelob Ultra (95 calories, 2.6g carbs), or anything clear (vodka, gin, rum) with diet soda. Just my suggestions, you can still have fun and be social, just be smart about it!!! :-)
  • Trisha042415
    Trisha042415 Posts: 16 Member
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    This is a great idea! You're right, lunch portions do tend to be smaller and a lot of places offer lunch specials..like 2 for 1 deals. Dinner can be somewhat expensive, depending on where you go, plus you have the temptation to order appetizers and dessert and like you pointed out, after lunch you can always squeeze in a workout or some other form of exercise. I will definitely keep lunch in mind over dinner the next I have a get together :)

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