Counting Calories at Events

matthewjordanfinn
matthewjordanfinn Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All,
I'm looking for strategies when I am counting calories on a day where I know that I am going to a restaurant, event or just a family dinner and I will be uncertain about the serving sizes/dressings/oils, etc. Does anyone just leave a very generous amount of calories remaining for the day? Any better strategies?

Replies

  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,092 Member
    I tend to eat less earlier in the day to save calories for the event. Sometimes I'll bank my calories a few days before by cutting back my calorie total.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    I try to save about 100 calories a day in the week or few days leading up to the event. On the day of event, I try to eat something low cal (salad or fruit) shortly before leaving home to take away some of the hungries before sitting down to a heavier meal. At the event, try to eyeball the amount you eat and log as closely as you can.
    Remember that one day will not make a difference to your progress. You can eat an extra 500 calories in a day and be at maintenance (if set to lose 1 lb/week). One calorie dense meal won't hinder you.
    Enjoy the outing and have fun.
  • matthewjordanfinn
    matthewjordanfinn Posts: 4 Member
    Katmary71 wrote: »
    I tend to eat less earlier in the day to save calories for the event. Sometimes I'll bank my calories a few days before by cutting back my calorie total.

    You'll eat less throughout the week? I thought it was more about day-by-day calories and the weekly number didn't really matter?
  • matthewjordanfinn
    matthewjordanfinn Posts: 4 Member
    PaytraB wrote: »
    I try to save about 100 calories a day in the week or few days leading up to the event. On the day of event, I try to eat something low cal (salad or fruit) shortly before leaving home to take away some of the hungries before sitting down to a heavier meal. At the event, try to eyeball the amount you eat and log as closely as you can.
    Remember that one day will not make a difference to your progress. You can eat an extra 500 calories in a day and be at maintenance (if set to lose 1 lb/week). One calorie dense meal won't hinder you.
    Enjoy the outing and have fun.

    This is interesting, does the calorie number at the end of the week matter more than the calories you have eaten at the end of one day?
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,092 Member
    matthewjordanfinn wrote: »
    Katmary71 wrote: »
    I tend to eat less earlier in the day to save calories for the event. Sometimes I'll bank my calories a few days before by cutting back my calorie total.

    You'll eat less throughout the week? I thought it was more about day-by-day calories and the weekly number didn't really matter?

    For a few days before I'll eat 100-150 calories less. This way I have some leeway the day of the event.

    Now some people track their calories by total of the end of the week. MFP will add up the daily totals to meet that goal. I'm not sure how to change to that, I follow my daily calorie goal.
  • AwesomeOpossum74
    AwesomeOpossum74 Posts: 106 Member
    Sometimes it's hard to calculate my caloric intake when I go to a local (non-franchise) restaurant, or go to an event. I may try to guesstimate the intake based on known brands/foods, but those caloric counts can very greatly. In response, I don't worry too much and just enjoy the meal, but will work on making it up over the next few days if I need to.

    My view: be considerate of your weight goals, but don't forget to enjoy life in the meantime.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited May 2019
    many members look at weekly goals vs daily.

    my cals tend to be low i can’t save 100 over a few days without feeling starved by day 2 which leads to over eating.

    i may skip a snack but also try to avoid showing up hungry as that will also lead to bad food choices.

    for a restaurant some post calorie counts. I try to look at menu and decide ahead what the best option for me will be. i am not a fan of rice/potatoes so will hold those. chose foods that are grilled and such. i have found some great sides on the kids menu. hold things like nuts. don’t triple on proteon (ex: chicken ANd bacon AND cheese AND egg).

    usually limit alocool.

    for family meals i will bring a low cal but good veggy side and then pick and chose from what is there. we have a variety if pickyness (vegetarian, vegan, lactose intollrant..)
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    matthewjordanfinn wrote: »
    PaytraB wrote: »
    I try to save about 100 calories a day in the week or few days leading up to the event. On the day of event, I try to eat something low cal (salad or fruit) shortly before leaving home to take away some of the hungries before sitting down to a heavier meal. At the event, try to eyeball the amount you eat and log as closely as you can.
    Remember that one day will not make a difference to your progress. You can eat an extra 500 calories in a day and be at maintenance (if set to lose 1 lb/week). One calorie dense meal won't hinder you.
    Enjoy the outing and have fun.

    This is interesting, does the calorie number at the end of the week matter more than the calories you have eaten at the end of one day?

    A deficit over time is what causes weight loss. What happens on a single day is only important in how it affects compliance for an individual. You can be over some days under others.
  • hrajotte
    hrajotte Posts: 2 Member
    I search for similar meals and use that info. For example, if I get pizza or a sub from a mom & pop restaurant, I'll use info from Pizza Hut, Subway, Quiznos, etc. If I am at a cookout, I just estimate the portion as reasonably as I can. I might count a burger as 1.5 or 2 portions of a Burger King burger.
    When you dine away from home, avoid mayo and consider mustard instead. Meals described as "breaded," "creamy," and "buttery" are usually high in fat and sodium.
    Salad dressings need consideration. Some can easily add hundreds of calories to a 50-calorie salad. There are many good Light salad dressings. Try some and get some little packets to bring with you. Ken's light Italian is a favorite of mine.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    matthewjordanfinn wrote: »
    PaytraB wrote: »
    I try to save about 100 calories a day in the week or few days leading up to the event. On the day of event, I try to eat something low cal (salad or fruit) shortly before leaving home to take away some of the hungries before sitting down to a heavier meal. At the event, try to eyeball the amount you eat and log as closely as you can.
    Remember that one day will not make a difference to your progress. You can eat an extra 500 calories in a day and be at maintenance (if set to lose 1 lb/week). One calorie dense meal won't hinder you.
    Enjoy the outing and have fun.

    This is interesting, does the calorie number at the end of the week matter more than the calories you have eaten at the end of one day?

    Overall deficit over weeks and months is what matters. Your body doesn't reset at midnight...energy balance or lack thereof happens on a continuum.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    matthewjordanfinn wrote: »
    This is interesting, does the calorie number at the end of the week matter more than the calories you have eaten at the end of one day?

    Sticking to a daily calorie deficite is useful to help us see and learn about our daily intake. It's a good learning tool.
    However, weight loss is about a deficite in the long term. MFP's app has a weekly calorie look at one's intake which is really interesting and I found it helpful in keeping a perspective. Some days I ate over my calorie limit but this weekly look at my intake stopped me from feeling guility. If I overdid a day, I could "make up" the calories over the next week and "catch up". If I had an event to go to, I could "save" some calories for that event. The average was where I wanted it to be for that week and I lost as expected (1 lb/wk).

  • KevinWH87
    KevinWH87 Posts: 74 Member
    I just do my best to estimate what size servings are on my plate, and I try to be a little conservative (so if anything, I overstate what I’ve eaten).

    If the restaurant is part of a chain, it’s worth checking their website to see if nutrition facts are available.
  • cmarangi
    cmarangi Posts: 131 Member
    I have found the easiest way to handle those days is to preplan my day. If I know dinner will be high, I figure out what I will order (sometimes using other restuarants if they don't have info on their meals, I do the best I can to be accurate) and log it before I even eat breakfast. Then I choose the rest of the day around that.

    Most of the time I don't know if I'm eating out days before, plus I am a little OCD about being under my daily goal, it bothers me going over a daily even if I was under for the week. I realize I have issues. :smile:
  • placeboBL
    placeboBL Posts: 62 Member
    matthewjordanfinn wrote: »
    Katmary71 wrote: »
    I tend to eat less earlier in the day to save calories for the event. Sometimes I'll bank my calories a few days before by cutting back my calorie total.

    You'll eat less throughout the week? I thought it was more about day-by-day calories and the weekly number didn't really matter?

    The opposite is actually true. Weekly caloric count is more important than daily. And monthly is more important than weekly. Daily is the easiest way to track, however, so it’s most commonly used.

    For example, if you were to overeat by 3000 calories in a single day but were “really good” for the other six days that week and had a 500 calorie deficit for each, you would still be at maintenance, despite having six good days. So weekly is very much more important.

    If you were to “save calories” throughout the week leading up to a big event, say 150 a day, that’s 900 extra calories that week that you can enjoy and still hit your weekly goal.

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