How do you handle work dinners while on a diet?

It's extremely rare to not be able to find anything at all to fit in my calories from a restaurant or work dinner. Just look for grilled meat (as mentioned) and vegetables.

You have to eat anyway, so just order something light. 2 - 5 pounds is a normal weight fluctuation for me.

If I am cutting and I know i have a work dinner or some other function, I either don't eat or maybe eat an apple or a banana, saving calories for later.

Then I enjoy myself. Get the best tasting stuff.

1 dinner, 1 dessert won't ruin your diet.

I admit I do struggle with this, not the occasional work dinner but usually when I have multi day work travel. It throws me off my routine, involves less activity and more alcohol. It can be a struggle.

I try really hard to get up and exercise in the hotel gym or go walking since it’s often in a new area I might like to explore. I try to keep my breakfast and lunch light just like I would at home and say no to any extra snacks that may pop up in the afternoons.
At dinner, again when I’m really focused - I try to wait till dinner to order my first alcoholic beverage instead of getting one at the bar before dinner. That’s a slippery slope. And I try to order as if I’m spending my own money not the company’s - where as a lot of people see a work dinner as a chance to order starters, mains and dessert as well as high end alcohol simply because someone else is paying the bill.

These are the things I try to do but I’m not always successful on multi day trips!

I treat it like any other high calorie special meal, I monitor my calories and do an extra 20-30 minutes on the elliptical.

If it's a restaurant that I would really enjoy - then I eat less at lunch and then at dinner enjoy myself going up to around maintenance calories that day. I usually do that for fun about 1/week anyway (usually Friday night), so this might take the place of that splurge meal that week. If it's somewhere that I'm just "meh" about (not worth splurging), then I'll eat pretty normally at lunch and order something light at the restaurant (almost everywhere has a "light" / "heart healthy" part of the menu anymore with things like grilled chicken + veggies for about 500 cals). If there's nothing light, then portion control - cut things in half when you set out to eat, etc.

DancingMoosie wrote: »

When I was losing, I literally went to the park and ran for an hour the day before my birthday dinner, to make room for the calories. You just have to plan for it, make adjustments through the week, do extra exercise, order smarter, whatever works for you to maintain your deficit. And also realize these things come up throughout losing and maintaining.

That's crazy ! XD

I check their menu for the healthiest choices and then I plan it to be my OMAD day and truly seize the celebration!

When eating out, I almost always order an appetizer as my entree. I've noticed quite a few others doing this, as well. So I don't really feel awkward about it. My favorite choice is a caprese salad app.

What do you mean by an appetiser as your entree?

Aren't appetiser and entree the same thing?

If you know where you're going, you could plan your order ahead of time. If it's catered, eat as members have suggested.

Meals aren't really an issue for me going to events, rather alcoholic beverages are, where my muscles feel strained (sluggish, not at optimal level for me) the day after . You're on a learning curve ... A little weight fluctuation from one night Isn't permanent.

@purple4sure05 thanks for the update! I was about to post my tips, and read that you already made it thru your event! (I don't think I was going to advise "eat fried food" though, so you wouldn't have needed my advice, anyway!)

CSARdiver wrote: »

With the rise of wellness plans I've noticed many companies notify in advance the location so calorie counters & meal planners can do their research.

Keep in mind it's just one meal and meaningless in the scope of a year of budgeting. The purpose of this is socializing, so focus on that. Take small portions and sample a bit. Drink water. Order club soda or low cal in place high cal alcohol & other beverages.

Honestly at my work I do this ahead not so much for other calorie counters (though I am one) but for folks with dietary restrictions - vegetarian, halal, food allergies, etc - it helps be more inclusive if we can ensure we're going somewhere everyone can actually have meal options that's going to work for them, so discussing the place ahead helps.

paperpudding wrote: »

Dreamwa1ker wrote: »

paperpudding wrote: »

What do you mean by an appetiser as your entree?

Aren't appetiser and entree the same thing?

In the US, Entree = Main course. As I've traveled more I have come to realize we Americans are the odd ones in this respect, as it seems for most of the rest of the world (and indeed the original French meaning) Entree = starter/app :-) So I'm assuming this person meant ordering a starter only instead of having a main, and going lighter that way.

Really?

I never knew anywhere considered entree and main meal the same thing.
Learn something new every day

Here, in Australia, entree means a small dish (or sometimes soup) you have before the main meal - as does appetiser.
Used interchangably, although I would say entree more common term, at least where I live.

although, thinking about it, appetisers is sometimes used for a collection of little things served before sitting down to the meal - say, at a wedding where you might have plates of finger food appetisers offered in the garden before coming inside to sit down at the table.
Entree is more a small dish as part of the sit down meal.

Canadian here.
In a wedding or more formal setting we almost always refer to the little finger foods as hors d’œuvres.
At a casual setting (house party), or restaurant we call them (or chips and dips and other light things) appetizers or “appies.”
Entrée = main dish here when the word is mentioned. But we tend to say something along the lines of “I’ll have such and such to start, and then this for my main.”
But if you say entree we know the person means main not appetizer.

Canada is a super weird language mix of British and French with American culture influence.