How to fully enjoy/prepare for a meal/celebration?

I work out my calories weekly and so this allows for treats at the weekend, it takes away the guilt and the risk of binging, as long as I stay in my weekly goal I still lose weight, I weigh each Friday so any water weight I have gained from alcohol or carbs has gone by the time I weigh the next Friday x

resiIient wrote: »

*snip* Let’s say I know I’m going to go out and have a big meal/entree, appetizer and dessert (cake slice)...is there a way to plan for it? I think if I know I’m not sabotaging my entire week, I’ll enjoy the meal more. Ideally I’d get something and count it, but my family wants to get certain things and I don’t want to be too annoying or OCD (yes I know I am).

Is there a way to prepare? Small breakfast and lunch?

Wear beltless pants that stretch? 🤷🏿‍♀️

As a recent birthday celebrant, I put in a bit more exercise than usual earlier in the day (walked further than my average) to "account" for the cake, the chips, the brownie, the...anyhooo

But this accounting approach is barely necessary with a healthy/ier relationship to food and exercise.

Kudos on being so close to your goal! You seem to have it together yet perhaps be more gentle with yourself when it comes to the thoughts you ascribe to how and when you eat or exercise?

And happy birthday!!

You worry about slowing down your progress towards your goal but unless you have a competition to make weight for or surgery that requires a certain weight loss whether you achieve it this week or next is largely irrelevant. There will always be times to celebrate with food and delicious food should be enjoyed as well as the time with friends and family. You can't get the time back. Also once you hit your goal maintenance is not so dissimilar and you have to be mindful of what you eat.

Learn to trust your body and the process. Enjog a little of what you love and don't feel guilty.

oh, love your profile pic, epic!

This will be a two-branch reply, so bear with me.

Personally, because I'm fundamentally a hedonist at heart (and palate), I take my birthday and certain holidays as days to eat freely, to enjoyment. When I was losing weight, I did my best to estimate the calories, and put them in MFP.

Now in year 5 of maintenance, I've learned that the impact of a RARE over-maintenance day (even way-over-maintenance day) is not a big deal**. Usually, it has less impact (on the scale) than I'd expect from the raw calorie estimate, once the misleading, immediate, inevitable multi-pound water weight drops off the scale. Usually, I'm back at or pretty close to my starting weight within a week, though the timing for water weight shedding varies by person.

HOWEVER, if you feel compelled to compensate, there are some moderate things you can do. Some have been suggested above. Certainly, eating lightly at other meals on the day, taking some of the serving home, ordering something you enjoy but not unnecessarily piling on every last caloric option available, etc. - those are options. Don't pick someplace boring and easy: On your birthday, especially, enjoy what you eat.

If you feel less hungry the next day (but NOT if you don't), you can eat a bit more lightly the next day. (If you feel normal, not less hungry, eat your normal amount. Don't set up a binge/restrict cycle.)

If you feel like it, bank a VERY SMALL number of additional calories daily in the days before the event, for no more than maybe a week. I'm talking like 100-150 calories daily, not hundreds and hundreds. Pay attention to your energy level, if you do this, don't tank it.

If you enjoy it, add some active PLAY into your big day (not some miserable punitive intense workout, as subjectively seen). I'm talking play with the kids, take a hike in a beautiful place if the weather's nice, get in some frisbee or bowling or a round of golf or a bike ride if you enjoy that sort of thing. Something FUN.

That's it, at most, IMO.

Again: What I personally would do, and *recommend*, would be simply to enjoy your day, order what you want, enjoy the heck out of it in whatever portion size seems good (without intentionally converting it into a free-for-all), skip any kind of guilt/fear or other emotional melodrama, then go back to your normal routine the next day.

I have a birthday (#65!) coming up this next week, too. Despite solo life in the pandemic, I plan to enjoy and celebrate it, including some special food indulgences.

Happy birthday in advance!

** Just for amusement value, a personal case study: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10603949/big-overfeed-ruins-everything-nope

Congrats on your loss and dedication! After so much diligent logging, you surely have a solid idea of what portion sizes work for you. Rely on that experience to manage unplanned situations. My default for eating out is no bread or 1 piece. Lots of salad and veggies, little high calorie choices like pasta, potatoes, high fat preparations, 1 glass wine, and small or shared dessert. Whatever you’re presented with, portion control is your friend. Worst case is you’ll lose a little less this week. With only 5 lbs to go it’s recommended that you target 1/2 lb per week.

I do something that will probably get hate but it works for me and allows me to enjoy myself so whatever.

If i know i have a big special dinner coming I skip breakfast, have a 200ish calorie lunch, maybe some watery veggies for snack if I am starving. I also might do an extra 5k steps over my daily goal. this gives me 1k-1.2k calories for the big meal so I can just enjoy myself. i dont attempt to track the meal at all, just try not to go unreasonably overboard. If I still feel the next day like it was more than I anticipated I might reduce calories for the day by a couple hundred or do 5k extra steps again. but then i just let it go and move on.

i do agree the key is to find a way to allow yourself to be okay with it because we still gotta live and enjoy life. but sometimes that is easier said than done.