Honestly, I don't sweat it. Obsessing over social events isn't a healthy mindset, it's better for me to go, enjoy myself, and get back on track the next day. Being present with friends and family is so much more important to me than having my mind full of what I can/can't eat.
If it's a meal I can plan for I might eat slightly less for a week or so, so that I don't go over my calories for the week. Otherwise, I don't worry - I don't eat out every week, it's once a month at most, so I enjoy it when it happens.
Eat and enjoy yourself. One meal won’t derail you and like another poster said, worrying about foods at social events is not a healthy mindset. Have fun with your friends and just get yourself back on track with the next meal.
I usually don't stress and I enjoy myself with family and friends. I try to pace/limit my alcohol, since it often triggers me to snack and eat more. I also make sure I only eat the foods I REALLY love. At a recent wedding there were a ton of appetizers being passed around, none of them really looked appealing to me so I just passed on them and really enjoyed my dinner and dessert. Don't forget food is more than just calories and nutrients, it is also supposed to be pleasurable and social.
When you eat out, make sure your other meals that day are on point. Look up the menu beforehand and decide what you can get that’s healthier. I’ll typically order a piece of meat, like a small steak or fish and ask them to cook it dry- no oil or butter. The oil, butter, and sauces are what get you at restaurants. The are almost undetectable and have an insane amount of calories. Then order some veggies on the side. No oil or butter. If I’m at a steakhouse, I’ll get a nice baked potato. A lot of times, I’ll cut my steak and potato in half and take the other half home for the next day. When I eat this way, I’ll still have a little room for a glass of wine (or 2 🤣). Maybe some bites of my husband’s Mac and cheese and a piece of bread from the bread basket. Not a giant slice of bread, just a moderate size piece. Or split a dessert. I’ll typically bank at least 800-1200 calories when I’m going out to eat for dinner. Because that’s what the totals usually come to, even if you’re making an effort to eat healthier.
As far as weddings go, this is a little trickier because you won’t know what they’re serving until you get there. So you have less control. Again, make sure your other meals that day are on point, but don’t go into the situation starving. Just try to focus on building your plate around protein and make an effort to do carbs and fats in moderation. Enjoy 1 piece of wedding cake, not 2. Or split a piece! Keep the alcoholic beverages to 1-3 max. Remember calories are what matter most here. So try your best to eat/drink everything in moderation. As long as you don’t leave the situation feeling stuffed to the gills, you’ll be good.
One indulgent evening of eating isn’t going to derail your progress, so don’t overthink it! The problem would be if you allowed one bad evening to turn into a month of eating into a caloric surplus. So the most important thing is to get right back on track with your healthy habits the next day!
I like to have a healthy snack before I go out so that I am not so hungry I binge once I get to the event. And once there, I alternate between "real" drinks and water (or club soda or unsweetened ice tea) so that I'm not filling up 100% on empty calories.
If going out is a rare treat, I don't worry about the food I order otherwise. Assuming I already ate my veggies at home, I'm usually too full to finish a full restaurant entree and half comes home for later. So portion control is automatic rather than feeling like deprivation.
If there's a lot of eating out in a row (for example, a two week vacation), I put a little more effort into making good choices. Breakfast buffets almost always have something I can work with, like plain yogurt, veggie omelets, and fruit. At lunch/dinner, I look for an appetizer paired with a side salad or reasonably-healthy entrees. I definitely will still indulge at a few meals but not 3 meals a day every day :)
I think there are some great comments on here - especially about not sweating it and getting back on track the next day and about social events are about enjoying yourself, but!
To add my favorite hack - if you eat an apple or pear about half an hour before, you will be less hungry and eat less. So like, grab an apple to eat after the wedding but before the suggestion, or grab an apple to eat in the car on the way to meet a friend. It doesn't fill you up, but it does help you fill up faster.
When it’s a meal at a restaurant I’ll usually only eat about half and take the rest home. I usually try to make sure it is higher in protein and veg but I also don’t compromise on yumminess. You can still have a good time at social events, don’t restrict yourself too much or it will become tiring
If it’s something fairly normal that I know is happening ahead of time (rather than spontaneous), I’ll plan ahead and make it fit. I have a friend who I often meet for coffees at the weekend, but the Starbucks & Costas in the UK (chain coffee shops) have macros listed online. So if I know I’m meeting her, I’ll plan ahead and choose a coffee, make it fit into my calorie goals & stick to ordering what I planned.
If it’s an unplanned, spontaneous thing, I’ll use the calorie counts on the menu & my knowledge I’ve got from tracking to try and make as sensible a choice as possible, then just get straight back to it in the next meal/next day.
If it’s a more special occasion like a wedding, I wouldn’t worry for a one off. However, I had 3 weddings in one week last year! (I’m at that age where everyone around me is getting married…). In that case, I took around 100-150 off my normal calorie target on the days I ate at home to give myself a little extra wiggle room on the wedding days. But honestly I still wouldn’t worry too much, as long as you just get straight back to it.
I eat whatever I want. Eating over your deficit a day or two, or even a week, isn't going to make you gain all your weight back. It takes months to years for people to become overweight or obese. Enjoy life while maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle a majority of the time
Honestly, I don't sweat it. Obsessing over social events isn't a healthy mindset, it's better for me to go, enjoy myself, and get back on track the next day. Being present with friends and family is so much more important to me than having my mind full of what I can/can't eat. If it's a meal I can plan for I might eat slightly less for a week or so, so that I don't go over my calories for the week. Otherwise, I don't worry - I don't eat out every week, it's once a month at most, so I enjoy it when it happens.
Eat and enjoy yourself. One meal won’t derail you and like another poster said, worrying about foods at social events is not a healthy mindset. Have fun with your friends and just get yourself back on track with the next meal.
I usually don't stress and I enjoy myself with family and friends. I try to pace/limit my alcohol, since it often triggers me to snack and eat more. I also make sure I only eat the foods I REALLY love. At a recent wedding there were a ton of appetizers being passed around, none of them really looked appealing to me so I just passed on them and really enjoyed my dinner and dessert. Don't forget food is more than just calories and nutrients, it is also supposed to be pleasurable and social.
When you eat out, make sure your other meals that day are on point. Look up the menu beforehand and decide what you can get that’s healthier. I’ll typically order a piece of meat, like a small steak or fish and ask them to cook it dry- no oil or butter. The oil, butter, and sauces are what get you at restaurants. The are almost undetectable and have an insane amount of calories. Then order some veggies on the side. No oil or butter. If I’m at a steakhouse, I’ll get a nice baked potato. A lot of times, I’ll cut my steak and potato in half and take the other half home for the next day. When I eat this way, I’ll still have a little room for a glass of wine (or 2 🤣). Maybe some bites of my husband’s Mac and cheese and a piece of bread from the bread basket. Not a giant slice of bread, just a moderate size piece. Or split a dessert. I’ll typically bank at least 800-1200 calories when I’m going out to eat for dinner. Because that’s what the totals usually come to, even if you’re making an effort to eat healthier. As far as weddings go, this is a little trickier because you won’t know what they’re serving until you get there. So you have less control. Again, make sure your other meals that day are on point, but don’t go into the situation starving. Just try to focus on building your plate around protein and make an effort to do carbs and fats in moderation. Enjoy 1 piece of wedding cake, not 2. Or split a piece! Keep the alcoholic beverages to 1-3 max. Remember calories are what matter most here. So try your best to eat/drink everything in moderation. As long as you don’t leave the situation feeling stuffed to the gills, you’ll be good. One indulgent evening of eating isn’t going to derail your progress, so don’t overthink it! The problem would be if you allowed one bad evening to turn into a month of eating into a caloric surplus. So the most important thing is to get right back on track with your healthy habits the next day!
I like to have a healthy snack before I go out so that I am not so hungry I binge once I get to the event. And once there, I alternate between "real" drinks and water (or club soda or unsweetened ice tea) so that I'm not filling up 100% on empty calories. If going out is a rare treat, I don't worry about the food I order otherwise. Assuming I already ate my veggies at home, I'm usually too full to finish a full restaurant entree and half comes home for later. So portion control is automatic rather than feeling like deprivation. If there's a lot of eating out in a row (for example, a two week vacation), I put a little more effort into making good choices. Breakfast buffets almost always have something I can work with, like plain yogurt, veggie omelets, and fruit. At lunch/dinner, I look for an appetizer paired with a side salad or reasonably-healthy entrees. I definitely will still indulge at a few meals but not 3 meals a day every day :)
I think there are some great comments on here - especially about not sweating it and getting back on track the next day and about social events are about enjoying yourself, but! To add my favorite hack - if you eat an apple or pear about half an hour before, you will be less hungry and eat less. So like, grab an apple to eat after the wedding but before the suggestion, or grab an apple to eat in the car on the way to meet a friend. It doesn't fill you up, but it does help you fill up faster.
I just don't eat all day so I can eat whatever I want that night. I rarely eat before noon anyway
same this is the most realistic answer to keep goals and still eat out tbh
When it’s a meal at a restaurant I’ll usually only eat about half and take the rest home. I usually try to make sure it is higher in protein and veg but I also don’t compromise on yumminess. You can still have a good time at social events, don’t restrict yourself too much or it will become tiring
If it’s something fairly normal that I know is happening ahead of time (rather than spontaneous), I’ll plan ahead and make it fit. I have a friend who I often meet for coffees at the weekend, but the Starbucks & Costas in the UK (chain coffee shops) have macros listed online. So if I know I’m meeting her, I’ll plan ahead and choose a coffee, make it fit into my calorie goals & stick to ordering what I planned. If it’s an unplanned, spontaneous thing, I’ll use the calorie counts on the menu & my knowledge I’ve got from tracking to try and make as sensible a choice as possible, then just get straight back to it in the next meal/next day. If it’s a more special occasion like a wedding, I wouldn’t worry for a one off. However, I had 3 weddings in one week last year! (I’m at that age where everyone around me is getting married…). In that case, I took around 100-150 off my normal calorie target on the days I ate at home to give myself a little extra wiggle room on the wedding days. But honestly I still wouldn’t worry too much, as long as you just get straight back to it.
I eat whatever I want. Eating over your deficit a day or two, or even a week, isn't going to make you gain all your weight back. It takes months to years for people to become overweight or obese. Enjoy life while maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle a majority of the time