Lots of eating out this week - help?

[slcathena]

I've been dieting & working out pretty steadily (and doing well at it) since November. Really kicked it up a notch in February and have lost about 18 lbs since then (woot!) A big part of that is that I cook my own food, rarely eat out, don't miss workouts, etc. Usually I can keep going out to once a week or less, and usually I am going to places that are super familiar, and I know something I can eat that will be a good/better choice.

This week is attempting to get the better of me though.

Last Friday - celebration with my assistant coaches at a tapas restaurant. This was a day I had set aside as a break from my diet ages ago, and I took it.

Last Saturday - Lunch with a friend - I was able to order a meal that was perfectly within my diet, drank club soda rather than wine. Awesome.

Coming up however -

Thurs - NF meet up (on the list because even though I know I can order whatever here without anyone caring, I was planning on having a drink or two and that might be bust now).

Sat - retirement party for a coworker (totally forgot about this until today, also a appetizer/drink or two situation...)

Sun - another celebration dinner (that I didn't plan, and am not really happy about) at a Chinese place (also freaking me out b/c I don't know what I can get here that would be diet friendly and it's like a hole in the wall that doesn't have nutritional info posted and I am likely to get nowhere with "hold the sauce" or whatever).

I need some help with how to deal with these situation in the least awkward, healthiest way possible. I don't want to be rude, I don't want to be a killjoy, I also a trying to bust out of a plateau that has been killing me and I KNOW giving up my diet for the weekend is not the way to do that.

Any tips/tricks/things that worked for you? I would be super duper grateful.

[msuroo]

I need some help with how to deal with these situation in the least awkward, healthiest way possible. I don't want to be rude, I don't want to be a killjoy...

My biggest advice would be to try and remember that this stuff is all in your head.

Coworker: "Would you like a cupcake?"

You: "No thanks"

99% of the time, that's the end of it - nothing awkward, rude, or killjoy about it. If they follow up with a "why not?" - there's still lots of polite ways to decline. "I'll grab one later" is my favorite, because no one ever notices when you don't grab one later. It works for booze too - start with a water, and no one notices when you don't end up getting a drink.

At restaurants and stuff, don't be afraid to be a picky orderer. Even if you get questioned about it by friends/colleagues, you can usually brush it off and it becomes a non-issue in seconds.

[yadz]

for most places you can get a copy of the menu online, or if you're close enough just go to the restaurant and get a hard copy, from there you can determine what is safe and what is taboo. it's pretty easy to track down the nutritional value of any given menu item, though I don't know how people dieted before the age of google. once you know what you CAN order, decide what you WILL order in advance, make a plan, don't deviate from the plan. find a way to work the food into your diet, there's always a safe option. have you considered just getting soup at the chinese restaurant? every chinese restaurant since the beginning of time has had wonton soup, yummy and not altogether bad for you. it may be a hole-in-the-wall, but if you ask for, oh say, orange chicken cooked with no oil and sauce on the side, guess what? they're going to bring you orange chicken cooked with no oil and sauce on the side.

ultimately, the best plan is to HAVE a plan. don't go in blind, do the math beforehand, make your dietary choices, and stick to it.

[airen123]

^ this is what I do. I also do it for financial reasons, to make sure the place I'm going to doesn't break my wallet. Where are y'all going for the NF meetup? Is it the one with clams/crab legs? Seafood is paleo isn't it?

Chinese restaurant: Miso soup is usually just tofu, mushroom, onions and broth. Then go home and actually eat dinner...or stirfry? Blogger post about same situation:

http://www.threenewleaves.com/a-practical-guide-to-paleo-part-one-at-the-restaurant/

he says:

"Order the steamed plate and cry quietly during the meal."

[pixieopower]

Chinese food --get something like Mongolian Chicken, very little sauce but ADD VEGGIES! And dont be afraid to ask the server about what they like! most places will do sauce on side cuz thats what kills ya. all the corn starch and soy can wreak havok on your system. Also ask about stuff with a lettuce bed. We call our Garden Beef. It's garlicy and marinated not sauced.

DO NOT EAT the sweet and sour sauce, its all ketchup, pineapple juice and sugar. and get egg roll and gut it. dont eat the wrapper. egg roll wrappers are insane cuz they hold sooooo much grease. Steamed pot stickers are a better choice.

I've been working at a chinese place for 4 years and still managed to lose weight

[BadWolf]

At the Chinese place try for a soup or steamed vegetables with a meat. Our local place has teriyaki beef on their menu and it's not saucy, they also have chicken wings that aren't sauced on their appetizer section. You can do it

[leadchipmunk]

If you are doing paleo, avoid a lot of meats at the Chinese place. They usually "velvet" the meat, which means they coat it in different ingredients before cooking, one of which is cornstarch.

[epaleocookbooks]

Follow the above advice for the chinese restaurant. Almost every one offers some sort of steamed veggie and chicken dish. Steamed rice if you eat it, forgo rice if you don't. Start with soup. Almost every soup that you'll find is low in calories. I think egg drop is like 75 calories/serving.

At the places where you'll be tempted to drink, opt for red wine. It's the healthiest choice because it has retinoids and polyphenols. As an added bonus, with wine you can usually get away with one glass by saying a second one would make you drowsy.

[thatgirljj]

I need some help with how to deal with these situation in the least awkward, healthiest way possible. I don't want to be rude, I don't want to be a killjoy, I also a trying to bust out of a plateau that has been killing me and I KNOW giving up my diet for the weekend is not the way to do that.

Any tips/tricks/things that worked for you? I would be super duper grateful.

I'm going to be a contrarian here and say that it may help you to bust your plateau to take it easy and have a few treats here and there for two weeks in a row as long as you tighten up your eating again afterwards. It gives you a mental/emotional release valve, and it might help maintain your metabolism cooking along.

Although really, I'd struggle with the chinese restaurant, especially the hole-in-the-wall places often don't have a lot of healthier options. Maybe bust out and enjoy the other ones and then just stick to some soup or a small appetizer at chinese. Or just tell your friends that you've been going to a lot of celebrations lately and you just want to enjoy their company and some tea.

Oh... and my tip on drinks, if you're at a fancy place rather than ordering a cocktail, order san pellegrino (or even selzer water) with a twist. It looks & sounds sophisticated, but doesn't have any calories and can help avoid the "OMG had one drink, must eat ALL THE APPETIZERS" phenomenon.

-jj

[oystergirl]

LOL I am with THATGIRL on this...

I consider my program now as a lifestyle and not a limited time weight loss program. A WEEK of eating a bit loose is a relatively small thing in the scheme of life but if you really really restrict yourself, it can back fire because your soul will give the body what it wants eventually...and it will get it by giving you crazy cravings and feelings of guilt etc.

Make the best choices you can of course but make them and really enjoy them and exercise as you do and simply know that as soon as life gets back to normal you will too....my kid came home from college this weekend and we have eaten out or had takeout for 5 days in a row and I continue to exercise and stick to my program for all other meals and do not at all see this as a problem...

[slcathena]

So much good advice in these replies!!! Thank you!

My biggest advice would be to try and remember that this stuff is all in your head.

Coworker: "Would you like a cupcake?"

You: "No thanks"

99% of the time, that's the end of it - nothing awkward, rude, or killjoy about it. If they follow up with a "why not?" - there's still lots of polite ways to decline. "I'll grab one later" is my favorite, because no one ever notices when you don't grab one later. It works for booze too - start with a water, and no one notices when you don't end up getting a drink.

At restaurants and stuff, don't be afraid to be a picky orderer. Even if you get questioned about it by friends/colleagues, you can usually brush it off and it becomes a non-issue in seconds.

My concern here is one of my friends who is going out Sunday has already been on me to go in on the Peking Duck. 1) I don't eat duck really at all. 2) It's def not part of my diet. It's like a 3 course with pancakes with one and fried skin and rice and some kind of soup, you get the idea. Not a chance. When I told him it wasn't part of my diet he actually argued with me about my food choices for Sunday. I know he meant well, but it doesn't bode well, which sort of inspired the post.

I think you're totally right about the other events though. No reason I can't be pickier at those, and I will be, with pride. Thank you!

once you know what you CAN order, decide what you WILL order in advance, make a plan, don't deviate from the plan. find a way to work the food into your diet, there's always a safe option. have you considered just getting soup at the chinese restaurant? every chinese restaurant since the beginning of time has had wonton soup, yummy and not altogether bad for you. it may be a hole-in-the-wall, but if you ask for, oh say, orange chicken cooked with no oil and sauce on the side, guess what? they're going to bring you orange chicken cooked with no oil and sauce on the side.

You are absolutely right. I need a plan. Soup or veggies and rice (and I'm not really going to eat the rice, not paleo, but moving away from carbs a lot, and eating more protein).Thank you for this.

^ this is what I do. I also do it for financial reasons, to make sure the place I'm going to doesn't break my wallet. Where are y'all going for the NF meetup? Is it the one with clams/crab legs? Seafood is paleo isn't it?

Chinese restaurant: Miso soup is usually just tofu, mushroom, onions and broth. Then go home and actually eat dinner...or stirfry? Blogger post about same situation:

http://www.threenewleaves.com/a-practical-guide-to-paleo-part-one-at-the-restaurant/

he says:

"Order the steamed plate and cry quietly during the meal."

Ha ha ha re: steamed plate. I don't know if the NF meet up is the one with seafood, it's the Boston one. But I will def opt for seafood or something with veggies and I know no one will judge me there. I'm more bummed about it b/c I had originally planned that for my cheat day and now it won't be.

Call the corn starch and soy can wreak havok on your system. Also ask about stuff with a lettuce bed. We call our Garden Beef. It's garlicy and marinated not sauced.

DO NOT EAT the sweet and sour sauce, its all ketchup, pineapple juice and sugar. and get egg roll and gut it. dont eat the wrapper. egg roll wrappers are insane cuz they hold sooooo much grease. Steamed pot stickers are a better choice.

I've been working at a chinese place for 4 years and still managed to lose weight

Oh, thanks for the advice!!!! That is WAY helpful.

At the Chinese place try for a soup or steamed vegetables with a meat. Our local place has teriyaki beef on their menu and it's not saucy, they also have chicken wings that aren't sauced on their appetizer section. You can do it

Awesome, will do. Sounds like veggies and rice for me with soup. Will still be good though.

If you are doing paleo, avoid a lot of meats at the Chinese place. They usually "velvet" the meat, which means they coat it in different ingredients before cooking, one of which is cornstarch.

This is EXACTLY the type of thing I was worried about! Thank you for the heads up.

Follow the above advice for the chinese restaurant. Almost every one offers some sort of steamed veggie and chicken dish. Steamed rice if you eat it, forgo rice if you don't. Start with soup. Almost every soup that you'll find is low in calories. I think egg drop is like 75 calories/serving.

At the places where you'll be tempted to drink, opt for red wine. It's the healthiest choice because it has retinoids and polyphenols. As an added bonus, with wine you can usually get away with one glass by saying a second one would make you drowsy.

Awesome advice re: food and drink, thank you! I also love red wine, so that will be easy.

I'm going to be a contrarian here and say that it may help you to bust your plateau to take it easy and have a few treats here and there for two weeks in a row as long as you tighten up your eating again afterwards. It gives you a mental/emotional release valve, and it might help maintain your metabolism cooking along.

Although really, I'd struggle with the chinese restaurant, especially the hole-in-the-wall places often don't have a lot of healthier options. Maybe bust out and enjoy the other ones and then just stick to some soup or a small appetizer at chinese. Or just tell your friends that you've been going to a lot of celebrations lately and you just want to enjoy their company and some tea.

Oh... and my tip on drinks, if you're at a fancy place rather than ordering a cocktail, order san pellegrino (or even selzer water) with a twist. It looks & sounds sophisticated, but doesn't have any calories and can help avoid the "OMG had one drink, must eat ALL THE APPETIZERS" phenomenon.

-jj

Okay, I love the advice here. I will pick one that I let myself go a little crazy at, but keep the others in check (and yeah, chinese was freaking me out more than anything) Thanks for the sparkling water idea, it's a great one!

LOL I am with THATGIRL on this...

I consider my program now as a lifestyle and not a limited time weight loss program. A WEEK of eating a bit loose is a relatively small thing in the scheme of life but if you really really restrict yourself, it can back fire because your soul will give the body what it wants eventually...and it will get it by giving you crazy cravings and feelings of guilt etc.

Make the best choices you can of course but make them and really enjoy them and exercise as you do and simply know that as soon as life gets back to normal you will too....my kid came home from college this weekend and we have eaten out or had takeout for 5 days in a row and I continue to exercise and stick to my program for all other meals and do not at all see this as a problem...

I do know this intellectually but it's so hard to internalize. I also am really trying to kick it up for the next few weeks, and literally made the decision last week to step things up and then it was like BAM life. But I will def keep this in mind and go easy on myself if things don't go as planned.

Thanks again, everyone! NF makes me feel super lucky on days like this. I feel a million times better than this morning.