Birthdays & Celebrations

[LNA1422]

Does anyone else feel like that as soon as they decide to try and lose weight there seems to be a lot of invitations to dinners and lunches to "celebrate". So far this week i have had one celebratory lunch with the best friend whom got engaged. Today is my Boyfriends mother's birthday and to celebrate she has invited us out for dinner at an Italian restaurant tonight!!! then tomorrow i am meant to be having lunch with my mother as for the first time in ages we are both free. I am doomed So if anyone has any tips for eating out i would really appreciate it. This is the part I always struggle with. I am fine at home, being in control and cooking healthy balanced meals. But going out is a whole new challenge. I will of course do the obvious things like no desert, light main etc but as far as calories and and low sugar or fat goes its a nightmare

[Rose-A]

Oh man Italian food is my downfall... Smother any pasta in any sauce and a side of garlic bread and I just fail miserably. It's worse when people then come to expect you to order that, and question you when you order something healthier!

Top tips as far as what works for me:

> If you drink alcohol, set yourself a limit, like 1 small glass with your main, and otherwise have a jug of water at the table. This way you've always got a drink, but you're not filling up on empty alcohol/soft drink calories.

> Don't get drawn into any sides others order. For example, the bread they bring before the meal, if anyone orders chips for the table etc.

> Think about what the menu says about the food you're choosing, and remember that you can always make a special request to your waiter/waitress. Don't feel weird about confidently asking for no dressing on a salad, or a salad rather than chips. I've only just started being more confident with this, restaurants are usually very accommodating - and if it's not on your plate, you can't eat it!

> If you are able to look at the restaurant menu online beforehand, it will help you think about what you want to order, rather than just panicking when you get there and ordering something that's not what you would ideally like to eat.

> Last tip sounds a bit obvious, but don't go out to the meal on an empty stomach. By this I mean before you go out, have a couple of glasses of water - a lot of the time you feel hungry you're actually thirsty!

Hope that helps a bit Be sure to let us know how it goes!

[LNA1422 in reply to Rose-A]

thank you im going to look up the restaurant in a bit, fingers crossed i can get hold of the menu your tips are extra helpful will be remembering these tonight. and will be updating in the morning

[Rose-A in reply to LNA1422]

No problem honey - I bet you can get something extra delicious that also fits with your weight loss! Italians do some beautiful food <3

[Hidden]

Drink lots of water. At the Italian have soup as a starter.

[TheHud]

Italian food can be very healthy and tasty, just let the restaurant know to avoid giving you the extra oil they put in to make the food more moorish. We have Italian friends and they say that they add much more oil, salt and other fats inc cheese to suit the British taste buds in their restaurant. Leave some pasta on your plate

[nhs2015]

oh yes Laura, it takes a bit of juggling.

Summer here and we have a lot of "sundowners" and bbqs invites which means a lot of dips and sweets.

I have solved the problem of alcohol by taking my own bottle of water disguised as a bottle of wine. If I do drink the odd glass of wine, I fill up my glass with ice cubes. Somehow drinking less alcohol now makes me feel better. I like it.

I take my own dips to share and will try to balance my eating over a few days so it is not a worry whatever I eat. Just a question of planning.

It must be different for you if you are presented with a full sit down meal. My advice would be to have a small portion of what you feel will not fit in with your weight loss program. then again just balance your eating over a few days.

You have to be happy with your program, so sometimes break the rules and make up for it or just start a new day the next day.

[Windswept1]

Have something filling and healthy a little while before yo go so you are not too hungry. Instead of having a starter and a main have 2 starters.

[LNA1422]

hey, so last night was fairly successful. I avoided the bread basket at the beginning, but i did enjoy 1 cheeky glass of rose followed by water for the rest of the night. i didn't fancy a starter so went straight for the main. I decided to stay clear of pasta and choose chicken breast in cream and mushroom sauce, this came with a side order of vegetables and potatoes. I shared the side order with my boyfriend and only had veg from it. I treated myself to a desert too but kept it healthy by having sorbet. it was delicious. Overall It was a lovely evening and i left feeling like i had made some good choices. thank you for all your tips they were very helpful

[Venusflytrap]

Well done, Laura, you've cracked it.