Tricky situation

[Anarusky]

Hello again ,

So today , I had people over for a meal ( had been scheduled long before me deciding to go on a diet ) so it was a bit tricky in terms of what to cook , should there be pudding and will I be able to still be good ?

I have decided to cook chilli con carne , which is a relatively healthy meal - just put all the sides on different plates so everyone was free to put as many or as few calories on their plates as they felt like (and was able to keep my secret - secret ) . I have served myself a smallish portion and skipped the cheese , tortilla chips , wrap and just had the avocado and bit of yogurt - instead of all the available options .

From the cheese platter , I just had some fruit and as it was a sharing thing, no one noticed .

I am , by no means saying that being on a diet is something no one should know , but I also think in a situation like this , when you have guests - probably not fair to ' put ' everyone on a diet too . ... I like cooking and socialising so this will still be part of my day to day life , so I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts , tips on how to still stay on track when you are out , or at a dinner party or having people over ??

[Hidden]

Well done, that's a fantastic idea for entertaining, 😆 if you did decide a pudding of fresh fruit salad or a fruit crumble could be very low calorie xx

[Hidden]

Sounds like you did great!

We sometimes might have a jelly with some tinned peaches or pears in it. People love a bit of nostalgia 🤗

[IndigoBlue61]

The trick to maintaining this new lifestyle is portion control, which you managed beautifully so well done 😊

[RG07 Maintainer]

If going out for a meal that can be probablematic, but if pasta did look for tomato based sauces rather than cream based, pizza- thinnest crust availabe and small one rather than medium of large. Go for a strater rather than a dessert (unless its fruit salad or sorbet) The NHS 12 week weight loss plan which you can access via the Living Well page on NHS Choices website has a guide on eating out- weelks 7 & 11 particularly. A few restaurants include the caories on their menu. What I do if going out for a meal look on the internet at the menu and work out which ones are the healthiest options so you can plan ahead. The NHS Choices has a free calorie counter so I put the meals in and see if the calories are on the site and work out the calories though obviously its a rough estimate- if know obvious restaurant version them I look for the delux versions so I can err on the side of the caution and choose the option with higher calories. Also eat less for breakfast and lunch or dinner depending on when you are going to a restaurant so you can eat more calorific foods at the restaurant.

[Anarusky in reply to RG07]

Looking up the menu beforehand it's a brilliant idea - thank you for all the useful tips !

[Hidden]

What a great idea - I am entertaining next weekend, loving the sharing platter thing, thanks for the idea

When I know I will be eating out I try and keep a few calories from each day and try and if eating in the evening I tend to have baked beans on toast for breakfast as it fills me up and then for lunch I have lettuce tomato cucumber spring onions etc with pickled cabbage, pickled beetroot etc - these are all low calorie items and I have no dressing as the vinegar on the pickles is enough - so two low calorie meals that fill me up enough prior to eating out so i can enjoy the evening out without having to worry too much

Wishing you all the best on your weight loss journey

[Anarusky]

Thank you everyone for the advice

[Sue-S Visitor]

Hi. Just do your best! Whether you are on a diet or not there will be times when you eat out or socialise, so that needs to be part of your routine. At the end of the day, it is one meal/day out of 7 and providing you don't let that spill over into the next meal/day, you will be fine.