Got parties coming up this weekend???

Start saving up some calories NOW. Don't wait until the day of the party to eat lighter. Don't go on the "ALL CARROT STICK" deprivation diet. Just eat 50-200 cals less on the days you are not partying. Do this (mostly painless) exercise 3 days before a party and 3 days after and you've got a nice little calorie cushion.

Ideas:
1. Leave a couple of bites of food behind.
2. If you have two kinds of breakfast cereal, go with the one with the fewer calories. Toss two bites back into the box.
3. Use half as much peanut butter as normal this week.

Any more calorie shaving/saving ideas?

(I'm posting early because I won't be home to post tonight or tomorrow.)

Results-wise, last night was a mixed bag.

My bro was not being very good with introducing me to ppl, so I was pretty much on my own.

Rather than sitting at a table (since I didn't know anyone to sit with) I camped out at the end of the bar. Eventually a bunch of really fun guys posted themselves nearby and we chatted and had a grand ole time.

Because I was at the bar, I didn't want to get a full plate of food. Instead, I got 2-3 lil plates of apps, mostly sushi. Not bad!

Downside is, due to location and price (FREE), I had several drinks: 2 margaritas, 2 vodka tonics, 2 shots of Patron. Ack .. didn't help that they kept ordering them for me.

Then I topped it off with a piece of tiramisu and a cuppa coffee. Thankfully, it was a nice smallish portion.

Today's party should be a much more manageable scene, as it's during the day, no alcohol, and a set menu.

Oh, and now there's a THIRD party scheduled, a potluck with my soccer team.

I have a bunch coming up, including a huge buffet in NYC my family goes to every year for Xmas. I looove the food there, so I have to be careful. My strategy is this:

I have certain foods I can fill up on, and my first round, i get ONLY these foods. They include things like steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce (lots of these. theyre low in calories but do have the cholesterol). Undressed salads I can dress myself. Vegetables and fruit.

After this first plate, the edge has already been taken off my appetite. I can go back and get small tastes of the other stuff, but i don't feel deprived because I already have something in my stomach. My plan for dessert: share a small plate of the dessert "bites" they put out with my mom. We choose a small selection, and taste them. It helps because I have to leave some behind for her, and because it's a "tasting" i don't feel pressured to clean the whole plate. if i dont love one thing, there's something else i will like.

works ok for me! It is one of my holiday meals of the year, so I do like to splurge a little.

Thankfully, for me, in the restaurant business, our parties for ourselves are always AFTER the first of the year. REsolve is high then.

I do have one request though, please watch the D & D. (Drinking and Driving). I love all of you so much, I wouldn't want anything to happen to any of you. Remember to designate a driver and use him/her. Don't be too proud to say that you've had one too many. For me one too many is one... And believe it or not, it's rather fun being the DD....you can have fun without drinking. Just stay safe.

Cathy J

quote:

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Originally posted by Sandy:
I was at an open house type of party on Sunday and tried something new...
I made sure that I had a great dinner at home, ready for when we arrived home post party.
I decided to eat NOTHING at the party. It worked. I did drink a diet soda as they I did not want the alcohol and they did not have mineral water. I wanted more than tap water.

It worked GREAT! IT was actually less stress for me than a few bites.

This will not work for this SUnday's party as it is a dinner party, but I am thrilled that it worked this once-- I made have saved 500 calories or more!

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What an excellent idea Sandy! Good for you!

I was at an open house type of party on Sunday and tried something new...
I made sure that I had a great dinner at home, ready for when we arrived home post party.
I decided to eat NOTHING at the party. It worked. I did drink a diet soda as they I did not want the alcohol and they did not have mineral water. I wanted more than tap water.

It worked GREAT! IT was actually less stress for me than a few bites.

This will not work for this SUnday's party as it is a dinner party, but I am thrilled that it worked this once-- I made have saved 500 calories or more!

I don't have any parties left, but I was at a Christmas tea on Saturday. I didn't know what was coming food wise, so I started off with a half bowl of cereal so that I wasn't totally starving.

I found I didn't like the food selections much, so I decided the calories weren't worth it. I picked a few bites for tasting, then cleared off my place at the table as soon as I could. I went home later and ate a taco salad, which was much more to my liking.

I knew that I had the salad as a backup plan, so I knew I had a best choice for later and chose a good to get me through until I could get home.

Laura

I've got two! One tonight and one tomorrow.

Tonight has a lower food risk (all apps) but a high alcohol risk (open bar). But I do have to drive home tonight, and I'll keep reminding myself of that fact every time I think about another glass of wine.

Tomorrow is a catered lunch. We chose our entree. I chose steak. Probably not the best choice, but the alt was salmon, and most people overcook it.

This will be my work party and gift exchange. I'll focus on setting a good example for my co-workers (they tend to ask me about health stuff anyway) and on the fun stuff, like the gift exchange and awards ceremony.

I bolded my mental strategies. Others might be able to make use of them.