Eating out on CD 790

[lou49]

I am on my sixth week, have lost 26lbs which is great, but am finding it hard this week as it's getting - dare I say - a bit old for me - not that I am stopping, have another two stone or so to go!

I haven't eaten out at all so far but have four things coming up: a restaurant lunch on Sunday - will just have a bit of protein and veg, plainest thing possible, and have soup sachet in evening; an evening function in a fortnight, will be very careful but it is going to kill me because I know the food will be lovely (please don't say that nothing tastes as good as slim feels..!!) and invitations to two dinner parties.

They are the difficult ones - what do you say? I don't want to draw attention to my dieting amongst people I don't know well so what's the best way to handle it?

Thanks - Louise

 

[clairejen]

Aaaah, tricky one. Invitations are the hardest thing, I've actually turned one down for tonight because of the diet, that said I'm feeling a bit rough so I have a good excuse.
If there is no way you can avoid the functions the only answer is to be as self-controlled as possible, stick to protein and veg as far as you can and remember your stomach shouldn't be able to physically take very much now. If you claim things like sore throat, cold coming on etc people will accept that you can't manage to eat much.

 

[SteveM]

I think how you handle it depends on you as a person. When I was SS'ing Jan-Apr this year, I was quite open and upfront about it with anyone and everyone. I hid it from no-one. I still went out for meals, still went abroad on business trips, still accepted invites to friends .... but each and every time I stuck 100% to SS - just the soups, bars, and shakes. I'm not saying it was always easy, as the contributors to DH forum would have known - I did struggle once on a business trip to France, but I did not break.

Rather than be offended, people were mostly interested in what I was doing, why, how effective it was, and so on. Most times I spent all night talking about the diet - not through me pushing it but through the continual quizzing. The only thing that people found hard to accept/believe was that I was not hungry!

The way I always looked at it was that I was doing the diet for me, and for my own very good reasons. If people accepted it then fine. If they had a problem with it, then THEY had a problem - not me.

I suppose during SS I was very self-centered and selfish, and nothing and no-one was going to push me off course.

But, that was me. You are you. Just do what you feel you have to do, but don't feel you have to eat just because you feel not doing so might cause problems for others.

I just need to get some of that single-mindedness and selfishness back now so that I can shift the 17lbs I have to lose.

Steve.

 

[snowyj]

It is tricky...I'm not bothered about the not eating, more about offending dinner hosts. We are going to a dinner party on Saturday...I've explained about the diet, and will just whip up a soup in their kitchen and eat it with a spoon from a bowl whilst the others eat.

Good luck!

 

[lou49]

Steve and Snowy, you are so brave. I can't imagine either telling everyone about the diet or taking a soup sachet to a dinner party, but at least with CD 790 I could eat something I suppose. Thinking about this makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable - what does this say about me - especially as my prime motivation reason for doing this diet is for surgery next year? I am going to mentally practice the scenario in my head...
Thanks everyone.
Louise

 

[snowyj]

It is difficult, and I am embarressed about it, just because I hate being awkward...but I work so hard at the diet, not to mention the expense of it, that I feel I can't jeopardise it. If you were 790 or AAM week on SS, you could take some precooked chicken in a bowl with some salad. Not ideal, but worth it in the end. Also I want my social life to continue, not stop because of the diet...and there is more to a dinner party than food - it's the company and conversation. I'm going out for dinner tonight, and the hostess is a trainned chef...so I've made a point of saying that I'm gutted I wont be experiencing her lovely cooking tonight. Good luck and try no to worry about it.

 

[lou49]

Update on social occasions:-

1. Restaurant meal - ate chicken and veg. Did OK that week.
2. Evening catered function - was very careful despite a fab dessert buffet - I ate a little bit of fruit - lost 4lbs that week and considered myself lucky!
3. Dinner party last night but get weighed tomorrow and not too optimistic as haven't had a very good week anyway. I tried not to eat very much and had fruit for pud again but it was hard and I was trying to play with the food more than eat it! I would like to develop this technique as I read that Anna Wintour does this! My sister was sitting next to her in a restaurant a few weeks ago and said that La Wintour just pushed the food round on her plate and didn't really eat very much at all, I would like some of that willpower!

Worst thing was that subject of dieting came up and I really hate that! I like to try and keep my head down!

Louise

 

[palmettofairy]

I was interested in how this turned out. I have a wedding next weekend in Glasgow where I am the maid of honour. So not only do I have the wedding to contend with, but the rehersal dinner. But it sounds like you managed through, hopefully I can do as well.

 

[clairejen]

Louise, you have done really well. Congratulations on being so restrained. Learning how to eat out and not go over the top is a valuable lesson in itself.