It has always been hard for me to go out with my friends and not over eat delicious food, drink a ton of freely refilled sodas, and possibly over drink alcoholic beverages on occasion (I am 22 years old). I love to get appetizers, maybe a side salad, a big dinner and of course dessert. These nights are truly delicious yet DANGEROUS!!! A fun night out with your friends can easily turn into a 2-3500 calorie night in the blink of an eye. I love to eat, food is amazing which has led to my ultimate demise these past four years. Food is everywhere, your parents are no longer cooking dinner every night and you can finally do whatever you want. Its college! I let this get to my head a little... I didn't become a seasoned alcoholic or a deranged party girl, I became a fat ass! Here are a few things I did this past weekend in order to stay true to my new and improved eating habits, while still having a great time going out.
My best friend Kebra always has events planned and never lets you down when it comes to going on an adventure. This weekend I stayed at her house in Santa Clarita, and we had a great weekend filled with music, drinking (for some) and friends.
Friday
Kebra and Company decided to write fun drinks on notecards and each time we went to a new bar we would choose a notecard and drink that specific drink. "Chance Drinking" as I like to call it. This is a disaster waiting to happen for someone on a diet because most of the notecards were filled with high caloric drinks such as long islands (800 calories) , margaritas (500calories) and other delicious drinks. Thankfully I am not a big drinker, thus it was easy for me to decline and be the DD.
TIP ONE: If you are on a diet and do not want to blow your daily caloric intake, offer to be the designated driver (DD). That way you have to stay sober and you won't be hassled into drinking things you don't want to. No one needs to know you are on a diet either, just simple say "DD" and hopefully you friends will be thankful and understanding!
Now, of course I wanted to join in on the festivities and eat all of the delicious food they were eating but I stayed strong and only had 2 small chicken wings the whole night. I was very proud of myself. You may be thinking "what will I drink then?" Well I have a tip for that too.
TIP TWO: Drinking water can get very boring when everyone around you is sipping on the magic juice but you need to stay strong. Flavored unsweetened teas are a great option for someone on a diet that wants to add a little flavor to their palate. Teas come in a variety of flavors and most restaurant/bars offer them, most commonly passion, peach and raspberry flavors. If unsweetened they are 0 calories and very tasty. It feels like you are drinking something fun without the guilt! It may take a while to get used to unsweetened tea, but once you do its amazing.
The night ended famously, I was satisfied, had a great time with my friends and did not go home feeling guilty.
Saturday
Kebra, Hot Mamma Mel and I went on a great walk Saturday morning. I have come to the realization the if gain anything from this weight loss experience, I hope my shin splints go away. It is very debilitating and never happened when I was in-shape and much thinner.
That night Kebra and Company went out to dinner before a concert. Stonefire is a great BBQ place in Santa Clarita that I had never been to. The old me would have ordered the biggest meal with everything and extra BBQ sauce. But I am in this for the long haul, thus I ordered an amazing grilled tri-tip salad with balsamic. Now, this place has amazing breadsticks and I came to a crossroads, do I get an order of breadsticks or not. I did not get an order of breadsticks but I did order one individual breadstick. They were suppose to be amazing and I was not disappointed. It was a wonderful salad and I left very full and satisfied.
TIP THREE: When eating out and on a diet, try ordering a salad with the dressing on the side. This will allow for less calories because you are administering the dressing yourself. I prefer the "fork dip method," dip your fork into the dressing each time you take a bite of salad. You get a little dressing with each bite which is way better than free pouring it directly onto your salad. Also, if you really want to try something that a restaurant is known for, i.e breadsticks, only have ONE. You get a little taste and do not go overboard.
A local band, Grow Young, was performing that night in a fast-food parking lot. DUN DUN DUUUNN!!! This was going to be a hard task, sit in a fast-food parking lot for 2 hours and not eat, that would have been impossible 2 weeks ago. I wanted to eat there very badly and thought about it a few times but I kept telling myself that instant gratification was not going to help me in the long run.
TIP FOUR: If you are going somewhere that prompts temptation, i.e fast-food, make sure you eat a healthy filling meal beforehand and drink a lot of water. Water will fill you up further and keep you full, while a healthy meal will make you feel satisfied and good about yourself. DO NOT go anywhere hungry, that is a bad idea! Temptation will become overwhelming and you will feel bad about it in the morning.
Sunday
Kebra's dad, Mr.Doug, is an amazing cook! I woke up Sunday morning to a wonderful breakfast fit for a King. Normally I would have had scrambled eggs with two sausages, two pieces of toast, orange juice and fruit. Instead I opted for half of a chicken apple sausage, egg whites and fresh fruit. This was equally delish and much more healthy than pigging out.
TIP FIVE: when having breakfast opt for egg whites and always eat some fresh fruit. If there are breakfast meats available and you are a suck for meat. Try eating only half a piece of sausage and one piece of bacon. You still get that great taste without making it a full meal.
All in all I had a great weekend with my friends and was still able to loose weight! I lost 3 pounds this weekend. Now I do not advocate going out every weekend when on your diet. This weekend I am staying home and going to bootcamp Saturday. Being on a diet does not mean you can't have fun but you must make better decision when it comes to food and drinks. Water is the key, never go anywhere hungry and always be realistic. Do you really need this? Will it make you feel good in the long run? Most often the answer is NO!! Stay Healthy readers and I hope you had a great weekend, I know I did!
Love,
Big D
