Unexpected Lunch Plans

  • Okay, so I planned out my daily meals like a good calorie counter, and my boss informs me he wants me to go to lunch with him and the other attorney that works for him (I am his Parlegal). I dont mind the lunch, but going into unknown calorie territory here! He usually takes us to some italian place! I don't do well with surprise changes in my daily calorie intake!!
  • Oh I hate when that happens! If you go italian, try to stick to a red sauce, salad with dressing on the side, avoid the bread and try to avoid heavy cheeses. Good luck (and try to enjoy it)!!
  • I agree with mandagrl1...oh, and maybe try to have a healthy snack before you go to lunch that way you aren't super hungry and can just eat a little.
  • At least it is lunch. You can always have a smaller, lighter dinner to compensate for the extra calories you might eat.
  • This is very helpful from caloriecount.about.com:

    Simply text message "food" and your search to the following number:

    432584 ("HEALTH" on most phones)

    - and we'll text message back the basic nutritional data.

    For example, try: "food chocolate chip cookies" or "food carrots"
  • I would recommend having a salad, with the dressing on the side (or light dressing if that's an option).

    I'm finding salads at restaurants to be life savers, if you can avoid the big calorie laden ones (avoid the Cobb salads, anything that comes with a taco shell, and cheese).
  • Minestrone can usually be a good choice. As has been mentioned, definitely avoid bread and really anything pasta, unless you KNOW you can just eat half.

    If it were me, I would get a garden salad with no cheese or meat, balsamic vinegar on the side, and a cup/bowl of minestrone. Sodium will be heavy, but it's a decent meal and pretty low cal.

    Good luck. Yes, this can be super stressful, I know! But it's also practice for real life, which is constantly throwing us curve balls. You can do this! Let us know how it goes!
  • Two things I want to add ~

    1. Be wary of "dieting" in front of a boss and be careful not to look ungrateful for him taking you out. Ordering just a side salad may offend him or draw too much attention to you, which is not good business practice. Avoid white sauces and creams. Soup is good on a cold day but don't make a big deal out of it.

    2. Going over your calories is okay. It actually is usually beneficial to the body of those that are calorie counting because it tells the body that there's more out there. There's a practice called calorie cycling and it really helps keep the plateaus away. One high day might really actually help you.

    You'll be fine any way you go. Just let us know how it went.
  • I'd say in addition to the excellent advice so far, order something you'll enjoy, bring home half (that makes TWO yummy meals!), and don't sweat going over a bit, you can always eat a lighter dinner.

    ENJOY IT!
  • Quote: 1. Be wary of "dieting" in front of a boss and be careful not to look ungrateful for him taking you out. Ordering just a side salad may offend him or draw too much attention to you, which is not good business practice. Avoid white sauces and creams. Soup is good on a cold day but don't make a big deal out of it.

    2. Going over your calories is okay. It actually is usually beneficial to the body of those that are calorie counting because it tells the body that there's more out there. There's a practice called calorie cycling and it really helps keep the plateaus away. One high day might really actually help you.

    You'll be fine any way you go. Just let us know how it went.
    I suppose I have a different perspective on these two issues.

    1. I don't think you ordering the food you actually want, that fits into your new lifestyle/way of eating (I avoid the word "diet," especially with people who don't understand how my entire life has changed) will cause you to look ungrateful to your boss. I don't know him at all, of course, but I'm willing to bet that he's in the vast majority of people who either pays no attention to what others order, pays minimal attention out of curiosity, or assumes most women only eat salad anyway.

    If this is a concern of yours and you think it's necessary because this happens often, you could have a private conversation with your boss, simply telling him you're making more healthful choices for yourself, but are happy with wherever he chooses to go for business meals.

    In general, I think people need to respect others' food choices more, whatever they might be. This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, so sorry for the mini-rant.

    2. Many people enjoy calorie cycling, or the occasional high calorie day, and it works well within their plans. But there's no consensus and some don't use them at all. Personally, I look at a daily average of calories over the course of the week. But do whatever is right for you . . . which you may not figure out until lots and lots of experimentation, and even then, will probably change over time!
  • Ladies ~ I want to thank you all for the fabulous advice!!! We ended up not eating Italian (which is a HUGE switch for him), and he chose a lunch that has a variety of food. I was able to get a grilled chicken salad, with low cal dressing, and controlled myself to only one packet of sesame crackers (2 per package) to eat my salad with. Said no to the bread that smelled yummy and stared me in the face!

    Also, it was very filling, so I was able to cut out 2 of my snacks (and because we ate so late!), so that saved me calories there!

    I need to estimate out my calories - but I think I made a good choice with this.

    My boss is super cool. He wouldn't think anything if I ate one breadstick or 12. And, the other attorney I mentioned, is a woman close to my age, so she knows all about my diet.

    BTW - I keep seeing the "calorie cycling" and have no idea what that is. I just try to maintain 1,600 calories a day, and if I go over a bit on one day, I don't beat myself up over it. Because it is usually just one meal, not an entire blown out caloric day. And I am human, it's going to happen.
  • Quote: Ladies ~ I want to thank you all for the fabulous advice!!! We ended up not eating Italian (which is a HUGE switch for him), and he chose a lunch that has a variety of food. I was able to get a grilled chicken salad, with low cal dressing, and controlled myself to only one packet of sesame crackers (2 per package) to eat my salad with. Said no to the bread that smelled yummy and stared me in the face!

    Also, it was very filling, so I was able to cut out 2 of my snacks (and because we ate so late!), so that saved me calories there!

    I need to estimate out my calories - but I think I made a good choice with this.

    My boss is super cool. He wouldn't think anything if I ate one breadstick or 12. And, the other attorney I mentioned, is a woman close to my age, so she knows all about my diet.

    BTW - I keep seeing the "calorie cycling" and have no idea what that is. I just try to maintain 1,600 calories a day, and if I go over a bit on one day, I don't beat myself up over it. Because it is usually just one meal, not an entire blown out caloric day. And I am human, it's going to happen.
    Glad you got a grilled chicken salad, that's great. I'm also glad you have a super cool boss. I've just been in business situations for so long that I guess I have a different mindset regarding what is okay and what is not.

    Calorie cycling is a way to have X number of calories a week but vary them day to day. Essentially you have high days and low days and it helps you from getting your body into a rut where it doesn't quite know what to do. Some believe a body that knows exactly how many calories it will get a day will get complacent and end up getting into a plateau but when you calorie cycle your body reacts better to your food intake.