We have a monthly potluck dinner get together with some friends and it's tomorrow night. This is the first time I've had to deal with this situation while doing WW. So how do you eat at someone's house for dinner? How do you know what to count and how to account for it all? HELP!

I'm in charge of bringing a side dish or dessert, so I don't have control over the entree. And it would be rather rude to eat before I go and not eat there.

There comes a time when you have to choose to be rude or choose to let others tell you what to eat.

There are a billion options of what you could do in these situations!

One: Make something healthy & delicious, and enjoy what you eat. Have a little bit of the entree or other meals and count the points as best you can.

Two: Choose to eat beforehand. Have just a little bit of food on your plate, but push it around so it only looks like you're eating it.

Three: Forget the healthy - enjoy the meal as a treat, eat what you want and count the points as best you can.

Four: Choose only one or two of the best looking options for dinner, no need to have a little bit of everything, just a little bit of some of the things.

Five: Have just a snack (apple or salad) before you go so you won't be tempted by most of the dinner, but that you'd still have room for a small bit.

etc etc etc.

So many options. Choose a way to make it work for you! Just remember that you are in control of what you put in your mouth. You are allowed to say "no thank you" if you're offered more. And you're allowed to ignore certain foods on your plate if they've been put there but you don't want to eat them.

Great options. Thanks so much!! You are so helpful!!

It's a pretty open environment, but I couldn't get away with not eating something. Tomorrow is a high points day (I spread my flex points around kind of like the Wendie plan), so it's probably not going to be as difficult as I think. I'm just new to this and am trying to handle everything with precision and think about my actions beforehand.

Everytime I have a potluck for work (and we have a ton) I always bring a healthy item- yummy salads or something.

I won't eat things that are obviously fattening- I'll grab fruits for dessert (someone always brings fruit) I'll stay away from high carb stuff, and so on- as long as there is some food on my plate people don't say anything

Since you're in charge of a side dish, why not bring a big salad with lots of veggies in it? Salad is a great side and this way you could load your plate up with the salad and just try a couple of other things that seem either okay or really worth it!

Keep at it. I spread my FP around similar to the Wendie Plan as well. And I think it's great that you're thinking before acting. Planning is a skill that will definitely help you out in the long run.

You might be surprised at what's offered at the potluck. Getting healthy and losing weight seem to be a priority for many people this time of year, so maybe there will be a least a few dishes that are low points. Good luck!

They're your friends. They'll still like you if you don't eat.