Ok, I'm starting to get a little edgy about this weekend. We're taking off Friday night to head down to Kansas City for my wedding dress fitting and bachelorette party.

Normally, I would approach this as an "indulgence" - eat reasonably during the day, then drink and snack freely during the evening out and just "assess the damage" by counting up the calories as best I can the next day. Basically, the idea that life happens, and something like this is an excuse to relax the rules and then get back on track asap.

However, that's also how I "normally" end up slipping off track and stop losing weight. And given that I have an excuse to "celebrate" practically every weekend between now and the wedding in May, means I have to think this through and be reasonable about what I plan.


So, how would you plan for this? On one hand, I want to keep the "damage" to a minimum; on the other hand, I do want to have a good time and celebrate a night out with all the women closest to me! We're not going bar-hopping or anything like that (my one request), but the actual plans are a surprise (so it's hard to plan precisely).


How would you handle this? We'll be eating out for every meal, which is always tricky for me, and then an evening of unknown fun (though probably a fair bit of alcohol).

Are you a member of Weight Watcher's? If not is there a group that meets near you?

You could go to one meeting and get book one that explains the Momentum plan and how many points you can eat each day or to simplify it use set points. 5 points for 1 meat serving, 6 points for 1 carb serving and 1 point for servings of everything else.

Also WW now sells a small keychain point clicker that is smaller than a remote for a car for $5.00

Then when you go out everytime you eat one serving of a meat dish (the size of the palm of your hand) click 5, for etc., and etc.

It will give you a visual of what you are eating the entire weekend.

You may think this is too much trouble but I bought one of those clickers and has helped me tremendously with keeping a more accurate track of what I eat all day and it is very easy, the hardest part for me is not losing the clicker LOL! It's just an idea.

Good luck and Congrats!

I have more trouble on the weekends than any other time. Whatever you have found that works for you you will be fine. One minute at a time is all we can live no matter how much we plan. The "right now" is the only manageable portion of my life. I read that most people eat the most on SAturdays. I struggle with weekends (and weekdays). It's a process, is it not? Good luck. g

Since it's a fun night full of the unknown I would just try and make the best choices available to me for the evening. Up your exercise if anything else afterwards and make sure to drink plenty of water!

i say you have to fine that happy medium and have fun the best you can without going crazy. you can usually see when youre going out which are the obvious BAD food choices and which are better. go for the better ones but don't overthink it too much.

as far as alcohol, stay with the hard stuff and no cal mixers that way you drink less anyway... obviously switch it up with some water to keep you happy buzzed and not overdo it.

but have fun! this is your time and you need to enjoy it- just be smart. i know you can handle it

LORD when I think of ALLLL the times I was going to start a diet and starved all week Monday to Thursday only to go out on Friday or Sat and pig out and blow it for the whole week!

Yup I would have to agree... I used to do my best eating on Saturday night! LOL!

I've visited KC several times since starting my healthy diet, (I'm originally from the area! ) and I have had a BLAST without going crazy eating and drinking. You can have fun without over indulging in food and drink. Think about all the fun you had as a kid...did you have to eat and drink to have a great time? I'd be concerned that a weekend binge might lead to more, which in turn might make your weight go up enough that your dress won't fit. It's much easier to take it in than let it out! If you get fitted for your dress this weekend, but you can't manage to get back on track after a "free weekend", remember May is a long way away a lot of damage can be done.

Maybe you can work out a maintenance plan for the weekend.

ETD: I hope I don't sound like downer, but seriously, there will ALWAYS be a reason to party and overindulge. Of course you want to live a little, but where is the stopping point?

I also have trouble with nights like this. I would stick to hard alcohol and mix with diet soda, or do gin and tonic. Sometimes I just do straight shots and have water to attempt to balance it out. As far food... I'm a botomless pit when I'm drunk but if I'm distracted I don't even think about food. Try to socialize a lot or just order a veggie plate. When I'm drunk really anything satisfies me, whether its veggies or fries, it's more the element of having something to eat. Even if it's a bad night calorie wise don't give yourself a hard time, we have to have our fun!

Thanks for all the advice! I've been doing a little research today and starting to feel like I can make some high-quality choices mixed into all the fun and debauchery.

Whenever we go down there, we always end up at a First Watch for breakfast, and I've found the calorie counts for a few of their better options (between 240 and 400 calories for a full and filling restaurant meal!) And I'll be conscious over lunch of the fact that my fitting is at 2 pm, so I'll be able to make a lighter choice, since I won't want to be weighted down before the dress shop.

I'm going to pack a cooler with a few options - some fresh cut veggies and cheese sticks (my usual munchy choices when I get hungry between meals), so that I can nibble if we're sitting around before heading out for the evening - fill up on something simple so I'm not tempted to dive into something too rich.

I'm definitely looking forward to having a couple drinks, but I don't drink much in recent years so I'll be taking it easy so that I don't get sick. And I'll probably bring a couple bottles of wine to share, along with some Coke Zero and my rum stash from Trinidad.

I think I can approach this reasonably, and keep things on track. Honestly, one of my worst activities due to a night out is the greasy brunch the next morning - and I can't handle that kind of fatty meal anymore!