I've been doing a lo-cal diet and exercise plan and have been sticking to it so far.. but I'm worried about an upcoming family dinner. I don't want to bring my own food as that is just rude (and a little weird lol), and while I do plan to really exercise portion control, I'm worried about eating too many calories because I can't really ask how many calories things are or count them. Do any of you do anything special to prep for meals like that? I was thinking of eating very light earlier that day, and working out more the next day to help.

This situation has come up for me. I am counting calories, so basically ate very lightly to save most of my calories for dinner. Also threw in an extra dose of exercise and it all worked out fine. You might also consider small portions of whatever looks high calories and bigger portions of whatever is predominantly produce. If you really want to be good, drink water instead of other calories. Or...you can just live a little and get back at it the next day. Good luck!

I do exactly what you're planning! I only pick foods I absolutely love - no sense wasting calories on the so-so stuff. Up your water intake and you'll be fine Enjoy your dinner!

I usually do IF, so that helps to keep calories lower.

I agree with all of this. Just be careful with the portions you eat of things, maybe eat a little lighter that day, or eat a good protein-rich snack before you go so you won't arrive starving. You know how to distinguish lower-calorie foods from calorie-dense foods for the most part. Eat one normal portion of the protein, lots of salad, whatever vegetable is served; eat sparingly or stay away from calorie-dense dishes like bread, potato, rice. Just be sensible; no need to make yourself crazy over one meal.

You won't be able to accurately count calories that day but that is not the end of the world. Just don't use the inability to count as an excuse to go hog-wild. Eat sensibly and don't be a pig. Get right back on your calorie-counting plan the next day. In the long run, this one meal is not going to make much difference. You might not even notice a blip in your loss pattern.

Being a calorie counter you are already "prepared." I spent a year being a calorie counter and I don't do it anymore because I simply don't have to. I already know how many potential calories might be hidden in a potato dish, it's like I have a calorie calculator in my brain that I can't turn off haha.

One thing that "normal healthy eaters" do is to allow for various types of eating situations. It comes natural to them that if they eat a lot one day the next day they eat very little. They make up for it. See, people like me eat like it's Thanksgiving every day. But I try to pretend to be a healthy eater and make up for it the next day, after a while it starts to become second nature to do this.

Fill up on the things you know are low calorie, the veggies, the proteins, etc. Try to limit your portion on starches. Refuse dessert. But whatever you do, do not diet in front of other people. You don't have to share with everyone that you're dieting, just eat less and refuse dessert claiming that you're too full for another bite.

And enjoy it, don't be stressed. Food temptations will always be there.

I had that come up a couple weeks ago. It depends on what is being served. For the last family dinner the entrees being served were roast turkey and brisket. There were a lot of side dished served along with the entrees, and one of those was roasted root veggies. So, I had no problem staying on my diet. Fortunately for me my family knows of my diet and they are supportive. So, most of my family would never plan a menu that would totally exclude me anyway. I can imagine that if your family is planning to have all Italian dishes at the dinner and everything is full of pasta, cheese and tomato sauce, it would be hard to stick to a diet -- unless you ate such a minute amount of food.

Does the family member doing the cooking know about your diet and would they be inclined to be sensitive to it?