Fathers birthday family meal dread

[Mrsmac247]

Hi all, my anxiety had been building for most of the day today. It is my dad's 75th birthday and he is taking us all out to dinner at...Cosmos!

I absolutely loved Cosmos (a giant pan Asian eat as much as you like and then some more!) But am dredding tonight. Given their age and mentality they don't understand why I have changed my diet and think that I should still be eating rice and bread.

What should I stay away from/what can i eat? or should I just accept that to please the parents means possibly undoing all the hard work I've put in?

I feel bad, he is 75 today and don't want to put a downer on his day

 

[vintageutopia]

Is Cosmos a buffet? I am not familiar with what "giant pan Asia" means. If you can choose your choices, you can eat heartily without them even knowing the difference.

I would stick to some protein (salmon, seafood, or skewered chicken), a side of vegetables (like green beans or pick out the broccoli of another side) and have a salad with dressing.

 

[Mrsmac247]

Thank you, yes pan Asian eat as much as you like buffet. There is usually a European style stand think chips, nuggets etc, seafood, who I I don't like! A carvery, a pizza stand with pasta etc, Indian style good with curries etc and Chinese style chicken in black been sauce, Sarah. Chicken, beef is sauce, spring rolls, soup etc.

I fear damage will be done even when staying away from the rice etc dishes

 

[Dillinger]

It's going to be fine I just had a look at their menu - they have "tender asparagus wrapped in bacon" - a perfect low-carb food.

Just load up on stuff like that with green vegetables, avoid all the pastas and the dim sum though. There seems to be a lot of carvery options just try and avoid the ones with sticky sauces.

Don't forget you are going there for the celebration first and foremost not the food.

Best

Dillinger

 

[Gezzabelle]

Thank you, yes pan Asian eat as much as you like buffet. There is usually a European style stand think chips, nuggets etc, seafood, who I I don't like! A carvery, a pizza stand with pasta etc, Indian style good with curries etc and Chinese style chicken in black been sauce, Sarah. Chicken, beef is sauce, spring rolls, soup etc.

I fear damage will be done even when staying away from the rice etc dishes

Aww don't let worrying spoil the big day. I am sure you can find foods you can eat...the carvery for a start....lots of protein to choose from and am sure there will be a healthy selection of veg you can add to your choice. I am sure you will all have a lovely time.....and......a very Happy Birthday to your Dad.....hope he has a wonderful day x

 

[Mrsmac247]

Thank you so much, I totally forgot about the carvery probably because I never go to that stand but indeed tonight I can. That has put my mind at rest as well as the veg in bacon option. As a bonus as I've had breakfast and a few cups of tea, according to mfp I have 30g of carbs to play with and most days I am usually way under

 

[Scimama]

I go to Cosmos with work Two ways to deal with family/friends tell them you are lowering your carbs and try to educate them OR say there is so much yummy food you don't want to fill up on starchy noodles and bread or chips. Tell them you can get chips etc anytime - you want to taste all the other stuff (don't have to say what the other stuff is!). Say you think the sautéed green beans are so yummy you are having a second helping (OK that might only work for me as a veggie )

If you just put a small amount on your plate and speed it in thin layer, you can go up to buffet multiple times and no-one will notice that you actually haven't eaten a lot, they just see you have been up repeatedly

Having said that it is only one night so don't beat yourself up too much, enjoy it without going mad.

Assuming your branch serves same as the one I go to then there is

some plain meats not in sauce, i
shredded 'duck' for duck pancakes - just don't have the pancakes
roasted chicken wings
small sausages (OK in moderation)

make your own stir fry with shrimp/chicken and veggies - just tell them no noodles

tofu (tastes great and low carb)
green beans in sauce - scrape off as much sauce as possible
cauliflower curry - yay for cauliflower
mixed vegetable

Salads


Pudings - errrrr say you are too full or have a small amount and really enjoy every bite

 

[dunelm]

I went to our favorite Thai restaurant on Monday and it was fine. No rice, no bread, no crackers, no beer - but loads to choose from. I think from what has been said above, you will have a lovely evening and no one the wiser. Asian puddings are mainly milk and sugar - lots of it!!

 

[Mrsmac247]

I'm there now but will reply later thank you so much

 

[SueB743]

Have a great time

 

[Mrsmac247]

Oh dear that didn't go as planned at all I tried to make good choices and successfully stayed away from the well known carbs the pastas, rice sweet and sour etc. I chose cauliflower cheese, Satay chicken, stir fried chicken, stir fried beef, mushroom and green salads.

I ended up going up a couple of times as I just couldn't feel full. I passed on any desserts and had a small glass of rose.

My patents didn't most of the night taking about my diet and debating what I can and cannot eat. Thank God I've run out of strips because I just know I have blown it, even the seemingly dry foods had a sweetness to them.

God only knows what I am going to di with the big slab of birthday cake they have given me to take home which equals the size of an ice cream container.

Feeling a bit low but I tried my best but judging by my spinning head, it wasn't good enough lol

 

[vintageutopia]

It's okay. Don't punish yourself and move on. One meal will not break you, unless you let it.

As far as the cake, give it to a neighbor.

 

[DeejayR]

You did your best and got through it. Probably a lot of the bad feeling you have now is guilt -- well, no need. Be kind to yourself. As said above, move on. Every moment is a new opportunity, etc. Sleep well.

 

[Mrsmac247]

Thanks guys as you all said, the main focus was my father's birthday and I feel I kept good control and made the best choices I could. And thank you for stating me to better choices.

Me and the husband have just discussed what we ate and I am at peace with it. I hope it doesn't do harm but tomorrow I will be back to my usual way of eating and besides...what is life if we don't live from time to time...could have been worst lol

 

[vintageutopia]

Exactly. There will be bad days, intentional or not. The most important thing is what happens after that bad day or meal and how you proceed.

Your BS may a bit higher today, but if you jump back on plan, it will come down again. ♥

 

[SueB743]

Today is a new day, we will all fall off the wagon at some point either intentionally or due to the fact that sometimes there is no better option available. Hopefully you had a good night, your dad enjoyed his birthday and you can carry on with your usual food choices. Please don't worry, one nights food as an exception shouldn't make too much difference in the long term bigger picture. You are doing your best as we can all see by the fact you checked out the best options before you went out. Good for you

 

[Mrsmac247]

Thank you, indeed today is a new day and I'm back on plan. Between my husband and the forum, I realised that life happened and even a person on another diet has to make adjustments from time to time.

My dad had a wonderful birthday, thank you, I left him in his favorite chair sipping Champaign watching cricket, only after taking me into a JD...with diet coke of course!

 

[knoxy55]

Oh dear that didn't go as planned at all I tried to make good choices and successfully stayed away from the well known carbs the pastas, rice sweet and sour etc. I chose cauliflower cheese, Satay chicken, stir fried chicken, stir fried beef, mushroom and green salads.

I ended up going up a couple of times as I just couldn't feel full. I passed on any desserts and had a small glass of rose.

My patents didn't most of the night taking about my diet and debating what I can and cannot eat. Thank God I've run out of strips because I just know I have blown it, even the seemingly dry foods had a sweetness to them.

God only knows what I am going to di with the big slab of birthday cake they have given me to take home which equals the size of an ice cream container.

Feeling a bit low but I tried my best but judging by my spinning head, it wasn't good enough lol

Call it a cheat night and be careful what you eat (if anything) the rest of the evening. Birthday cake can be sliced into individual pieces and frozen, to be given to the rest of your family. Don't beat yourself up and over analyse tonight, tomorrow is a new low carb day.

 

[Dinet]

Thank goodness D-day is over! But it did make me think that are some amazingly supportive ppl in this forum. I admire you guys

 

[sally and james]

I wonder how Dad's 78th birthday went, I hope he had a great day.
Sally