So this weekend was my first social gathering (with tons of family and food) I did better than I expected but still found myself slipping back into old eating/snacking habits. What are some thing you banded pros have done to make sure you stay on track? Any tips would be amazing. This summer is basically one social event after another and i want to make sure I am not allowing me to slip up by not being prepared!!

So this weekend was my first social gathering (with tons of family and food) since my surgery. I did better than I expected but still found myself slipping back into old eating/snacking habits. What are some thing you banded pros have done to make sure you stay on track? Any tips would be amazing. This summer is basically one social event after another and i want to make sure I am not allowing me to slip up by not being prepared!!

I am no pro by any means, but I find that if you deprive yourself, then you will probably end up making a larger food mistake later. If I want something, I have it, just in a much, much smaller size portion than I would have in the past. When I started this journey, I knew I wanted to make it something I could live with forever, so there are no foods off limits for me. At the same time, I don't eat them everyday and not in nearly the same portion sizes as pre-band me.

My life is just one big social event most of the time! We eat out Mondays (dancing night), every second Wednesday (I'm in Lions), occasional Thursdays (my husband is a Rotarian), and we have plenty of other outings with family, dancing, cycling and friends.

Plan as much as you can. Always take a plate of food to share but one that you know you can eat and enjoy. Don't let yourself get too hungry before eating and remember that while you have made the great decision to improve your lifestyle, you are still human and will have occasional slip ups - we all do! Don't beat up on yourself, just learn from the experience and move on. Best of luck.

If appropriate bring a food to share that you can eat. If it can be a low fat Protein (meatballs, chicken kabobs) that would be great. Maybe bring a a plate of veggies that you can eat, look for dip recipes that you can make with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. In general look for a low fat protein that you can eat first. Then try for a lower fat veggie. In a pinch corn on the cob would be a good choice (yes high in carbs but it is a natural carb not fried potato chips, or potato salad with mayo). Also fruit salad would be a good choice to make/eat.

If you're going to a restaurant look at their menu on line. Every sit down restaurant sells baked/grilled chicken. If you are concerned it will be too dry ask for a dipping sauce (BBQ, sweet and sour) on the side that you can use if necessary.