10 Healthy Dinner Party Ideas and Tips

When good food and great people come together, memorable moments tend to happen. Hosting a dinner party can be stressful, especially when you’re trying to lose weight yourself. We put together this list of ideas to help you create a great night for your guests that’s good for you, too.

1. Choose your vibe.

Set up your party for fun by planning it with a theme in mind. The theme can be subtle and known only to you, but it will help guide decisions about the kinds of food you have and how you serve it. The best themes are clear and simple, like casual elegance, fiesta night, bohemian, vintage or beach party. You can even make your theme based on the season, such as spring or fall.

2. Guest check.

So many people today have special food preferences and concerns. Before you plan the menu for your dinner party, send out a message asking your guests to let you know if they have allergies or intolerance to certain ingredients, if they are vegan, or have faith-based dietary guidelines. You don’t want to find out on the night of your party!

3. Signature drink.

Many hosts like to offer a pre-made cocktail along with the usual wine and beer. We like to mix up mocktails, such as Must-Have Mojitos, Skinny White Sangria or Sparkling Pomegranate Punch. They can be served with or without alcohol so everyone can choose for themselves. If you’re on Nutrisystem, you can enjoy one alcoholic drink at a dinner party.

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4. Mediterranean style.

A “mezze” platter is an easy, sophisticated and healthy appetizer to serve or bring along when you’re a guest. This “grazing board” includes pita bread, hummus and other dips, cheeses, olives, nuts, and fresh or dried fruit. The ingredients are arranged on a platter or cutting board, so each guest can take what they like. You can balance your plate with PowerFuels, such as cheese, nuts or olives, and SmartCarbs like whole grain crackers and fruit. Charcuterie boards are also a great idea for your healthy dinner party.

5. Build it yourself.

A customizable entrée can be a simple solution to pleasing lots of different palates. It also lets you stick to your healthy diet! Set up a baked potato bar with all the fixings, including light sour cream, low-fat cheese, turkey bacon bits, chopped chives and balsamic vinegar. Tacos, fajitas and salads are also easy to turn into a DIY bar, making them great options for diverse tastes.

6. Prep and freeze.

Make the day of the dinner party easier for yourself by cooking some of the dishes in advance and freezing them. Our Twice Baked Cauliflower Casserole is an indulgent yet healthy side that can be reheated while you mingle.

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7. Stop the pick.

Sampling food before serving it is always a good idea but beware of munching all day as you cook. It’s easy to eat a whole meal’s worth of calories while picking from each dish as you’re preparing it.

8. Set up to clean up.

Your after-party will be much easier if you think beforehand about cleaning up. Make trash cans accessible to guests. Decide where you want dirty dishes and let guests know with a simple sign. Plan for guests who offer to help with clearly defined tasks that help you.

9. Distribute leftovers.

Avoid the temptation of eating party food for several days by offering leftovers to guests. Be prepared with disposable containers so you can pack them up and hand them off easily.

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10. Plan for fun.

If your guests all know each other, chances are the conversation will flow naturally. But if you have people meeting for the first time, think of a couple simple games and conversation starters to get the evening flowing. “Two Truths and One Lie” is a fun way to learn about people—it can even be revealing about those you already know. A guest will share three facts about themselves, but one of them isn’t true. Take turns guessing which is the falsehood. Ask everyone to talk about their first job. Binge-worthy movies and TV shows, favorite music and best trips are other good, non-controversial topics. The connections made with other people are the real nourishment we all get from dinner parties.

The post 10 Healthy Dinner Party Ideas and Tips appeared first on The Leaf.

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Working on a cruise ship, don't know how to measure calories

Hello all, I am starting my weight loss journey but am having a few challenges. I'm currently working on a cruise ship where I have no control of how the food is prepared. This means that I don't know how many calories I am consuming when I eat a particular dish. I am trying to do CICO but cannot weigh my food. I am thinking that portion control may be my best option here but I'm still trying to get the hang of it. The point of my post is to get tips and ideas from fellow loseit members, on how to go about this. Thank you in advance for all the answers

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Normal fluctuations, be prepared to avoid disappointment

Just a reminder to expect fluctuations in your weight loss, which is especially prominent with those of us with female raging hormones. Throughout my journey, through observation, daily recording and being objective, I know what my body is doing and why. I know how it'll react to my level of activity, sleep, time of the month, how much I've eaten, drunk and what type of foods I've eaten.

Be aware of your actions and your bodies reactions. Be observant, analytical and avoid being too emotional about the number on the scale. Don't give up if you see a spike, just think rationally about why it probably happened. If you're prepared you won't fall into despair, or make irrational choices. And most of all, be patient and kind to yourself.

This is my 3rd 3 month weight loss chart of daily logging. The other two, with a starting weight of 93kg, look exactly like this. If I'd given in to disappointment caused by emotion and a failure to understand my body, I would have failed 50x over.

https://imgur.com/a/8IP6LuX

Be patient. Be sane. And think critically.

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I'm done being fat and hating myself. I'm losing 53lbs.

First post.

4/7/22

Hi, I'm 22(M) 6'3 and 263lbs as of right now. I've always had a issue with weight, I managed to lose a lot of weight in 2017 and keep it off until May of 2020(lockdown). My weight is starting to affect me in a lot of negative ways. I took my blood pressure at 163/95 or something, my back hurts, I dont sleep well, I'm always tired, I actively avoid any form of sexual or romantic relationships bc I feel gross, and none of my damn clothes fit any more.

My goal: Lose 53lbs by 9/7/2022, retain as much muscle as possible, be 10~15% bodyfat, and keep the weight off forever.

The plan: Cyclical keto to maintain energy, appetite, and weight loss of 1-3lbs a week. Followed by a 6ish month maintenance phase where I either keep doing Great Value keto or start introducing more carbs haven't figured it out yet.

Why keto?: I have a bmr of about 2150 confirmed by bio impedance and calorie tracking. Shockingly low for how much muscle I have, my size and how much I was working out(1-2hrs a day 6-7 days a week). I was tracking my calories perfectly, like measuring to the gram perfectly and restricting them by 300 a day, losing about 1lb a week. I was absolutely starving, and constantly fighting off cravings. Whereas my experience with keto was different I don't get anywhere near as hungry and I don't have to track as aggressively to lose weight, plus I get bad sugar crashes so this helps me stay focused.

Updates: I plan on posting weekly updates with my daily weigh ins, a brief summary of how I feel and think things are going. I'm considering daily macros, and weekly progress photos but think I'll save the photos for the end. Will likely edit most posts for grammar and better wording.

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Tired all the time during weight loss

I’ve lost almost 7kg in 3 months and I’ve noticed lately that I just can’t for the life of me get enough sleep; whether I sleep 6, 7, 8, 9 or even 10 hours - I’m always tired and feel like I need more sleep!

I’m not over exercising - I walk around 30 mins a day; and I work same hours as before… so I’m wondering if weight loss makes you tired?

Other than coffee and cold showers (which help to some extent) any advice on help?

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Finally attempting CICO so my cat doesn’t have to go it alone.

I’ve always been the chunkiest of my siblings. Brother is easily athletic, sister is easily thin. But the past few months I’ve been at my heaviest weight ever; I remember in college thinking to myself “I’m too short to let myself be over 200lbs,” and well…here I am. 5’3” and 212lbs. I bought a bathroom scale like ten months ago at this point (which told me 215 the day I got it) and while the little changes I’ve made here and there have stopped me from gaining further, I definitely need to lose quite a bit for my physical and mental health. I have stretch marks on my belly for the first time in my life, (I’ve always had them on my thighs and arms) and one side of my belly sags lower than the other and it really bothers and frankly disgusts me.

In a similar vein, my cat is also fairly chunky. He’d also lost some weight in the last two years (formerly my mom’s cat, and she was more generous with treats and table scraps; I brought him when I moved out), but he has also plateaued his weight loss; currently he weighs like 13lbs, when he should weigh around 10.

About a week ago I made a commitment to start being more accurate while measuring his food, and to make adjustments to his serving size when I give him treats. He’s displeased to say the least lol, especially given that I can’t tell him it’s for his own longevity. But I realized that, since he is my little dude, I really ought to be doing this with him. I’ve made changes like switching to diet soda and less calorie-dense snacks, but this is my first Proper attempt at CICO, using MyFitnessPal instead of just kinda doing mental math on the days I remember.

This is partly sparked by a dream I had last night where I was getting ready for work, noticed my double chin was gone, and weighed myself and found I weighed 145lbs for the first time since elementary school. I think that’s a good reason for that to be a goal to start.

Hopefully I force myself into some accountability by sharing this. Also if you have any low-cal ideas for volume snackers…anything helps.

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Drinking a gallon of water a day.

I know water is important for weight loss, but what about a gallon of it? Unfortunately, I believe I lose weight slowly, but I read that drinking a gallon of water per day can help speed up my metabolism and aid in weight loss. I looked into it further, but I don't think the results are very realistic. I saw a woman who claims she lost lost 6 pounds in one week and another whose belly shrank by up to 5 inches in the same time period. I believe it could help speed up my weight loss journey, but not as dramatically in only a week. Does anyone know what a gallon of water can realistically do for our bodies in terms of weight loss?

I'm also fasting, increasing my strength training and cardio, and attempting to stop eating out of boredom. I also have a hard time drinking enough water (the most I drink is 4-6 cups) so increasing my intake could help.

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