Oh, all this going out....

Going out again tomorrow!

This really is a big hiccup - sports project, being determined and wanting to keep your friends... or making new ones for that matter.

I am getting better in not even wanting the little things one grabs on the site when making a trip to somewhere. I can resist the ice cream man in the street, and the waffles. But the social meetings are something one has to practice, apparently.

At home I prepare portions about which I have a rough idea how much it will cost me, in a restaurant I have no clue; but not eating is not an option either people don't feel comfortable when being watched eating. I have a theory that a lot of food sharing from ones own plate happens not because one is full, but because one hates that the other one being finished and now watching.

However, I am starting to develop some rules now - as soon as I have rules to stick with things become easy, e.g:

A bit of cake - very very difficult! Which cake, how much, greed, timing, easily nibbled on the side... grrr

No cakes - easy! Don't think about it, if you think about it say a definite 'No' and the thought goes

So now the tasks are:

• to make sure that I know in the mornings so that I can plan the food for the rest of the day,
• to find good restaurants, and
• do the suggesting and booking myself.

Well, first one has to determine what a 'good' restaurant is. It cooks with little salt, has different sizes in portion and allows ordering separate things rather then one dish on a platter.

In the close proximity where one lives one always will find one or two restaurants in which one can stick to a particular dish. I used to always eat the Ceasar salad at our favourite Italian. But what if one is someplace else. Then one needs a particular style of food or a chain.

Last week I found out that Nandos is great. Firstly it is very plain food, you pop the sauces from a bottle. It is mainly chicken and it comes in different sizes and one can add a selection of side orders in two sizes. Perfect!

Tapas is good as well. One orders little portions of things, usually 3-4 per person and then it is all shared. Usually I don't particularly like that because people keep ordering things I don't like and then eat what I ordered. But that is sort of the point now. And Tapas is very much in fashion and Moorish and Spanish places are on the 'Up'.

And then of course there are some rules:
No starter, I will not even go there a little bit, not even a salad, not even shared. Be honest: One usually is already full after the starters. And given that my usual dinner has something around 600 cals, an amount that makes me happy and feel good... a starter would do! But then the whole watching people eat thing is happening again. Not eating starter is more approved. They are all so hungry that they don't care.

No desert! Again, I will not even be thinking about it. And again it is the watching people eat thing. Apparently the fuller they get the less they like being watched. I noticed that once one declines having desert all the others do as well. So I have coffee! Luckily it doesn't affect me at night. Propblem solved!?!

Now I will have to fight off all the well meaning people asking me if I want to try; 'Really, it's really nice, you should try a bit, that bit won't hurt you, it's a lot I have here, you can try!' NO! I don't want to! If you feel guilty about stuffing your face with sweets, then deal with it, but don't blame it on me! If I wanted I would have ordered myself! I AM NOT HAVING IT!