Another thread mentioned this but there was no response. I'm curious to know what would others do.

You are invited to a dinner party and when you arrive you realize there is not much to eat....atkins friendly. What do you do?

A. You already ate before you got there so you'll just pick.
B. Sabotage yourself and eat.....you don't want to be disrespectful
C. Bring your own
D. Something else???

I would/have eaten prior to going and pick. All my friends know I'm doing this and I don't expect them to create a menu just for me but I would also expect them not to be offended if I don't eat the high carb foods.

I always eat before I go out to dinner parties - just in case. Even just a sausage link or something. Keep me content until I leave. Of Course I drink a gallon of water while I am there. Water always takes the edge of my hunger.

If it's friends, I would bring something like an antipasto tray- cheeses and meats. of course, enough for all. If it's other people where I wouldn't want to do that, I'd prob eat something first or another idea is to stash a bar in my purse and eat it in the bathroom making sure to check the mirror for stray chocolate on the way out..

First, if you have a good relationship with the host/hostess, I'd explain to them your WOE and if that person is a true host/hostess, they'll provide at least one food time you can eat. If you are not close to the host/hostess, than eat what you feel will not undo your WOE...meats, veggies ... and if they are "sauce laden". discretely, wipe as much off of it as you can... And yes, eat before you go "just in case".

That is a tough one

I don't know what I would do. I guess I would eat a little before I went and then when I got there, maybe get a little something. Not enough to hurt. This way it doeasn't offend or hurt the host and hostess feelings.

I know what I never would do - sabotage my work just because there is 'illegal' food in front of me. I eat before I go and try to eat legal stuff at the dinner. Actually, not many people notice what you do/don't eat....
Most people today will ask if you have allergies etc - tell them! Still, I told my friends once and they did not take it seriously so.....I did not eat. Such is life....

Alina

I would have eaten very,very low carb for the day so that I would be able to eat without picking over my food ( I feel picking over food is inconsiderate ). By keeping my carbs down for the day, I could eat less cautiously. We went to the fair on Thursday and this was our supper time. I had a piece of deep fried zuchini, chicken fried steak and cole slaw. I decided to skip the deep fried Snicker Bar and the deep fried Twinkie Nor did I have the traditional french fries, candy apple or spun sugar on a stick ( cotton candy ). But I did risk some carbs and I survived without putting on any weight. My point being is that if you are doing everything right on this woe then you should be fine, with care when visiting someone for dinner.

Black57

I used to solve this by inviting people to my house, where I could serve up delicious LC meals. It was a bit hard at first as I did not want to let certain people know I was doing LC until after I'd lost a significant amount of weight. (Let's just say it was an in-law issue.) But eventually it is rude not to let people take their turn inviting you, and I had to "come out" as a lowcarber.

I have up to about 45 carbs/day, so what I do when I am invited out is to save up as many as possible, and to explain to my hosts in advance that I only eat starches and desserts in extremely small portions. Because so many people in the UK still think you can only eat meat and cheese on lowcarb, I take pains to point out that there are really no forbidden foods, I can have a small amount of any high-carb food if I really want it. Fortunately, I am one of those lucky people who can have a few chips, or a tiny bit of dessert, without it triggering a desire for more and more.

So far I have not had any problems apart from the curious questions such as, "Can you have fruit? Where do you get your calcium and fiber?" and so forth.

Emily

I also eat before I go anywhere. I also don't expect servers to make special dishes for me either, so just eat what I can of what's being served. Then if I'm still hungry, I either wait till I get in the car or if I'm there awhile, I bring in my cooler of food and pick when I'm hungry. I would never just eat things off plan to be polite.

I assume this mean when going to not-so-close-friends - otherwize I expect my friends to know about my WOE and if not doing a totally low carb meal, at least supply meat/sallad and the pasta separately.

So, I combine! I always eat a little before I leave home, so I will not be too hungry. I than eat what I can eat from what is offered. Just in case: I keep a small bag of macadamia nuts if I will not be satisfied from what is offered, so I can have a quick snack later in the evening.

Regards

--Maria

I usually solve the dessert problem by baking a SF nut-crust cheesecake and bringing it along. My friends think it's great, because my cheesecakes are pretty darn good -- you don't even notice that it's SF. Home-baked desserts are always better than store-bought anyway, and since I'm the only one who cooks a lot, it works out well for everyone. I will often bring a salad or vegetable dish as well, for the same reasons.

It's actually pretty rare that I get in the situation where there truly isn't anything I can have *and* that someone would be insulted if I didn't eat. In a dinner party situation, I can't imagine why someone would be offended if you asked to bring a salad or vegetable dish, especially if you explained that you had some unusual food "allergies". I have a friend who's quite allergic to dairy, shellfish, strawberries, peanuts, etc., and he and his wife always bring something along when they come to dinner. I try my best to plan a suitable menu, but they don't expect me to be able to remember every little thing that he can and can't eat, and bringing something works for everyone.

In 99% of situations, I wouldn't worry about insulting people, unless you're the guest of honor and the dessert is made especially for you. This happened to me with the cake at my bridal shower, where I did feel obligated to take a very small piece. But as a general rule, it's silly for someone else to get upset if you don't eat their food, and rude of them to push it on you even if you politely decline.

I am with you Atlee. I was always told, you should never show up to a dinner party with out a small dish or gift for the host/hostess. Which is perfect on this woe. Before this woe I would bring a bottle of wine to be served with dinner or cookies. Now I bring deviled eggs or a vegetable dip with assorted vegys. All my famly/friends know I am on this diet. I will usually ask what will be served at the dinners so i can make other provisions. I actually brought my own dish to one party and no one was really shocked or offended.

When I was invited to dinner shortly after I started on this woe, my friend suggested that it would be hard to make sure she served something I would/could eat. I knew she normally served salad and veggies and meat, so I told her no problem, and there wasn't! I did take string cheese and pepperoni in my purse just in case.