Professional Eating

No, this isn't about the people who rake in cash prizes for eating lots of pie or chicken wings.... ;-)

I have a career that is based largely on relationships. That includes relationships with very high-profile donors, with Board members, with community partners, and with my own colleagues. And, of course, one of the best ways to keep these relationships strong is to grow them on a personal or social level, which can often happen with a meal out or drinks after work.

I have "professional" social outings quite often, and I had two of them today. I had lunch with two colleagues after we took a work-related field trip, and we ended up at the Cap City Brewing near Union Station. I chose the seared tuna salad, which was a pretty good choice for staying on plan. After lunch, I was in meetings straight through until it was time to go meet a contact for a quick drink. I had originally planned to use my frozen dinner-before-going-out trick, but my meetings lasted so long that I didn't get a chance to cook my Smart Ones meal before it was time to go. But I decided when we sat down that I was just going to order a glass of wine and skip any appetizer. It was hard to watch my companions devour some mini burgers and chips, but I just kept sipping my wine. Hooray for staying strong! Hooray for learning that even a single glass of wine on very few calories during the day can make you plenty tipsy!

My tips for avoiding a disaster on these work outings:
- Check the menu before you go and start making the decision about what you'll order before even setting foot in the restaurant.
- Try to eat something small and sensible beforehand so you're not starving when you get there -- it's much easier to make a good decision when you're not feeling those hunger pangs.
- When confronted with a lengthy or unfamiliar menu, only look at sections that you know will have good choices. I tend to only look at the appetizer/small plate, side order, and salad/soup sections these days. By not reading over the full entree section, you won't be tempted by that bbq chicken pizza or a creamy pasta sauce. If you don't see it, you won't want it! ;-)

So those are my tips on work meals when you have the option of ordering. Sometime soon I'll post about what I try do at catered events, with all those fatty finger foods. I've got several coming up in early February!