Socializing without food

I'm jealous....that area is home and I can't wait to get back.  Reading some of the other replies reminds me of some stuff my husband and I have done for date nights.  We resisted the "dinner and a movie" template and have done batting cages, driving ranges, racquetball, etc., and even a shooting range once.  

The coffee shop is great for sitting around talking. If you look at eggfaces blog she has some great snack ideas and recipes she takes with her

Physical activities, bike riding on the beach, coffee, walks, maybe start a book club and if food "has" to be involved make it controlled to your environment.

When is the cherry blossom season in DC? OMG I loved DC and the museums would have you walking a lot. Also mini golf is always fun.

Mini golf!  Yes.  Awesome idea.  

It's unclear when cherry blossoms will be this year since Spring has been so delayed in starting :(

Yeah back in my single days my two friends and I hit just about every mini golf course we could around us. We also went to a couple of driving ranges and that was fun and cheap. I think like 5 bucks for a bucket of balls.(that's what she said) I went to DC in October so I did not see any cherry blossoms.

I have been trying to plan a lot of outings not necessarily in the evening but more during the day like after lunch but before dinner. I do this because I feel like a lot of night activities, as the timing when adults go out, do revolve around food and drinking. I also do this so that I can be in a controlled environment when I do have my meals.

However, the past 2 months it has been one thing after another with birthdays, outings, etc. I actually surprised myself with my choices and controlled the amount that I ate. I didnt reach for bread, and I didnt reach for an appetizer. I actually focused more on the conversation vs. the food. I am comfortable and able to have a drink/glass of wine when i go out. I only order those things that i know i can eat which is typically seafood. If you aren't ready for that, you plain and simple aren't ready.  You can still go to the Indian restaurant, but look at the menu before you go and have a plan. Of course mentally - before you try it for the first time - may not be as much when you cant have those fried dumplings of fun..but I bet you getting ready to go out is going to be a lot more fun and worth not eating that stuff anymore.

Movies are hard b/c it centers around food - i mean i only really go to the movies for the popcorn and if anyone else says differently..they are lying :). Shopping is good but it can also get expensive when you start seeing all the fab stuff that fits you now! I like the idea of rollerskating or bike riding. I dont know where you live but once the weather in the northeast rises, Im looking forward to spending more time outside doing more things. The beach, or swimming, or tennis....activities that i never had the confidence to do. And, by doing all these things, you now meet a whole bunch of new people too and your cirlce of friends explode! I do a lot with my kids - but sometimes you need that break. But i am looking forward to be able to get on rides with them now and not saying daddy will go because i wont fit in the seat belts or cant push the lap bar down enough.  Mani/Pedi/Spa days are always awesome. What about signing up for a dance class or join a running/walking club? I see you are on pacific time so you can always rent a convertible and go for a drive up the coast maybe? take up golfing? go fly a kite LOL. limitless opportunities that once you wouldnt think twice about b/c it was easier to sit home watch tv and eat...well that was me at least. And I still struggle to get out of bed and do something more adventureous...i force myself to do it or else i will sit inside and think about binge eating and it destroys me (even though i cant do it thinking about it gets me down).

Hope this helps. I would love to hear some more ideas from others too!

Aw, I'm sorry that movies center around food for you!  I see a lot of movies in the theater every year (last year I saw 100) and I get food maybe 1 time out of 20.  I'm pretty sure I'm not lying when I say that movies are about the actual movie for me and not the food!  That said, movies totally aren't about socializing for me - so they're still not useful for me!

Thanks for the ideas :)

I meet friends at the gym. Even if we can't do much talking, it's time spent together. We meet for coffee, go to the movies, do 5Ks together, go somewhere our kids can play. I will warn you, though, like someone else said, fairs/amusement parks, skating rinks, bowling alleys, coffee shops, etc. all those places will have bad food to tempt you. You can center your activities around something else, but if you're not prepared to resist the temptation, it can be very challenging. I personally still enjoy the social aspect of going out with my friends, even to the bar, I just eat before I go, tell myself how the junk food isn't worth it, and I sip on water. It's a win-win because we all get to enjoy each other's company and have fun, they get a DD, and I know they get home safe. I've also done lunch/dinner with friends. I just figure out what I can eat that's plan-friendly either beforehand or from the menu. Some places are harder than others, but I can almost always find something I can eat some of. But of course if these places are triggers for you, you may want to avoid them until you're ready. You probably can't hide from the lunch-date-monster forever, though.

Coffee, or shopping, or play dates with our kids.  I do go out to lunch or dinner with friends, but of course I have to plan ahead and think about what to order.  

Another really fun thing to do is painting.  We have several studios here that teach classes every night.  They last 2-3 hours and you get to leave with a piece of art too.