More calorie advice...

Every weekend, there is a get together with friends. I have limited how much alcohol I cosume, but I have a harder time with the snacks and ALWAYS go way over my calories.

My sedentary burn is 1870 and with exercise I usually burn somewhere around 2200 cals a day. Online calculators have calculated my bmr to be around 1600 cals. My stats are 25/f/5'3/187 lbs.

So my question is, if I TRY to keep my calorie count around 1200-1300 cals Sunday through Friday and go over calories on Saturday, will my metabolism be potentially slowed from the undereating??

Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't deprive yourself all week, but you could try a sort of calorie cycling. What is it that you are going over your calories on? Can you try to bring a healthy snack to share with your friends so you have a guilt free snack, or what about eating before you go out so you are less likely to indulge?

If you are partying with friends on the weekend in a bar, Im guessing that the snacking you are doing is on nibble-y things.  Those bar foods are laden with sodium, not to mention the calories.  Are you sure you want to put those things in your body?

I wouldn't worry too much about "starvation" mode per se, but for me, under-eating 6 days a week so that I could over-eat one day a week is a really poor strategy.  It furthers the sense of dieting, makes me feel sorry for myself, and, ultimately, leads me to overeating most days, rather than just on the one day I planned for.

A better strategy for me is to have a generous enough calorie target that I can afford small "treats" frequently.  Kind of a 90/10% plan (good, nutritious choices to less good, low nutritious).  If you keep your average calorie deficit in the 500-700 range, you will lose more than a pound a week, and you will have room for a few treats when you go out with your friends.  But, you won't feel deprived, and won't feel as much temptation to overdo it when you are out.

I also think it is fun to come up with other activities to do with your friends that don't include so many food temptations.  Frisbie in the park, a hike, board games at home.  Activities where the focus isn't drinking and food.  Be a leader!

I have the same problem, trying to balance a healthy lifestyle with the inevitable one night every week or two where I let loose and party.  I have lost weight without giving up the party days.  This is what I did.  First of all, I changed the types of foods and drinks I choose when out.  I stopped drinking beer and sugary cocktails, and now I only drink liquor with zero-calorie mixers, or wine (usually red wine, liquor is a bit too strong for me).  I choose low-calorie foods, like salads without dressing, grilled chicken, fish, etc.  I make a plan of how much I will eat/drink before I go.  I allow myself up to 3 or 4 drinks, and maybe up to 600-800 calories of food, and a small dessert, so this puts me around 1000-1500 calories for the night maybe.  I also prepare for the evening by exercising a little more and eating a little less that day so I can stay within my maintenance calories.  But I do tend to go over a lot, and I just try not to let it get me down.  Don't limit your food for the week, that will just make you miserable.  If you feel like you must compensate, then it's better to exercise harder the following days I think.

I have the opposite problem as you though, I am a lot better at limiting the food than the alcohol (I live in Japan, they have all-you-can-drink deals at most bars/restaurants).  For me to limit my alcohol intake, it helps having a friend there who knows my goals and who will stop me when I've had enough.  For the snacking, I share everything with my friends, so I am only eating a small portion.

Thanks for the tips, some of them are useful. However, I am in kind of a different situation. I am living in a remote community in Northern Canada. So when friends and I get together, it is at someone's home and everyone always brings food. Planning other activities is great for the day, but it still doesnt eliminate the Saturday night get together that we all need by that point.

I have been drinking only hard liquer and zero calorie drinks, so I think that has helped a little. I will try to limit how much I eat before hand and exercise a little more if I can and see how I do this weekend.

1200-1300 is fine. My dietation put me on 1400 calories a day but I know many people on 1200-1300 a day. It is not starvation at all. If you are good and keep your work out ups then treating your self once in a while is not bad, one a week is pretty often I would think to go over calories. You should make your visit more about conversation and less about food. Maybe every other week have the girls all do a hike together to hang out instead of sitting around eating.. Just a thought! :-)