5 Things No One Will Ever Tell You About Social Eating

In this blog, we are going to discuss 5 things that will definitely help you when you are active in the social scene.

You know what I mean. You go out with friends and you look at the menu options and your thoughts go wild. Or you are going to someone’s house, and all of a sudden, you see food on every side of you and you want a piece of ALL of it!! Your mind is probably going crazy just as mine does:

• Look at all those good foods!
• Okay, those might not be the type of healthy foods I usually eat, but they are calling my name and I have to have some of them all.
• What difference will it make? It’s just for tonight.
• I know I kind of blew it twice this week already so what does it matter if I do it again just one more time.

You know what? I am so familiar with all these mind games our brain plays on us. I often have these back and forth conversations in my mind with all these types of phrases — and more. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying those “precious indulgences” are wrong at all. In fact, I believe doing this is what helps us keep on track with a healthy lifestyle. We cannot stay in a state of deprivation – or even starvation. We have to leave room in our healthy diet for those perfect indulgences once in a while.

My healthy lifestyle guide is the 80/20 rule. I spend 80% of the time eating healthy, life-giving foods, and then make room for some wonderful indulgence that stops me from being deprived, and making me feel as if I want to give up and just eat whatever the heck I want!. However, if we have already had our “perfect indulgence” for the week, and then we go “out on the town,” maybe even 2 or even 3 times in a week/weekend, where does that leave us? Maybe we have taken it down to a 50/50 rule of our own making. We then find ourselves back on the “overeating and overdoing it wagon,” and have even managed to gain a few pounds, right? That makes it so much more difficult to get back on track; ensued by guilt, self-disgust; a feeling that there is no going back, and all those lies that seep their way into our mind.

I have learned this through years of experience, and lots of mistakes of my own. Oh, believe me, I am far from perfect. Do I still “blow it?” Yes, of course, I do. That is part of life. But what used to happen is that little voice in my mind telling me “well, you’ve really blown it now. You might just as well keep on eating this way because you’re a real loser. There’s no going back. You can’t even stick to a healthy diet for a week.” I used to feel so depressed, down-trodden, disgusted with myself and I felt like a real loser from all that self-talk. I felt fat and unattractive and it created so many problems for me.

The good news is that once I realized what was going on in my brain – those subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – mind games that go on in our heads – I was able to take action steps to remove that fear and self-doubt. It is hard to pick yourself back up when you have “fallen off the healthy lifestyle wagon,” but it is far better to pick yourself up after a few days than after months of going down that road. One or two mistakes do not blow our healthy lifestyle. One week of vacation and enjoying different – and maybe exotic – foods, doesn’t take us to the point of no return. We should go with the mindset that once this vacation (or other events) is over, I am going to get right back on the healthy lifestyle and get back into the groove.

This week I am going to give you 5 tips to counteract this fallacy that when you spend too much time eating out, or going out with friends, and feeling you have totally overdone it, you cannot get back into a healthy lifestyle. You can!

Avoid Social Weight Gain

So, what can we do in order to keep extra pounds off that we might gain on vacation or at social events?

Here are a few tips to help you.

Just A Nibble!

Have you ever noticed that when you start eating a rich dessert it tastes so good, but by the last bite, you’ve had enough? Somehow though, you have managed to cram every last bite into your mouth and then you feel stuffed and miserable.

One way to keep the pounds down is just to enjoy 2 or 3 bites of that delicious cheesecake or chocolate fudge brownie. No one says that you have to completely deprive yourself of treats, just limit how much you eat!

Enjoy the Company, Not The Brownies!

Many people think of parties in terms of the foods that they’ll get to eat (or have to avoid) instead of the real reason for the celebration – the company and conversation. If you keep yourself busy chatting with friends, you’ll be less likely to go rummaging at the snack table. And don’t go armed with a plateful of food when you go to talk to those friends. Merely enjoy the moment with them.

Go to the Event Full

You’ve probably heard the grocery store trick; don’t go shopping when you’re hungry because you’ll only end up buying more. Well, the same works for social events! Eat a lot of raw vegetables, and other healthy foods before you go to the party as they will keep you feeling fuller and you’ll be less tempted to binge on the bad stuff.

Drink Water

If you were to add up the calories that you’ve probably consumed in food and beverages at parties, you would probably be shocked. You can gulp down hundreds of calories without even realizing it if you’re not careful! Try to remember to drink water before you eat and during your meal to help aid your digestion and stay hydrated.

Create An Eating Schedule

Instead of heading instantly to the food table and loading your plate – after which you feel stuffed and bloated – try spacing out your snacks/foods for the entire time of the party. When you head right over to the table and load your plate, for some reason, even though we are then full and bloated, we still want more. Instead, plan on taking a nibble of something every twenty to thirty minutes. Not only will it help you eat less, but it will also be a fun game that you can play with yourself! Challenge yourself and see if you can rise to the challenge.

Most importantly, remember that these social events are meant for enjoyment. Try not to be too hard on yourself, and if you make a mistake, take a long walk to help work off those extra calories instead of beating yourself up over it!

We can be our own worst enemy when it comes to things like social events, holidays, parties, vacations and more. As I said, it often leads us down a slippery slope of no return if we are not careful because we have a tendency to think we have gone too far and there is no coming back. But just because you have over-indulged today, doesn’t mean you can’t get right back to your healthy eating patterns first thing the next morning.

The longer you wait the harder it is, so just tell yourself before you go to an event, that it is only for tonight – a special time with friends – and tomorrow you will get right back on track.

You can do this!

If you need more support, I can help. I would love to chat with you and help you maneuver through the ups and downs of your healthy lifestyle so you can live that energized, healthy life you have always wanted. Schedule your free call >>HERE<<.