Weight Loss: Social Time Included
While in a weight loss phase, we should not exclude ourselves from it all. Social interaction is important to us as humans. We need connection. We thrive in it. When it’s taken away, we have a tendency to hit lows. Think about what life was like in quarantine.
OK, so for some of us… the quarantine home life was nice BUT even for us introverts it was rough. We got all recharged all the different days BUT it was too much even for us. Haha!
All joking aside. Being out with others and still finding a way to make it through is important. It does not have to be an either-or with your weight loss and your time out of the house with family and friends… you just have to be strategic about it!
Ready yourself!
- Change up the plan ahead of time: Maintenance for the day? Or calorie banking to keep a weekly deficit?
- Set yourself up well beforehand: Start with a really high protein/low-calorie breakfast and/or lunch to not head to the gathering really hungry. You can always have half of a protein shake as well. When you aren’t really hungry, you can make choices regarding what you want to consume a little bit easier. That physical hunger won’t be as urgent feeling and lead you towards things that you may not normally grab for.
- Stay Active: Don’t forget activity! Aiming for a step goal and staying active is going to allow for more flexibility food-wise. Think of your weekly movement and exercise as added insurance here.
- Keep your commitments to yourself: If you are choosing to only have one plate, you can only have one plate. If you are choosing to not consume any alcohol, don’t consume any alcohol. If you are not going to have any dessert, don’t have any dessert. Now this is not to say that these are the rules that you need to have. This is to say whatever commitment you put in place for yourself… keep it. It matters. Those are things that you plan and put in place ahead of time. Be realistic. And keep the commitment to yourself. You would keep a commitment to anyone else.
- “Worth it” food: There very well could be food that you have not had in a very long time, and they are the foods that you are head over heels for… aka “worth it” foods. When strategizing, keep this in mind. If your best friend makes the most amazing buffalo chicken dip, you will want to have it! These “worth it” foods are foods that you feel are worth the moment now and will still be worth it later.
- One plate only: sometimes the best way to limit the amount of food that you have overall, it’s just simply to go with a rule of only one plate. This plate would fit your appetizers, your protein, your sides, and even your dessert. I know what I’m saying here. And I don’t mean the super big plates either. But if your goal is to still moderate fairly well, I would be willing to bet what goes on that plate will still be more than enough from a caloric standpoint. Plus, this helps give gravity to each of the options that is going to take up real estate on that plate.
You’re the host or it’s a potluck!
- Send it home with them: Be prepared to send the leftovers home with guests by buying some plastic containers while you are shopping for your ingredients. This can be such a heartfelt act because you are sending your guests home with a meal that they can prepare for themselves the next day. This is not an action of pawning things off on somebody, BUT also, don’t force this on people. They may be in a position just like you and say yes because they don’t want to upset someone but it doesn’t align with their goals. If there is one particular food leftover that you know you are going to be trying to resist for days or you will be overindulging, enjoy what you feel is an acceptable amount for you then get rid of it! And this is always coming back to the tether of aligning with what you want to do with this food. And that goes right into my next point… Our food environment matters. Self-control is not limitless and what we see influences our decisions.
- Choose a mix of nutritious & indulgent recipes: You may want to look at recipes that help fit your goals as well as nurture your guests. You can follow easier formats of looking to have proteins, vegetables, and fruits available as well as other things. If you are going to the event, bring plates that you can eat from in case there are things there that do not feel “worth it” to you and you find it hard to reach your nutritional goals with what will be available.
- Watch your BLTs (Bites, Licks & Tastes): If you are the one doing the cooking, try to minimize your bites, licks, and tastes, because they do add up! We can easily get to the point of consuming 200 to 500 cal without even knowing it.
Recipes for Social Gatherings
High protein finger foods
- Buffalo Chicken Dip (Crock Pot or Baked)
- Loaded Nachos with Ground Turkey, Beans and Cheese
- Pizza Sausage Rolls (Made with Greek yogurt bagel dough)
Veggie platters & mixes
Fruits for snacking & dessert
- Avocado Mango Salsa
- Red White and Blue Fruit Skewers with Cheesecake Yogurt Dip
- Strawberry Cheesecake Dip (With Yogurt)
Mindful Eating Tactics for Go Time
One of the very first things that you can look into when you’re out at a party is really just assessing whether or not you are truly hungry before eating… Choose to FEAST, not just eat!
Assess hunger – if not hungry, explore real needs with FEAST: Focus on triggers, Explore feelings, Accept without criticism, Strategize solutions, and Take small, realistic Actions.
- Mindful vs Mindless: Work to recognize hunger signals. Be sure to sit in an intentional place for eating. Also, try to not stay near the food table. The distance can help possible mindless eating habits.
- Savor your food: When we slow down to consume, our brain has a chance to know when to signal that we are actually full. Taste the food… savor it. When we savor our food, we can experience the joy from it but in moderation that aligns with how to best nourish our bodies.
- Practice the pause: Put your fork down between bites, and talk with your company halfway through your meal for a few minutes. We are putting space between us and the next bite but we’re doing it so that we can enjoy the moment with the people around us.
- Check-in for the fullness: Check in with yourself and how you feel. When we create a space, we give ourselves a moment to think about being able to check in… do I feel satiated? Do I want another bite? Will I feel good if I take that next bite or will I feel overfull?
- Leave two bites behind: For some, the most helpful thing that we can do for ourselves is make our way out of the “Clean your plate” club.
- Enjoy the moments: The goal of gatherings is the memories made with the people present. And it is a lot easier to enjoy the moments when we’re not stuffed and uncomfortable in our clothing.
- Be ready for others: Have some phrases ready to give a family member or friend when she is pushing you to try her dish after you are already full. “But I made this just for you”…. You – “I love you for thinking of me I am so full I will pack some up for later” then change the topic.
Mindset matters
Saying things like “I can’t do this”, “this is too hard”, or “I ruined the day already” can destroy us. Those are things that ONLY hold the value that we GIVE them. Read that again. If you give it value… you will believe it and hold it as your own truth.
But the fact is… This one day will not dictate the rise or fall of your journey however whatever we continue will.
Reset fast. Get back into it with the very next meal or the very next morning.
Do not wait till Monday. Do not wait till next month. You are not promised those.
With love,
Coach Nik
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