When we're not consumed up to our necks with schoolwork, my hubby and I will use a majority of our weekend time to hang with our friends and family. We love to be sociable and take a break from reality to be around the people we love, especially after a long work week.
And as much as I hate to admit this, being around other people's food habits has always been my biggest weakness and usually somehow, someway ends up sabatoging my healthy progress thus far. It's usually on a pizza night - it's impossible to not eat more than one slice - and then after that I feel guilty and think that there's no point in continuing my diet. So, it's back to bad habits with very few healthy choices.
Well, guess what, folks? Not this time. I overcame (most) of the temptation and I feel pretty dang proud of myself.
Here's how I did it. *Note that these are all gathered from my own personal experiences.
Don't call it a diet. What I've learned through my past experiences is that diets always become temporary for me. They never last. Mostly because I would do it for the wrong reasons, like trying to shed pounds quickly and when I didn't see results right away, I would get discouraged. My goal isn't to lose weight anymore, it's to become healthy and fit, to feed my body the right nutrients and be able to overcome physical obstacles that can only be acheived by pushing myself. To me, a healthy lifestyle is a long-term change that will take a lot of work and sacrifice but will be worth every moment.
Just get it out there. Tell your family/friends that you've decided to change your eating habits and you're watching what you eat by avoiding certain foods. If they ask you more about it, be open and share your experiences. If not, don't preach nutrition or criticize someone else's eating habits. You know how much it sucks when you get made fun of or teased for getting salad dressing on the side or passing up on dessert, so don't do it to someone else. Unless you want to be a buzzkill.
Be polite. If, for your own personal reasons, you've decided not to tell anyone that you're on a healthy lifestyle change, be sure to practice your manners when you're being offered food choices that you know you're not going to eat. And don't make it a scene when you choose something else instead. At my grandparents' place on Satuday, my grandpa told me in 5 different ways that they had soda to drink. My line to everything is, "Oh, okay sounds good. Thank you!" I knew he was just trying to be hospitable, so I asked what others wanted to drink and while no one was paying attention, got a glass of water to sip on. No one called me out for it.
Eat in moderation. You've probably heard this before. Honestly, this is a concept I'm still struggling with. Especially with certain foods, moderation doesn't exist for me... like when it comes White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies. Oh. My. I could eat a whole plate! The best way to tackle your weakness is to not be around it. I avoid the cookie section at the grocery store because I know if I linger too close, I may get sucked in to buy a package or two. This is kind of what I did at my grandparents house on Saturday. I strayed away from the sweets and re-directed myself to fruits. I filled myself up with the healthy snacks available, then ate whatever wasn't healthy in smaller portions. I made myself aware of the nutritional information that was associated with each food and went from there. The most important thing to remember is that it's okay to eat unhealthy foods. It's not going to make or break who you are and why should you deprive yourself of something you love? Just don't feel guilty for eating it because your brain can be good at playing mind tricks and if you blame your mistakes back to the times you decided to indulge in moderation, you'll accomplish nothing other than hurting your self-esteem. Trust me, I've done this to myself in the past.
Bring Your Own Snacks. This is especially important if you've been working out more than two times a week because your body will be hungry from the extra calories you've been burning off. Hunger can be a dangerous thing. My husband sometimes calls me "The Hulk" because everything and everyone irritates me until I've had something to fill my belly. It messes with my logical decision-making and thinking. It's not a fun time. I'll pack snacks in my backpack and/or purse to avoid these situations. Snacks help me from overeating and keeping me full for longer, which prevent the consumption of empty calories just to satisfy "The Hulk" in me. ;)
Plan Ahead. If you know in advance that your friends are going to grab a pizza, that your co-worker's party will have booze and finger foods or there's going to be cake for your sister's birthday, enjoy it! Use these special occasions as your cheat meal and make sure that you're making healthy choices in the days leading up to it and afterwards so that you're not feeling deprived or guilty and your body can recover from that celebration. Like I mentioned earlier, one unhealthy meal isn't going to make you or break. It's not going to make you lose complete progress of what you've accomplished so far. As you continue your healthy journey for a longer duration, you'll start to see what foods your body will accept and reject and that will also help you make choices in the future.
I hope these tips help you out the next time you're around others and you're wanting to stay strong with your healthy habits! :)
