Can you have a social life and reach your goals at the same time? Absolutely! It’s no surprise that every time we celebrate, we celebrate with food. Food is a very important and necessary part of our lives. We use food for a variety of different purposes and the food that we choose to eat is selected because of a variety of different influences. Food also plays an important part in how we celebrate. I honestly feel like I live life to the fullest and have a blast doing it all while keeping it clean. Do I refrain from celebrating when food is involved? Absolutely not! I love to eat!
Food is around us all day. If we are happy, we eat; if we are sad, we eat; boredom, depression, and loneliness are other reasons that we eat. We also use food for social needs. When we have friends or family over we usually have some form of food to offer them, whether it be a light snack or a full meal. Celebrating with food is part of our culture. Culture is a learned experience; we learn it from our families and the people around us. It is the same with food.
I am going to give you some tips on what you can do to still enjoy life, while participating in the celebrations. I had a client this week tell me that she can’t go out with her friends during the week because they like to go out to restaurants and she can’t go because she is on a nutrition plan. I am going to be honest and say I thoroughly enjoy going out to dinner. I like getting dressed up and going out and socializing with my friends. I also love going to lunch. Whether I am in offseason or competing, I can still go out and enjoy life and at the same time, not hinder any progress that I make.
So what do I do? I try and stick to my plan. If I am supposed to eat steak on a certain meal and I am out then I will order a steak. Most places list the number of ounces on the entrée. If they don’t, a good rule of thumb is the size of your fist. That is a good portion to start at. Portion control is very important when trying to get results and reach your goals. I always order my meats without oil or butter, unless it is a cheat meal then I don’t care. I order dressing on the side and use it sparingly. I forego the bread basket and order veggies and salads as my side dish. If you have to order carbohydrates, make sure you order complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc. Avoid sodas, alcohol, and sweetened beverages. Ask your server if you can create your own order, because most places have plain and simple grilled chicken and you can simply add steamed veggies and a sweet potato as your two sides. I do this when it’s not my cheat meal and I go to a Mexican restaurant. They practically always have grilled chicken breast and vegetables that is not listed on the menu.
One thing about me is, food doesn’t define me. I literally eat for results. Just because I go out to eat, does not mean that I have to order precisely the way the food is listed on the menu. Other things you can do if you are new to this way of eating is check out the restaurants website. Get a glance at what they have to order when you arrive. Vendors are always taking us to lunch at work and you have to play the game and go. We normally choose the place because they are catering to us so I have in the past used this method to see what I can get so I am not wasting everyone’s time trying to decide when I get there. Don’t be afraid to be “that guy” that orders differently when you go to lunch. I do it all the time and now my coworkers expect that from me. You may feel like it would just be easier to not look picky and order a standard dish without cleaning it up. Sure, we’ve all been in this position before, but you just have to hold the perspective that what is truly important and gratifying to you, may not be to other individuals, but they aren’t going to think anything less of you just because you altered your order at dinner; most of the time, they probably don’t even notice. And if you’re worried about what the server thinks of you then you haven’t fully committed yourself to the clean eating lifestyle. Always tip well! If your server fulfills your order as you requested, you should show your appreciation for their efforts. This will reinforce their work ethic and motivate them the next time they have to serve a clean eater.
It’s always important to remember that the satisfaction you get from eating tasty but unhealthy foods is transitory, but the satisfaction that you will receive from building that body that you’ve always dreamed of is much more enduring. Not only will you love the way you look, but you will have more energy and more self-confidence that will go a long way in your professional and personal life. The journey you will take to get there will open new doors and give you a new-found perspective on life, which will make you happier.
Sit back and evaluate what makes you happy. Some people can literally start a nutrition plan and never look back. Some can start and realize that food really has some sort of psychological control over them. Whatever the case, this is a start and life doesn’t have to be boring. Enjoy it and make it fun. You decide!
