How to Keep Your Social Life When Dieting

“For the next 3 months, I am going to eat nothing but salad!”

Ever heard someone make a declaration like this?

I know I have…

Hell…I’ve done it before!

Ever been a victim of “yo-yo” dieting?

You lose a little weight, look great, and then pack on the pounds again.

It’s a never ending cycle!

Of course, the only way to achieve and maintain your ideal weight is to develop healthy habits that you practice daily.

But if you’re in the process of getting to your goal weight, there’s one thing that constantly makes it tough.

…and I am not talking about cravings.

Cravings do happen, but you can push through them.

What makes dieting tough is your SOCIAL LIFE.

It seems like there’s always a party, birthday, or event to attend.

If you’ve ever been to a social gathering and were on a “strict diet”, you know how much it sucks.

Everyone is enjoying the great food and you’re there with a serious look on your face informing everyone that you have to watch what you eat.

Is there something wrong with this?

No.

It’s admirable for someone to be strong willed and motivated.

However, it’s unnecessary.

You don’t have to restrict yourself just because you’re on a diet.

Life is about balance.

With balance, you can make ANYTHING work in your favor.

So how do you do you do it?

How do you balance eating good food if you’re on a strict diet?

You plan ahead.

If you know you have some type of social event coming up, you make adjustments.

For example…

When I was in the process of slimming down and getting to my goal weight, I hated having to be the person at parties who would drink water and eat salad.

I always felt deprived.

All I wanted was to be one of the “fit” people who could enjoy themselves at parties.

“How in the world can I allow myself to eat and still lose weight?”…I would ask myself.

It wasn’t until I made peace with the fact that weight-loss is all about calories in vs. calories out.

If you burn more than you consume, you lose weight.

Period.

It doesn’t matter if you eat salad or cupcakes.

Of course you can eat FAR more salads before going over your calories than you could with cupcakes.

Burn more calories than you eat = fat loss

Once you BELIEVE and ACCEPT that idea, you can move on.

So we know you just have to eat less calories than you burn to lose weight and that what you eat doesn’t make a difference.

Now we move on to proper planning.

If I have a birthday party to attend Saturday night, I’ll prepare in advance.

I’ll have a really intense workout in the morning.

Have some coffee and egg whites for breakfast, and a light meal for lunch.

I’ll drink plenty of water throughout the day to feel full.

…and most importantly, I’ll keep busy.

Most hunger is a result of boredom.

If you just sit around the house watching TV, the chances of you eating, increase.

By following the steps above, I create a HUGE calorie deficit that allows me to eat at the party without going over my allowed daily calories for weight-loss.

Of course, I won’t overeat to the point where I feel sick.

But I will have peace of mind knowing it’ll be OK to enjoy food like everyone else without hurting my weight-loss efforts.

Going on a diet that completely restricts you is not a good idea.

I truly believe it’s the reasons most diet’s fail.

People restrict themselves so much leading them to quit.

You have to allow yourself a little room to “slack off”.

Eating healthy all week, and being able to have a little fun one night, is a lot more optimal than a diet that completely prevents any type of “diet breaks”.

If you plan accordingly, I guarantee you won’t see any difference in your weight-loss each week.

…but if you can’t discipline yourself to eat really light throughout the day and have an intense workout, than you’re just not that serious about your weight-loss goals.

Let me tell you something…

There’s no greater feeling than being able to reach your weight-loss goals without having to sacrifice your social life.

Allow yourself ONE social event a week and plan accordingly,

You have to live a little…

Even in the process of improving yourself.

-Alex