SubscribeHow Alcohol, Stress, and Friends Can Derail Your Diet
Have you ever abandoned a diet in despair, claiming that you "have no willpower"? Don't blame yourself. Sometimes, we need to avoid or confront external factors that sap our willpower, leading inexorably past "just one won't hurt" to "I might as well give up." There's three big ones...
Alcohol
For many of us, good intentions dissolve somewhere in the first glass, and after a few drinks, stodgy comfort food like a big plate of fries or creamy pasta seems far more attractive than a salad.
To maximise your chances of making it through a night out with your willpower (and dignity) firmly intact:
- Eat before you go out. Have something filling, ideally involving whole grains and protein: maybe a baked potato with cottage cheese or prawns, or a lean ham sandwich on granary bread.
- Decide how many drinks you'll have. Set yourself a sensible limit - and stick to it. If necessary, enlist a friend to remind you to stop.
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water. It'll save you money, and prevent a dehydration-induced hangover the next day.
Friends
Do you have friends who urge you to order dessert, even when you're stuffed, or who insist on sharing their huge tub of popcorn with you at the movies? Perhaps every social occasion involves pizza, humungous bags of chips, or a trip to a new restaurant.
Unless you're of a particularly reclusive persuasion, you can't shun all social contact whilst dieting - and, long-term, eating healthily needs to be compatible with the whole of your life.
- Be firm. If you've said you're not ordering dessert, stick to it. Giving into the "go on, it won't hurt" crowd will just make people think that you want to be talked into it.
- Give away your goodies. Maybe you've ended up with enough chocolates for your birthday to keep you on a permanent sugar high for the rest of the year. Stash any large boxes somewhere safe, and take one with you when seeing friends.
- Don't let every social occasion revolve around food. It's great to eat together, but if that's all you and your friends do, try suggesting an active event: bowling, ice-skating, even a trip to a theme park.
Stress
Whether it's a horrendous day at work, a toddler having a tantrum, an impending visit from your mother-in-law, or a teenager threatening to run away from home, stress often leads straight to the fridge door.
Life is never going to be completely stress-free, and there'll never be a perfect time to diet, free from daily ups and downs.
- Make time for yourself. Try half-an-hour with a good novel, a long bath, or a peaceful stroll: just make sure it's something you want.
- Tackle the cause, not the symptom. It's easy to "medicate" bad feelings with chocolate, but even if the food makes you feel better initially, you'll still have to face the situation which is causing you stress.
- Get some exercise. I began going to the gym for the physical benefits (losing weight, becoming fitter, toning up) but now find that a quick gym session is also an incredibly effective way to unwind.
Figure out the influences which are sapping your motivation and making you give up on your healthy eating plans. What's draining your willpower?
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Some good tips. I totally agree that social occasions dont have to revolve around food and drink. Exercise can be a social occasion. I enjoy working out with friends.
ReplyIsn't it frustrating the friends that insist everything involve around food and sedentary activities?
I need to make more friends who want to do active things to hang out.
ReplyEven many of my active friends don't want to a lot-- they keep that aspect separate)
I think the best tip was to drink a glass of water (or non-alcoholic drink) between drinks. So often you feel like you just need something in your hand or to be sipping something. The hardest part is making it more socially acceptable, as in many cirles you will be given a hard time for doing that.
ReplyWhat is that in the picture...Romulan ale?
ReplyYou telling me, I should have them pay my medical insurance. One conciliation is that there is a link between happiness and longevity. To clarify I said happiness and not stupidity, so get the balance.
ReplyGreat tips. I have a lot of friends who want to go out for lunch so lately I've invited them to bring their food from home so we eat whatever we packed in a beautiful location. It's worked a lot for me. I'm also taking the advice of not making every occasion food oriented and I've been taking walks with friends instead of stuffing myself with chips and cheese dip :)
ReplyMy husband is actually the worst at pressuring me into eating more food because he never wants to be eating alone. What is it about a person wanting to lose weight that makes everyone else suddenly push them to eat or drink more? With my hubby, he knows that he should be cutting back as well, so he feels better about his bad eating choices if someone joins him - there's safety in numbers!
ReplyMy husband does that too. It's SO annoying, especially when he literally puts food into my mouth, thinking it's really funny/cute. He's gained about 30 lbs since we got married and he sort of wants me to grow "fat and happy" like him, but I'm pretty good at staying in shape and eating healthy despite his peer pressure.
ReplyVery interesting...my wife is similar...I had lost 70 lbs (by exercising and changing my food intake) and my wife is constantly trying to get me to eat what she eats...(anything and everything) which includes McDonalds, papa johns etc...here comment is "a little fat wont hurt you"...true it wouldnt "hurt me" I just would be giving in to what I said I wanted to change which was my health and reverting back to old ways which is how I became heavier to begin with. I think the main reason she does it is because she doesnt want to admit shes over weight and would prefer me to go back to her level.
ReplyThese are good tips. I couldn't agree more that stress can ruin a diet. Many people eat to help relieve their stress, and it's hard habit to break as most have done it their whole lives. I think controlling your diet in stressful situations is very important.
ReplyGreat tips. Especially the alternating alcohol and water. Wish I did that more often :)
ReplyI have friends that actually get upset at me at their dinner parties when I shy away from the greasy, ooey-gooey foods and stick to the protein and vegetables. (Confession - I always try the dessert) While I am usually the largest person at any dinner party, I still need to avoid the starches or my muscles are very quickly coated in fat.
My oldest friends are the worst, as they remember when I was more fat than lean.
ReplyIn regard to stress and sticking to a diet, there was a recent study linking depression to obesity and obesity to depression.
It's amazing how strong the link between mind and body is and yet most of the diet advice for sale on the market focuses solely on what or what not to eat, but no one has come up with a way of effictely helping you to stick with your diet.
Reply"but no one has come up with a way of effectively helping you to stick with your diet."
Outside of prison :-(
ReplyIt's TRUE!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyI have a group of people who continuously get extremely offended if I dont eat the cholestorol laden garbage they put out. Its like, Im not trying in the least to be insulting or rude, it is nothing personal, I am just watching my waistline. Why is that an offence?
This is soooo true, especially with my family and boyfriend!!! Me and my family are Filipino, and everyone in our culture LOVES to eat, especially my family...me and my 5 year old niece have the smallest apetites in the family! When we're at a restaurant (or even at home), my parents nag me if I don't eat anything with meat because they're convinced that I need the protein (even when I get a salad it should still have some chicken or meat), even when I get enough. Even though I'm not hungry they still push me to eat meals and if I don't want to they or if I just feel like having very little they guilt trip me and say, "that's all you're gonna eat?" "don't be anorexic or too thin" or "if you wanna get sick, fine with me" Geez, I'm 18, I know how to make wise choices and I'm not always doing it to be thin!!
My boyfriend and I eat out quite often, and it's always for pizza or something fattening...he loves to eat as well but kinda has a small apetite like me, and we both love good food, although we love healthy as well...but it's easy for him because he is one of those lucky asses that are really skinny and never gain weight (although he does work out a lot and has been doing martial arts for a long time, so that may be another reason). I am not one of those people!! Life is not fair lol
ReplyAs far as friends and family are concerned, I really don't think most of them are trying to get you to "go off your diet." Maybe they just don't know what you want them to do, to support you. Why not just tell them, I have a goal of losing 10 pounds in 2 months, so when we go out, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't offer me your dessert." or something like that.
ReplyMost of the time you will find your friends and family are more willing to help you achieve your goals, if they know in advance what you want from them.
It's not so much my friends that try to get me to eat unhealthy; it's mostly my family and my husband. My whole family is overweight and so are my inlaws. In comparison, I'm really tiny and they all think if you weigh under 150 lbs, you're anorexic. So they're always trying to "fatten me up" and it drives me crazy. I don't give in to it though...I've learned what to say to get them to leave me the hell alone. Usually, if I insist that I'm not that hungry, I can get away with eating something lighter without offending anyone. My husband has gained a bit of weight since we got married and sort of wants me to gain "sympathy" weight with him, but since I don't want to gain weight, I tell him that I'll eat later or I'll eat something healthy (instead of diving into a bag of Doritos with him).
Booze definitely makes me feel hungrier or at least it makes food look really good to me. I always limit myself to one drink and I find that if I drink before I eat, I don't really crave fatty stuff. I just really, REALLY enjoy what I was going to eat anyway (usually something pretty healthy). My husband definitely caves to the whole fried food and beer thing...he'll drink a few beers and suddenly find himself eating a whole pizza or a box of mozzarella sticks.
ReplyIt has helped me that most of my friends are trying to lose weight. But I have a friend whose idea of "diet" is very different from mine. She thinks that food is safe as long as it is low carb. I have learned to check the labels on any food she brings over befoer I indulge, as most is very high fat and calorie, even though she thinks of it as diet food. And by the way, my diet has been much more successful than hers....
ReplyThis is a great weight loss program that worked for me, and it is the easiest I have ever tried, with the best results!
ReplyIt really is hard to stick to healthy eating when socialising. How often do you go to a party and find healthy food choices on the buffet and no alcohol? No one wants to be the first to say "Hey, where are the carrot sticks" for fear of being laughed out of the room.
ReplyTo be honest I would probably leave straight away anyway and go to the nearest pub. Maybe we should be more vocal about changes we would like to see at social events to try and break down the culture of food/drink/substance abuse that has taken hold.