10 Tips for Healthy Eating at Social Events

April 28, 2021

Life is a Feast!

As we get vaccinated and slowly return to social gatherings - please be sensible as you add activities - we will enter situations where we are not as in control of our food consumption as we are on our own.

Birthdays. Holidays. Celebrations. Good news. Weddings. Parties.  Sporting Events. Picnics. Barbeques. Dining Out. 

There will be more and more opportunities to indulge and overeat. And if you’re like me, you don’t want to miss out on the fun. 

I like cake. I like pie. I like chocolates. I like black jelly beans. Don’t get me started with the black jelly beans. 

And, I want to weigh what I weigh. I don’t want to go up and have to go back down. I’d like to stay where I am.  And have a good time. 

I don’t want to deprive myself. Denying myself the pleasures of life feels punishing. It makes it feel like dieting is just not worth it. I might as well give up and eat what I want. 

Except, I like my weight. And I want to stay at my weight. Or, maybe, I want to lose five pounds. So I don’t want to suddenly make it that I have to lose 10 or 15 pounds. 

Given my goals, what do I do at the party, the wedding, the picnic, or the barbeque?  Okay, I know there haven’t been as many of those lately. But there will be in the future. I have at least one wedding on my calendar. 

What do I do?

I make choices. I decide what my big treat is going to be. Maybe I want the French fries; I won’t also be having the chocolate cake. Or, I decide I want the cake, I’ll skip the French fries.  Same thing with drinking. If I really want to drink, I’ll look to curb calories elsewhere. 

10 Tips for Healthy Eating :

1. Exercise earlier in the day. (It is all about calories out and calories in.) 

2. Drink plenty of water during the day. 

3. Specifically, drink two glasses of water before the event or early at the event. 

4. Wait 30 minutes before eating anything. Watch the food go by. Get a sense of what your options are. 

5. Decide on how much alcohol you want to drink and estimate the number of calories there. 

6. As you start to get hungry, look for the good stuff. See where the veggies are and add them to your plate. Look for the protein options. Lean towards choices with less fats and sauces in the preparation. Look for healthy carbs. 

7. Start to evaluate where you want to spend your calories. Is there an amazing appetizer? Are there fabulous fries? Is there an amazing cake? 

8. Take a break in the event and put the plate down. Maybe grab another glass of water. 

9. If there is an opportunity for an activity, take it. A game? Dancing? A walk around the grounds? 

10. Ignore the people who are pushing certain foods or drink. Make your own decisions.

5 Ways to Get Moving:

After a fun event, consider some light exercise before bed or your next activity. Plan for a workout in the next day or so.

1. Take a stroll

2. Do three sun salutations

3. Drop for 10 push-ups

4. Kickbox for 10 minutes

5. Plan a 60-minute workout for the next day.

Say yes to life. Do it smartly. 

We want to enjoy life. We just want to be smart about it. I don’t believe in beating myself up. If I ate too much, so be it. I make adjustments in the aftermath by increasing activity and eating more moderately. 

At Mighty Fit, we offer nutrition coaching. Food choices can be confusing and dieting time-consuming and annoying. We offer guidelines to add simplicity and health to your eating. Book a discovery call or sign up for coaching sessions. 

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