Social Life
Contrary to popular belief you can live a healthy and happy lifestyle and still have fun.
Dining Out & Restaurants
Uh oh, it’s Friday night and your best friend or significant other suggests trying out a new restaurant downtown that EVERYONE has been talking about. This is often where people fall of the bandwagon. They think to themselves “well I’ve been good all week… what’s one cheat meal going to hurt?” Which is partly true, eating a meal that may not be very nutrient dense once a week won’t throw off the progress you’ve made.
However letting one Friday night “cheat meal” turn into a long night full of drinking, turn into Saturday morning brunch (you know the kind of brunch I’m talking about) with bottomless mimosa’s, and then turns into Sunday morning donuts with a Starbucks white chocolate mocha. At that point no, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Having meals out at restaurants doesn’t have to end or be a daunting challenge. Take the time to educate yourself on the various kinds of foods that are nutrient dense and fill you up. If you’re continuing to be conscious of what you’re eating while dining out you won’t find it nearly as challenging because you’ll know what to look for.
Drinking
Drinking is one of those things that people think you have to completely cut out in order to reach your goals. If you’re drinking often or in copious amounts then taking a little bit of step back will be incredibly beneficial for your waistline and your liver. Alcohol is 7 kcals per gram and fat is 9 kcals per gram which means alcohol is almost comparable to fat. It takes your body 1 hour to metabolize 1 alcoholic beverage. So in other words if you do not give your body that full hour to metabolize that beverage, the excess alcohol will then be stored as fat AKA that beer belly will start to grow.
So what can you do the next time your friends want to get together for happy hour? Go with them and have a drink or two. Just stay conscious of how quickly you’re drinking and what you are drinking! Believe it or not there are options at the bar that won’t destroy your all your hard work you’ve put in.
Low Calorie Switches for Summer:
Night out on the town?
Swap a Vodka Soda instead of Gin & Tonic. There’s less sugar in club soda than tonic. When in doubt sproose it up with some extra limes or even a squeeze of an orange (a real orange…not the fake juice)!
Want to lay out by the pool?
Try a Mojito instead of a frozen Margarita, frozen Margaritas pack a punch with usually around 400 calories per drink plus a lot of excess sugar. Not a fan of Mojito’s? Ask the bar tender to make a fresh Margarita with lime and agave instead of the pre-made mix!
Feelin’ Fancy?
Order a champagne cocktail at brunch instead of a mimosa which has excess sugar from concentrated fruit juices.
More of a brown liquor kinda person?
Instead of your usual Old Fashioned ask for half the simple syrup aka sugar (yes it still tastes great!) Or even venture out and try a Sazerac which is the best of the brown cocktails in terms of fat.
You can still achieve your goals. Just take some time and look through the ingredients of your favorite foods and drinks. Making switches can be easier than you think.
Focus more on people that you are surrounded by instead of the foods and drinks. The people should be the priority while the food and drinks should just be an accessory or an add on. Think about the reasons you are going out with friends. If those reasons are to just get drunk or eat until you have a food baby, maybe take a step back and rethink your priorities. Your social life should be just that, social.