5 Ways to Still Enjoy Social Events During Fat Loss
One of my clients asked how he should battle the temptations during the 4 day Easter break.
Before he went away, he was concerned about all the alcohol and food that is usually bought out at that time, and that it would undo all of his progress so far. I told him to just enjoy himself, don’t worry about it, and we’ll get back on it after the weekend. I did encourage him to try and keep the fasting window as best as possible.
And guess what?
He came back 0.6kg lighter – his progress was still moving in the right direction.
I don’t believe a diet should rob you of a social life. Besides, if you can do things right 80% of the time, the other 20% won’t affect it too much. If you can follow your diet at least 80% of the time, it won’t affect your progress too much if you end up splurging, giving into temptation, or feasting at a social event 20% of the time.
But if you do find yourself worrying about how to tackle your next social event, family feast, or work function, here are 5 ways you can approach ’em
1. Just Enjoy it
Enjoy the event. Don’t be that guy sitting in the corner with cabbage and water. Get in there! Make memories, enjoy the company, and just have fun. Get back on the plan tomorrow.
2. Swap Foods
If you’d rather keep to your numbers, then swap out some of the foods in your meal guide for whatever it is you’re going to be having. Whatever that food or beverage is, find out what its calories are – located on the back of the package – and then swap it in for some of the foods in your meal guide. If you don’t have packaging or exact numbers to go by, just guess it, and go from there. MyFitnessPal can be helpful for this option too.
3. Intermittent Fasting
There are two fasting options that I’d recommend for this:
- Fast all day up until the event
- Do a full ‘day after’ fast on the following day
During the fast, you’ll only have water, tea, and/or coffee with a splash of milk. Then when you come to the event, enjoy! Opting for the ‘day after’ fast can help with flushing out all of last nights food too.
Have a go at both, and see which one you prefer.
4.Train on the day
Train on the day of your social event. To put it simply: training your muscles puts your body in position to receive calories towards recovery and repair. So some of the food you consume will go toward that, rather than fat storages.
5. Eat Protein and Leafy Greens
Eat protein and leafy greens only, up until your social event. Protein keeps you fuller, while still keeping calories relatively low. Then once the event comes, you can let loose!
Which Option Should You Choose?
The best option is simply the one that suits you best at the time. It all comes down to a personal preference and your lifestyle. Option 1 and 3 are my most used. And know that you can also use multiple options at the same time.
Overall, I believe that dieting should be simple, sustainable and enjoyable. If a diet makes you more stressed, then I’d say it’s probably more unhealthy for you. The best diet is the one you can sustain.
Final words
Have fun and be as consistent as you can. As long as you can follow the program at least 80% of the time, the remaining 20% won’t hurt your progress much. If you do slip up, shake it off, and start again tomorrow.
When you have an important social event, enjoy it! Don’t deprive yourself of a good time with family and friends. Feel free to put the meal guide aside for that event, and then start again tomorrow – just make sure those social events don’t happen everyday.
Don’t beat yourself up, don’t rush things, and just enjoy this transition that you desire for your life.
This is a lifestyle.
When you have an important social event, enjoy it! Don’t deprive yourself of a good time with family and friends.
