Hi Family, Coach Stefanie here~
Summer is the time where we get together with friends and often share meals. However, not everyone follows the same food guidelines so I wanted to share some tips on how to navigate summer get togethers that involve food!
1.) Don’t go hungry
I know it’s tempting to not eat all day so you have more BITES to use during the meal. But this will leave you starving and more likely to make bad decisions. Instead, have a high protein and veggie meal before going so you will be happy to decline food that doesn’t fit into your plan.
2.) Save up BITES beforehand.
If you’re on better balance, you can save up BITES throughout the week. Even if you don’t have rollover BITES on your plan, you can still utilize weekly and activity BITES to create an extra cushion to use during that day.
3.) Have a filling staple food you bring
It’s tempting to be the person who brings a veggie tray since you know you’ll be able to snack on those without feeling guilt. But I have learned that bringing a filling, low BITE food is a much better choice. If you just eat veggies, people will ask questions and often offer up helpful advice like: oh just indulge this once. By eating your pasta salad (or whatever you end up bringing) you avoid people’s “advice” on your diet while still knowing how many BITES you’re consuming and being able to get full. My favorite is a pasta salad loaded with veggies and dressed in a Greek yogurt/ranch dip mixture!
4.) Portion size is key
You can indulge in the foods you love and a potluck is a great place to do so. Just limit yourself to a small portion. In my experience, if it’s something good there won’t be any left to go back to after your first taste so you’re safe ;-P
You can eat almost everything, just keep your portions small and try your best to estimate the BITES.
5.) Don’t stress.
I’ve been on this journey a long time and through many different seasons and events. For myself, I have learned when it’s more important for me to stick to my plan and when letting loose and living with the consequences is the better choice for my mental health. Just like your food choices, there needs to be a healthy balance. Indulging once and then getting right back on track is much better than doing it halfway 5 times, being miserable and quitting!
