Plan ahead.
It bears repeating that life will do nothing to facilitate your weight loss—you’re on your own. To remain on track, you’ll need to become an avid planner. Work or school meals are relatively easy in that you can bring your own food to these places. This is something lots of people do as a cost-cutting measure anyway, so not only are you now controlling your portions and calories, but you will also save money. What you put in your lunch/snack pack is up to you; but generally, a mix of protein, fiber, fat, and something grainy does the trick.
Social gatherings are a bit trickier. If you’re a person who generally gets invited to things, then people will continue inviting you places; and the better you start feeling (which will radiate outward), the more things you’ll get invited to. It’s important to plan ahead for any situations where the food offerings will not be in your control.
If you’re going to an event at a restaurant, look up the menu ahead of time. See which dishes fall into acceptable caloric ranges for you, pick the tastiest one, and eat that. Most restaurant sites have nutrition guides with this info, as well as an abundance of phone apps, like MyFitnessPal. Unless you’re eating at The Cheesecake Factory, there should be something on the menu for you to eat.
If you’re going to a party or reception with finger foods, or a even a full out spread, ask the party-thrower what kind of foods they’ll be serving if possible. If there are no good options, eat ahead of time to avoid being tempted. You can even pocket your own snacks, something like nuts, and eat those. Do this in a private area, or do it in full view if you’re unafraid of being “that guy.” And actually, speaking of that…
Don’t pay attention to teasing, hating-a*s friends.
If you’re like me, no one will be more inadvertently or unintentionally discouraging of your new eating habits than your closest friends and family. In general, acquaintances and strangers are not audacious enough to snidely comment on your ordering a garden salad at a pizza place—your friends will. They will snicker, they will joke; they will try to make you feel guilty for what they’ll view as an attempt to make them feel guilty by not indulging along with them.
The most brazen/assholey of them will outright try persuading you into ordering something knowingly unhealthy; they’ll dangle a slice of pizza right in your damn face. Naturally, you’ll want to fit-in; you’ll also to want to eat that dish they’re eating that’s maybe, probably more delicious than your dish. But hold firm. Say mean things right back at them, order your healthy meal, and eat it slowly in their faces as if it’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted (and you should eat slowly anyway for satiety purposes). For that meal at least, they’ll back off. They secretly admire your resolve, too.
Also, when eating out, order first.
Your being tempted by friends or family is an inevitability; when you’re at a restaurant, be sure to order first. Do this especially at places with few healthy options, like say, The Cheesecake Factory. Ordering first lessens the chance of you being swayed by everyone else. Of course, you can always go back and change your order; but doing this will draw comments from your friends, and most importantly, the ire of your waiter/waitress.
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This is a very helpful read. I can attest to the fact that EVERYONE you know (that doesn’t live this life style) will innocently place temptation in front of you, and some will do it as mebtioned in the article out of sheer spite. I used to mention I was even just trying to eat healthier (not even label it a diet!), but now-a-days, I say nothing and just do it. I think people (especially like me) need to hear it over and over again: nobody is coming to save you, and there is no magic pill that will instantly erase all the poor decisions you’ve made. You have to make that $#!@ happen yourself…no more excuses, no more being nice, no more procrastinating. Do it, or do not. 🙂⚓🙏