Diet Disasters

Your Plan for Success

Birthdays, holidays, family outings, business dinners - all are potential diet disasters. Humans are inherently social creatures. We have incorporated food into celebrations (and funerals) since the cavemen.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle does not mean living like a hermit and foregoing these events, or being miserable at them.

You deserve to enjoy these special occasions. You just need a plan to manage them.

Try this three step process:

1. Anticipate
2. Develop a Plan
3. Visualize Success

Anticipate refers to knowing ahead of time you are walking in to a potentially challenging scenario.

Developing a plan to deal with the situation allows you to remain in control. If you decide it's OK to have a steak now and then and this is your night to do it, that is a conscious choice and you are still in control. Usually, though, your plan will involve a strategy to stay within your healthy eating plan.

Visualize success requires that you envision carrying out your plan perfectly. Feel the positive emotions that result. You will be much more likely to successfully manage the potential diet disaster if you see yourself doing it and having a good time.

Eventually these steps will become second nature, but initially follow them rigidly until they become a habit. Document your success in your food journal to inspire confidence.

If you are ready to review strategies for common, challenging situations now visit Family Gatherings, Special Occasions and Holidays, and Business Meals. To demonstrate the 3 step process let's review a common diet disaster scenario and some suggestions for how you might handle it...

Eating Out

Sharing a meal with friends, family, or colleagues should be an enjoyable experience and something you look forward to. Your new diet does not mean putting an end to these occasions. You just need to apply the three step process to avoid a diet disaster.

First, if possible, choose the right restaurant. See ideas for vegan dining out here Vegan Dining Out.

It can be a fun adventure to try new places and introduce your friends and family to the variety of delicious veggie options. Chances are they are envious of your weight loss and eager to experiment with you.

What if your friends have their hearts set on a steak house? Even the most traditional steak restaurant likely has a fresh fish entrée or two. Salmon or ahi tuna can be delicious paired with a large salad to start.

Portion sizes are another trap. Restaurants generally fall in to two categories. Gourmet restaurants will offer small portions, artfully presented. No problem. The others, though, dish out enough for an army.

Don't fall in to the trap of "cleaning your plate" and eating until you are stuffed. Your body will punish you. It's not worth it. Instead, offer to share with your friends or ask to take home the leftovers.

Now that you have a handle on applying the three step process to manage diet disasters, visit Family Gatherings, Special Occasions and Holidays, Business Meals, and Peer Pressure for more examples.

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