Eating with friends is difficult when you’re trying to lose weight. It can even be difficult if you eat healthy on a regular basis but your friends don’t. And it’s even worse if you have friends that push you to eat things you know aren’t good for you. So how do you deal? Try these tips to avoid overeating when dining with others.
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1. Being a Broken Record is Okay
One of the best tips for how to avoid the food pusher is to not be afraid to sound like a broken record! If you don’t want to get in to a whole conversation about trying to lose weight or not wanting to eat too much, then there is nothing wrong with a simple ‘no, thank you’ every time you are offered a new snack or an extra course. You might feel like a killjoy at the time, but your health with benefit in the long run.
2. Order First
If you don’t want to feel peer pressured into ordering food that you don’t want to eat, it’s always a good idea to order first at a restaurant. Doing this you won’t have to feel bad about ordering a salad if you are last out of a group who have all chosen burger and fries!
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3. Keep Refusing
The food pusher in a person’s life is often the same person over and over again, like an aunt or a grandmother who has made it their life’s mission to fill you up! The only way to help them get the message is to refuse extra food every time they offer it. Eventually they will see that you don’t want more and they will stop making you feel awkward about it.
4. No Guilt
Train yourself not to feel guilty about refusing offers of more food from people. It is not your fault that your appetite is not big enough to consume all of the food that they have prepared. You should never make yourself feel physically uncomfortable just because you don’t want your friend or family member to feel bad about cooking too much.
5. Your Cost Vs. Their Cost
Linked to the guilt factor, don’t have in your mind that the food pusher will have spent money on the food that you are going to ‘waste’. Think instead about the psychological cost of eating food that you don’t want to eat will have on you, not to mention the extra work that you will want to put in at the gym to work off the extra calories you consumed.
6. Be Open
Sometimes, rather than being elusive and secretive about why you don’t want to eat the food, it can sometimes be better than just be open with your company and explain to them that you don’t like the ingredients or that you are trying to lose weight. Some people try to hide the fact that they are trying to lose weight, but if you tell people then they will be supportive and they won’t repeatedly put you in situations where you will feel awkward or where you might break from your diet. They can even become allies in your journey, encouraging you and helping you.
7. Stick to the Plan
Before you leave home for the restaurant or the party, make a plan in your mind of what you are going to allow yourself to eat, and stick to it. Overeating can be really easy at parties when there is a buffet, so limit yourself to one plate and stay strong with refusing offers of more. You can do it!
Like any resolution, eating healthy or weight loss, it requires fortitude and strength to keep at it.
Comments
Briee: I have allot of food allergies that people just don't seem to understand. I only get mild to moderate symptoms but they always pressure me into eating foods I shouldn't. This is helpful as, and reassuring. Thanks 😄
GJP: This is a good subject. My friends can all seem to eat anything without gaining weight. It's hard to eat out with them but they're gradually realizing how to not pressure me - even if they didn't realize they were doing it.
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