Having a food plan will help you lose weight. Plain and Simple, right? Well, it’s plain, but it may not be so simple for many. Many people know what to do to lose weight, but they are just not doing it. That’s why people choose to do Coaching, so that they can have accountability, guidance, and motivation to do what they need to do. For example, the person knows that when they dine out or go to events, they tend to eat and drink more. This event or dinner can result in an entire weeks’ worth of eating well blown up to bits in just one evening. So how do you remain in control during these events and not blow your weekly food/drink budget?
Answer #1: Have a Plan! Make sure to go into the event with a food and drink plan. For example, you enter the event with a plan of just drinking 1-2 drinks max. This way, you keep the drinks to a minimum and won’t get caught up in the festivities. The food plan could be looking at the menu prior to going to the restaurant and choosing your dish. You may not know serving sizes until you get to the restaurant, but you can always use the food tracking tool to pre-enter your proposed meal and see how your Freebies balance out. Then, at the restaurant, you can gage how much of the dish to eat.
Answer #2: Have a Plan! Eat before you go to the event so you are not hungry and end up eating all the appetizers or filling up on the bread or chips. A good snack before an event includes both a carbohydrate and a protein.
My favorites: 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt + 1 cup Strawberries
OR 1 Tortilla + 1 piece of Jarlsberg Lite Cheese + Salsa.
Answer #3: Have a Plan! You are going to an event where you don’t know what will be served to you. How do you plan the food at this event? Have a plan with how much you want to eat. For example, will there be passed hors d’oeuvres, desserts, or appetizers? Give yourself a limit with how many appetizers, snacks, and bites of dessert you want to have. This way you eat enough to try a little bit of the food but you don’t go overboard and break your budget.
Remember: Weight loss success is all about the planning so continue to plan and you will not only reach your goals but you will maintain them, too.
Sarah Koszyk, MA, RD, is a nutrition coach at Eating Free who cooks with love and loves to eat.
