How to manage not eating out while at a social gathering?

How to manage not eating out while at a social gathering? I find that really hard, the hosts/fellow companions find it almost rude and I just don’t know a way out 😉 What are your tips to handle this?

For the first few days, don’t go out.

This is hard especially if you have a lifestyle where you go out every second day if not everyday. In my case, I did not go out at all for the first twenty days and it was not much of a change from regular life for me because I prefer going out maybe once or twice a week if there’s a work meeting or a photo shoot. Apart from that, I’d rather stay home, read, blog, etc. Not going out for the first few days / weeks will mean that your friends will want to know what’s going on and you can inform them that you’re working on your body and that you need time in solitude to do that. Later on, when you do start going out again, you can remind them that you’re still working on your body and will have to turn down non home-cooked food. Two birds, one stone.

This “not going out” helped me quit smoking too. I just needed to find the time and space to be with myself and set my internal priorities right. Always being around someone means they will affect your decision-making in some way or another. ( Maybe I’m just a more “affected” personality but that’s how it works for me. )

See the results.

Once you’ve seen the results of the first 10-20 days, you will no longer feel bad about offending others. Take my word on this. After losing almost twelve kilograms now, I don’t care what anyone has to say. LOOK AT ME. I DID IT. And now I’m addicted. There is no going back, no matter who is offended by my food choices.

Don’t feel bad about offending others.

“Others” are not working on their body, neither are they working on yours. Keeping you where you are will serve their interests in the long run. One person disrupting a group, in whatever form, is never welcome as it challenges the status quo and most people would rather maintain that than make improvements in their lives and push their friends to do that as well. I’ve heard my share of, “This is no way to live Naina! Eat!” or “You’re useless. Who turns down Whiskey?!” or “Live a little Naina! Get the ice cream! You won’t regret it!” or “Don’t disappear! How much more do you want to lose?” or “Arrey pizza on just one day won’t make a difference. Think of it as a reward!” or “Wow. Sounds like a boring life.” etc.

Take a bite.

From my previous blog post, it might seem like I have stopped “living” because I don’t eat anything. But I eat everything. The only difference is that earlier I’d have eaten the whole pizza or the entire stick of ice cream or the entire bar of chocolate but now, I take a bite. I don’t order. I find someone who will not mind if I take a bite. If I like something a LOT, I’ll take two bites.

Plan in advance.

If you have advance notice and know that you will be going out on a particular evening, eat moderately throughout the day and leave the larger chunk of calories for the evening out. But even if I do this, for example, I have to be careful about the quantity I consume in the evening – junk food calories really add up and creep up. Or you could spend an extra hour walking during the day before the evening out – so you’ll have an extra set of calories you can eat.

What helps me most is reminding myself that I am doing this for me. It is my body, my lifestyle and my choice on what I do with both. I’m ok with fellow humans believing that I’m not living life or that my soul is dying. I’m not going to sit in judgement of “What others think”. That is their prerogative. Mine is to continue to be kind to myself, body included.

Ankita of The Travel Bug Bites Again asked me this question above on my Body Evolution & Consciousness #WeightLoss blog post recently. ( Check out her blog! It’s WOW! I really like the layout and you’ve got quite a few lovely stories on there Ankita! )