Okay, I get it. You are tracking your food, eating according to your new plan and doing GREAT. But now you’re heading to Tabitha’s birthday shindig and you know that there won’t be a gram of protein anywhere in the room so NOW WHAT?
I use to freak out about this exact scenario for a long time. I’d search online to see menus at restaurants and pick out my food ahead of time so I did not derailed myself. That is a great tip, by the way, when you’re first starting out. Planning is never a bad idea, but stressing over things is. I know this is true. Heck, I’ve even hauled my own food in Tupperware to events so there was something I could eat that matched my current program. That’s not a bad idea either in the right context. It is also a great idea if you’re there for the day, say a conference, and/or you have a food allergy.
We are just normal people trying to upgrade our diets and we do not need to go to that level usually. Like I said, sometimes we will need to bring food or plan in more detail, but that’s not the norm. So RELAX. The stressing over social events can be worse than the food at them. Take a deep breath. You can easily surf through social events. Let’s talk about it and make some decisions now so we have a plan or two. You got this, friend.
Here are a few choices:
1. Eat before you GO. If you’re concerned that you’ll be uncomfortable with all the party food, eat before you go. Have a satiating meal of your favorite protein source. For me, that would be some beef and maybe some eggs on the side. For you it may be chicken salad on an egg white wrap. Or how about some air fried chicken thighs? Delish! You do you. That way at the party, if you do eat some of the cake, then the protein you already ate will help buffer that sugar hit so you’re less likely to nose dive into an eating binge of 3 more pieces of cake. But also, you’ll just be less tempted overall.
2. Celebrate! You can also go to the party, eat what you like, skip what you don’t. Enjoy the people, the food and the event. Only do this if you are comfortable with your ability to moderate food. Sometimes an event can become a stumbling block to start eating whatever you want only to come up for air weeks later feeling like a trip into another failure. It isn’t failure to have a piece of Tabitha’s birthday cake so stop that thinking. We are all doing the best we can. But only you know how comfy you are with having some cake and whether it will trip you up, so decided ahead of time what you’re going to do, then do that so you can have a great time with your friends and not be stressing about the food.
3. Bring a dish to share. You could show up with a dish to share with everyone. Let’s say you brought some avocado cream stuffed eggs. (think: deviled eggs with a filling of mashed avocado, whipped cottage cheese in place of the mayo, and the egg yolks blended with just the right seasoning. SO GOOD!) It is high protein, a decadent dish and everyone raves about it. So you know it will be a hit, then you have something to eat that you feel good about. You can even top them with crumbled bacon. YUM!
Only you know how you handle excursions off of your daily diet. Some of us can eat the cake and be fine, right back on track the next day. Others of us can eat the cake with the promise of being right back on track, but we find ourselves down the rabbit hole of “I’ll start again on Monday” and I think we’ve all been there at least once.
Just so you know, I do all of these depending on how I’m feeling or the event itself. It never hurts to eat before you go so you show up satiated and well nourished. We all feel better, converse better, speak better when we are satiated and well nourished. Cravings and temptations can trigger some of the most creative excuses and justifications ever. I know you know what I mean. And those excuses and cravings are a bit less likely if you have met your protein thresholds and are well nourished.
Optimizing protein eliminated craving for me. We can discuss the science on that in a future email, but it has been shown that optimal protein can reduce emotion eating as well as stabilize blood sugar. Use that. It is a powerful tool. Use protein as the backbone of every meal and harness that power.
PS: You didn’t think I’d tease you with the avocado cream stuffed eggs without giving you that recipe, did you? These are so good and beautiful. Enjoy.
