Holidays, special occasions and social pressure during a heathy lifestyle journey

As a coach one of the concern that I often hear from my clients is: “what do I do if there is a special occasion where I don’t have control of what they will serve for food?” or “I feel so bad saying no to other people if they offer me food”. I completely understand how overwhelming this can be for them. Oftentimes, family and friends want to show their love and appreciation for us by feeding us. Although, this is very sweet of them, it does not support our weight loss goals and the commitment to creating a healthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, we are all very likely to find ourselves in these circumstances often, particularly, during this holidays season. When I hear these concerns, I always ask them what makes this lifestyle change important to them. This question is meant to help them remember why they started this journey in the first place. My number one suggestion is to always stay on track with their healthy eating habits, however, if they choose to indulge, I tell them to be aware of how they feel after they indulge. Was it worth it? And are you willing to accept the consequences of making an unhealthy choice? Some of these consequences may include: feeling bad, sluggish, weight gain and stalling your progress.

So, what can we do if we find ourselves in these situations? I’m glad you asked; here are some helpful tips that I share with my clients:

• Preparation is key! Bring your healthy/IP snacks with you. For instance, have pre-cooked slices of meat, cut up veggies and healthy fats (i.e. olive/coconut oil) with you. For dessert, have your IP vanilla crispy square, waffles or a restricted item. They are delicious and will satisfy your need for something sweet!
• If you choose to indulge, focus on protein and fats not carbs. If you choose to eat fats such as: cheese on your eggs, bacon, nuts, oils and dressings, these won’t throw you out of ketosis because they do not cause a major insulin spike. They may slow down your weight loss because of their calories content. So, if you feel tempted to have that bacon cheeseburger, make sure you have it without the bun (i.e. carbs).
• If you indulge with carbs try to keep it to one or two serving of the ones you feel you are craving the most and always have them with an equal amount of protein. Having them with protein will reduce the insulin spike and remember less insulin better weight loss.
• After an indulgence day, do one to three clean low carbs day (phase 1 with no restricted items) to recover.
• Stay away from alcohol. It is worse than ice cream or any other carbs. Especially, while following a ketogenic diet since it interferes with the utilization of ketones for energy and you may experience a very bad case of reactive hypoglycemia (significant low blood sugars).
• Get back on track immediately! Do not let negative thinking get the best of you. Do not think that since you indulged in that occasion, you’ve thrown all your progress away and use that as an excuse to keep eating junk food for the rest of the day or week. Do not make unhealthy eating choices a habit!

Remember that these special occasions are temporary and the journey for creating a heathy lifestyle is a marathon not a sprint. It takes time, focus on progress and making the best choices at any given moment. You are successful, competent and deserving of all the good things that come with being healthy.

Whether you are 5 pounds’ overweight or 100 pounds, it’s important to get on a program that will safely help you lose the weight.  Typically, the hardest part of losing weight is keeping it off; so, education and a good understanding of how your body processes foods is important.  At Hohman Rehab we offer Ideal Protein Weight Loss Method in our offices.  Why is this method different?  We utilize accepted science with a medically derived and supervised fat-burning diet.  Clermont and Ocoee clients have complete peace of mind that our weight loss method is highly effective, well-studied and safe.  Hohman Rehab Weight Loss Clients are well-supported and held accountable via regular visits with certified coaches at our Clermont and Ocoee FL center, daily videos, support groups and online learning.  These support methods are based on the most authoritative evidence available and achieve 2 times more weight loss than remotely monitored approaches.  For more information on starting a successful weight loss program (healthy lifestyle) contact our Ideal Protein coach or call us today to reserve your seat for the next free education event (352) 404-6908!