Weight Loss Goals – Got a big dinner planned?  Date night? Holiday feast? One of the things I find essential as a nutrition coach is to ensure my clients know how to make their lifestyle a sustainable one. That includes being able to have those big nights out without feeling like you are “cheating” or with that awful guilty feeling afterward. These kinds of moments, where we go “off plan,” are actually PART of our plan…for if you feel deprived, you won’t make it a lifestyle!

AND…when you eat the way I train my clients to eat, you will be boosting your metabolism so much, and your body won't miss a beat when you have these indulgences! 

That’s why I am psyched to share a few tips that can help you enjoy yourself without feeling deprived AND without sabotaging your weight loss goals!

Before I really understood nutrition and how calorie deprivation, diets, and being hungry actually make us GAIN weight.  For more info on that, visit my blog entry all about how diets will always fail you.

Tip #1: Don't save calories!  Do you know you are going to indulge? A myth is that we starve ourselves during the day to “save up” for justifying a big meal later.  Nope. Nope. Nope. Don't be fooled that your total amount of calories in a day matters…you need to keep your blood sugar balanced so “saving” them for that big meal will set your body on a blood sugar roller coaster, causing you to store fat and cause more harm than good!

6 Tips to Enjoy a Night Out Without Sabotaging your Weight Loss Goals

Tip #2: Eat Small All Day: To keep your blood sugar balanced, eat small meals throughout the day, every 3 hours, always balancing a protein, fat, and carb (PFC). So instead of sitting down for one big meal, start your morning with a PFC meal or shake and then eat throughout the day, little combinations of PFC. This way you won't be ravished at dinner time (which causes us to completely overindulge). Feeling really hungry before a meal forces us to overeat because our body won't recognize the fullness until 20 minutes in…so we overeat, spike our blood sugar, and slow down our metabolism. All in one meal. 

Tip #3: Alcohol is a carb: It's also empty of calories and sugar, but treat it as a carb. If you are drinking, choose drinks that are less sugary (vodka with seltzer is a good one!) and combine it with protein and fat…also add lots of raw veggies for the nutrients that you are missing in your “alcohol carb”

6 Tips to Enjoy a Night Out Without Sabotaging your Weight Loss Goals

Tip #4. Bring a Healthy Option: Bring a side or a dessert that is a healthy alternative to some of the classics…chips and salsa with “Beanitos” instead of corn tortillas. Make deviled eggs with guac, and have a fruit salad with yogurt parfait as a great option for dessert! Even if you overindulge, clean options will digest MUCH BETTER than anything processed

Tip #5: Eat Again Later that Night: Even if you overindulge over the day, DO NOT feel guilty. Know that it may have been a time when you ran through a “red light” and get on track with your next meal.  Have a 1/2 a bar or shake 4-5 hours after eating a lot to reset your metabolism. Click here for the best PFC-balanced protein bars and shakes.

6 Tips to Enjoy a Night Out Without Sabotaging your Weight Loss Goals

Tip #6: Use Food as Fuel: Instead of “punishing” yourself the next day after overdoing it, don't starve yourself or allow yourself to feel guilty.  Instead, do a strength workout the next day as a way to use all that food as fuel!

Carrie