Tips for Social Events

Attending social events can prove challenging to even the most disciplined eaters. Whether it’s a wedding, dinner party, sports event or holiday gathering, food and drink temptations abound at social events. As you develop new habits during your weight loss process, you may need to limit exposure to some forms of socializing and consider using your discretionary time differently—to pursue hobbies, participate in fitness classes, or simply indulge in “alone time.” But for social events that are either desirable or unavoidable, here are practical strategies for making healthy choices while still enjoying them.

Review this list of tips for social events. Check the ones you can incorporate at your next social event.

Food

• Reframe your focus at social events. Parties are a great time to focus more on the company of friends and family and less on food and drink.
• Take control of your food environment. Bring an appetizer or low-carb entrée so you always have a healthy food option.
• Eat a protein and healthy fat based snack before you arrive. Not arriving ravenous will allow you to make healthy choices about the foods you can enjoy in smaller portions.
• Gather around the veggie platter so you are not in proximity of tempting starchy or refined carbohydrates and sweets.
• Do not take “tastes” unless you can limit it to just a taste. If a particular food is too stimulating for you, don’t taste at all.
• Choose your indulgences in advance. If you are looking forward to celebrating a special occasion and want to eat off program, do so. But do so mindfully and with a plan. Limit the exception to a single serving, and avoid using the exception as an excuse to continue eating off-program. Enjoy your exception, and then get right back onto program.
• Plate all your food and eat with a utensil whenever possible.
• Eat sitting down when possible.
• Decide when you have finished eating and move away from the food area when possible.
• Keep your hands occupied when you are finished eating by holding a glass. Help clean up as a distraction to eating.
• Arrive late and leave early when possible.

Alcohol

• Avoid or limit alcohol at social events. Alcohol is a fermented carbohydrate with little or no nutritional value and no effect on satiety. It also lowers your inhibitions, which can sabotage your weight loss efforts.
• Recognize how alcohol affects you so you can stop drinking when you feel your inhibitions lowering.
• Wait to have your first alcoholic drink until after you eat.
• Alternate an alcoholic beverage with a glass of water, seltzer or club soda. Limit yourself to two alcoholic drinks.
• Choose lower-carb alcoholic drinks, such as distilled spirits, wine, light beer or champagne. Avoid carb-rich, sugary mixers. For example, consider a high quality sipping tequila instead of a margarita with agave.
• If you prefer vodka, mix with soda water and lime or splash of diet sprite to reduce carbohydrates.
• Mix wine with 1/2 seltzer water to make a spritzer.
• Just like eating slowly, savor your drink.

Try using the tips you checked in Part 1 at your next social event. Keep in mind that developing new habits takes practice over time, so commend yourself even for small “wins,” and recognize that imperfections are part of relearning new habits.

At your next appointment, be prepared to discuss these questions with your counselor:

1. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = not helpful at all, 5 = very helpful), how helpful were the tips?
2. How did you feel when you were able to apply them?
3. Would you be inclined to apply the tips again? Why or why not?