Nobahle@92's Journal, 03 May 2021

my advice is to overindulge on coffee...it's pretty crappy advice but it's the best I've got... 

Great question! And I love Lallies answer! I have a function literally every weekend this month 😒 what I’ve found and what. I’m planning to do is - 1. Not drink my calories... drink things like black, bitter coffee, water, gin and sugar free tonic, sodas (zero calories)... 2. Don’t snack - it’s so tempting to snack - but snacks are usually so calorie dense. Rather wait for the main meal. 3. For the main meal - avoid carbs or massive amounts of food (depending if you do CICO or Keto). I usually do some meat and salad and avoid the breads, pap and relish and even salad dressing. 4. Give dessert a miss or have half of the portion (if you don’t want to be THAT person). Also - if you are comfortable and the function calls for it, and the people are chilled - take your own food with. This coming weekend my mother-in-law decided she wants a Mexican Fiesta with tacos and nachos etc. etc. She also asked me to bake her a chocolate cake. So the indulgence will be real... BUT she know the journey I’m on, and I’m comfortable with just taking my container with food... and just enjoy the time with her and the family. If all else fails or it’s a once in a lifetime function - don’t worry about it too much - life is about balance! 

I have another idea! Eat a healthy salad before you go. Be sure to add nuts or beans to the salad so it's more filling. The. You will crave less when you are there  

@lallie that's a great idea!!! Stealing it for me too 

focus on the other parts of the function. I think it's best not to go hungry, Drink stuff like soda water that fills you up but also hydrates, don't drink too much alcohol because when your tipsy you don't care about your eating 😜  

What works for me is to eat properly before you leave for the function. Pack purse snacks: nuts, seeds, carrot sticks, biltong and munch on them. Start with a couple glasses of water when you arrive. It’ll fill you up and help hydrate you for the drinks later. I also forgo all carbs (there’s usually too many options at African functions) and stick to proteins and some veg. Do not be fooled by side salads, they tend to be dressed already or loaded with sugary sauces. I’m the same as Unicorn, find the drink that is lowest calorie: vodka lime (not the syrup), soda water/sparkling water or gin and limit myself to one 100ml or less glass of wine with meal. You’ve also got to go in with a game plan and be willing to sacrifice. If desert looks particularly good, I will sacrifice alcohol for coffee for example. If the canapés are good, I will skip desert. 

To be very honest, I just eattttt..... that day just becomes my cheat day, but I have started to try and control how much I eat at these parties. Enjoy everything but within moderation is what I do. 

easiest way to stick i have found is to meal prep for the week takes an hour or 2 on a sunday and it pays off 

I don’t believe in cheat days because you are conditioning your mind that eating is wrong so rather change the narrative enjoy the indulgence and the next day be more mindful of what you eating . Stress increases weight gain 

You guys are awesome❤️thank you all for the advice and insight. I was honestly feeling so down but now I'm even more encouraged. Weight loss is hard but having a community really makes it easier!