Friday night is date night.
Last night was no exception and we decided to go to one of our favorite local spots.
And as someone who is both actively trying to drop a few pounds of fat and someone who came from a very overweight background, eating out can be more stressful than it should be.
But I can’t simply eliminate going out to eat or social events that involve food. I have to learn how to navigate restaurants and social events will eliminating the stress that comes with them.
Now, I do a couple things to help with the stress.
One, I take a look at the menu before I go somewhere.
This allows me to have a relatively good idea of what I am getting into and most of the time I know exactly what I am going to order before I even sit down.
Two, I bank calories throughout the day.
I know even when I order a healthy meal that it’ll probably contain more calories than I would assume. That’s why I eat light during the day ‘banking’ me more calories at that dinner.
Three, I try to remind myself that it’s not that serious.
If I make good decisions (even a bad one) that one meal isn’t going to wreck my progress or turn me back into the overweight version of me. Sometimes it’s better for your mental health to enjoy the food with friends and family and simply move forward.
Does this help a lot? Yes it does.
Does it mean I never stress about it? Not even close.
Am I getting better? I am.