Eating with others while making nutritional changes

How to avoid a side of questions with your order

Most people face external pressure to vary from their nutrition plan in the early phases of making changes. The greatest pressure often comes from friends in social situations or colleagues in the workplace. While this can also be from their partner or family, they usually know about the changes and aim to be supportive.

You might order something different to the group or your usual order, and questions arise. It’s a bit like having to justify why you aren’t drinking alcohol to those who are — even though it doesn’t affect them, some see your choice to abstain as criticising their choice to consume.

The influence can also be internal. You might not want to draw attention to your efforts by declining food or making a different order, or you simply want to avoid justifying your choice to an individual or a group.

These challenges are the reality of being human and social dynamics. It’s lazy to say you’re being illogical and ‘just stick to the plan’, so I think it’s important to have strategies to handle these situations and keep you on track.

Factor it in

You can change nothing about the meal and simply factor it into your nutrition plan. Most…