Fitness Etiquette

When I was going through my weight loss journey, I remembered it was tough to stay on a steady eating program particularly when it came to eating outside of my house.  The reality was that most restaurants don’t have a health conscious menu and even those who appear to have one, aren’t always healthy. (Some places advertise “Salads” that can range between 700-1400 calories!)  But one particular area where I found it hardest was when I was invited to a friend/family member’s house and they had prepared dinner for us.

See, it’s easy to tell a co-worker you aren’t interested in joining the department for the 12 o’clock taco truck or burger run.  But what do you do when you are at mom’s house or a close friends house and you are offered something that isn’t on your new menu?  If you come from a Latin household like I do, you know that declining your mother’s home cooked meal is like taking a dagger and sticking it right in the middle of her heart.  You just don’t do that.  Even then, a TRUE Latin family will never let you skip a meal.  I’ve been to some households where they literally shove a fried drumstick into your mouth right at the moment you say “No” and there is that small gap in your mouth.

Well, here is where you learn two things: Etiquette and Portion Control.  Sure, you want to stick to your new eating habits 24/7, but one thing I learned is that you have to compromise.  It isn’t nice when someone spends time in the kitchen, prepares a meal for you and your spouse/family, only to have it declined.  And although it can be easy for us to give the “no thank you, I’m not eating that right now” reaction, it’s a good opportunity to practice portion control.

In one of my earlier blogs, I mentioned that part of my new eating habits didn’t mean that I would NEVER eat any good foods, but rather that I learned to control what I was eating.  So if someone offers you some home cooked food, take it.  It doesn’t mean that you need to request three servings of it, but a polite request for small portions is never a bad thing.  This way, you keep control of your eating habits while at the same time show respect for the person that has offered their time, home and resources to prepare a nice home cooked meal for you.

Keeping your eating habits in line AND keeping friends sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Have a great weekend guys.

-J