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 people have the flexibility in their diet to do this over the week.

This works well for weekly catch-ups but is not ideal for more frequent ones such as daily work lunches. 

It’s also important to consider the other people you eat with. If you use up all of your flexibility with friends or colleagues, there is less to be used with your partner or family.

If you decide not to factor it in and instead make some adjustments, here are a couple of ways to do that.

Modify the order

Order the extra salad instead of chips if you go out for burgers or schnitzels with your friends. If you’re sharing food, aim to eat more vegetable-based options and reduce high-carb and high-fat food.

You can eliminate hundreds of calories by cutting out chips and other sides while still enjoying the same primary food as the rest of the group.

Making these smaller modifications is less noticeable to ordering something completely different to the group, especially if that’s the norm or the venues signature dish.

“I’m not eating [XYZ] right now”

If you change the order but want to minimise attention to your body recomposition efforts, blame your digestive system. Most people won’t ask further questions and in fact, they will probably tell you about an article or podcast they heard on the topic.

Gluten, dairy and egg are some easier options to avoid, especially if you are replacing them with a salad or meat and vegetables. Just be sure that whatever food you are ‘avoiding’ isn’t contained in the replacement!

Wrap up

Not everyone is helpful to your nutrition changes in social settings. While it is ultimately your responsibility to manage what foods you consume, these strategies can help manage the social pressure you might feel around food when making nutritional changes.