HOW DO I KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF?

Here is a great question I received!

Question: How do you manage with eating out then? Do you just not? I feel like that just kills the whole diet, but it’s so hard to stay away from. Also, after you lost the 10 lbs, did you have to maintain that diet to keep the weight off?

I was strictly Paleo until I lost my 10 lbs.  During that time, though, I had to work around it when eating out with friends, or I had to speak up and suggest another place that offered Paleo-friendly choices.  For example – I love Thai food, which is mostly just noodles and empty carbs.  When we went out to eat at a Thai restaurant, I picked a Rare Beef salad.  It was just meat and salad – no carbs!  It’s tough to resist the Pad Thai, but the results were worth it.   So I definitely do eat out, but am health-conscious about it.

Several things you can do to make this easier:

1. Let your friends know you of your new eating habits, and they will accommodate you and work around it.
2. Most restaurants should have at least one healthier dish served there.  At Red Robin, for example, I would get either a grilled chicken burger, or a turkey burger without the mayo, and salad or fruit instead of the bottomless fries.  I always order something with the sauce/dressing on the side, even for salads.
3. If they do insist on eating at a place that only offers unhealthy food (like pizza spots), plan ahead and eat before meeting up with them.  Or go off on your own and meet back up with them if that’s feasible.

After reaching my goal weight, I altered my diet so that I was about 90% Paleo.  This allowed me to have some cereal, bread here and there, and the occasional sushi.  I’ve actually been able to maintain my weight, eating 90% paleo.  I am still consistently working out, and I hardly eat any sweets.  I’ve found that once you stop eating sweets for about 2 weeks, you don’t even crave it anymore – so I’ve gotten to that point where I don’t even want it anymore!  Occasional indulgence is okay, in my opinion, as long as you are not binging.

Diets are crucial to losing weight.  If you are exercising consistently, but not changing your eating habits, you may not see any changes.  It takes willpower, but it is definitely doable! 🙂