Following an interesting conversation mid session with someone the other day it got me thinking about how you make your food choices depending on if there is a deal, offer or no financial outlay.

The quote that did it was “I used to get a Granola Bar with a coffee every time I had a meeting and claim it as an expense…”.

But then I thought, actually, he’s on to something. 

Plenty of times I have been invited out for meals and as soon as their is any notion of someone else footing the bill the poker faces come out, and the expensive choices are made. Side portions get ordered, sharing platters and post meal coffees all get thrown into the mix and extra alcoholic drinks. This will have happened with friends, relatives or at corporate events, or you yourself might have been the one going crazy on someone else’s tab.

Obviously at Body Planners we hold nothing against anyone for having a good night out, but be mindful of your actions and the consequences, spot the saboteurs early and don’t fall in to any traps. If you are trying to make an effort to lose that bit of unwanted weight or fat, a FREE garlic bread, steak dinner and rich calorific dessert is going to do you no favours and that’s before you’ve added in the booze. If you get invited out by all means go. But prepare in advance. IF, you don’t have the Body Planners Blueprint, then here’s a recap on what to do to avoid the intake of unwanted calories on your social occasions.

1. Scope out where you’re going, have a look online and make an informed decision on what you will order from the menus provided.

2. Allocate yourself the role as duty driver, this will limit or eliminate the amount of alcohol you will consume and significantly reduce the amount of empty calories you could consume.

3. Meet anyone who isn’t travelling with you at the venue of your meal, don’t be tricked into meeting up 2 hours before to get plastered.

4. Order what you planned to order, and don’t deviate from it. Also, try to spoil your appetite a little beforehand, by having a healthy filling snack, so you don’t get tempted to deviate and make an emotional decision at the venue, which overrides the rational decision you made beforehand.

There are other examples where we let our wallet lead our diet.

For example the supermarket ‘multi-buys’ where you could get 2 (or more) of the same product for a smidgen more than the price of just one. That’s sounding like fantastic value until you consume it all and it eventually blows a hole in the waistline. You never see the ‘good stuff’ such as steak, or fresh fish on the 2 for 1, or incorporated to any meal deal of any sort, it just doesn’t happen. 

This multi-buy situation has neatly brought me onto the convenience (and quality) of the ‘meal deal’. For those of you who are aiming to lose weight, you aren’t going to do it eating meal deals. The entire situation surrounding meal deals will make you fail. They are sold largely to people in a rush (you) as a means of convenience. As we may have mentioned, convenience usually comes with an abundance of calories. You get a sandwich or wrap, a drink of some description and either a packet of crisps, bar of chocolate or pot of fruit. If you’re as Yorkshire as me, you would buy the most expensive of all 3 to make £3 go a long way, you’ve made an insignificant saving cash wise, saved a little extra time but kicked the chair from under yourself with regards to the goals you’ve previously set out. 

I do maintain convenience has its time and place, but it isn’t every lunch time, and too much convenience will make you lazy and get you deeper into the rut.

When it comes to your health and wellbeing prepping in advance is more convenient long term than convenient right now! And remember it might be free or reduced cost but it still counts towards your daily calorie count just the same. Reduced cost is not reduced calories!

Jake.