We have spent time thinking about meals at home, but what happens when you’re dining out or ordering in?
Whether it’s coffee with friends, a dinner out or a Friday night takeaway, eating out is a part of life. It’s important to approach these situations with a plan to stick to your goals.
Reflect on these questions to help you stay on track:
- How often do you eat outside your home or order in?
- Do you plan ahead?
- Do you consider what you will eat and drink?
- How many courses will you have?
You might find it useful to jot down some of your thoughts. Here are some ideas to get started.
Lunch on the go:
- Avoid meal deals that include crisps if it’s a daily habit. Try a yoghurt pot or a piece of fruit instead
- Many shops have salads in small packs for lunches. Look for options that don’t have oils, mayonnaise, or cheese
- Prepare your snacks and drinks in advance if you know you’ll be on the go. This will help you maintain control over your choices
Going out for dinner:
- Don’t skip meals if you’re planning to eat out later. Consider having two smaller meals during the day to avoid overeating at night
- Plan ahead before you’re hungry, so you’re not making decisions on an empty stomach
- Decide to take one or two courses. Share a starter or dessert
- Choose extra vegetables or salad – ask for the dressing on the side
Drinks
Think about what you’ll drink.
Alcohol, fizzy drinks, and fruit juices can add extra energy you weren’t expecting. Take a look at the list below to see how much sugar could be in your drink.
- Alcohol free Kopparberg (330ml can): 30g
- Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte (Tall): 25g
- Costa Maple Hazel Latte (Medium): 34g
- Coca-Cola Original Taste (330ml can): 35g
Remember that guidelines recommend having less than 30g of sugar per day.
Mindful drinking: integrating alcohol into a healthy lifestyle
Alcohol can be part of a healthy lifestyle, but having too much can affect your wellbeing. It can change how hungry you feel and the types of food you choose, both during and after drinking. It can also have an effect on your mood and emotional health.
Reflecting on your drinking habits can be useful. Think about these questions and note down your thoughts.
- Do you usually drink at home or when you’re out?
- What kinds of drinks do you prefer?
- How much do you take on a daily, weekly, or weekend basis?
The guidelines for alcohol, for both men and women, recommend you:
- Drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week
- Spread your units over several days
- Include at least two alcohol-free days each week
- Avoid taking all your units in one night (also known as binge drinking)
More information on alcohol and health and how to keep within safe limits can be found on the Drink Aware website.
Overcoming obstacles and changing unhelpful habits
In an earlier session, we talked about how to develop new lifestyle habits. We might also want to stop unhelpful habits that get in the way of improving our health.
A good way to think about changing unhelpful habits is using our easy three-step process:
- Write out some unhelpful habits and pick one to change. Pick the easiest one first.
Example: You decide to eat fewer biscuits. - Think about what is prompting this action. Are you hungry? Is there a healthier option you could have? Are you reaching for the biscuit tin because you are having a cup of tea? Is the biscuit tin sitting right next to the kettle?
- Can you make the action more difficult to do? Can you swap it for something else?
Here are some options you could try using the biscuit example:
- Swap the biscuit tin for the fruit bowl.
- Swap the contents of the biscuit tin for something like dried nuts or popcorn.
- Move the biscuit tin away from the kettle by placing it in a cupboard or at the other end of the kitchen.
This way you are creating different options to run experiments to see what works. Remember, experiments might not work every time, so it’s ok if it doesn’t go the way you want it to. You can always try again with a different option!
Option 3 also helps create space to think about whether you really want the biscuit or not.
Sometimes you may think to yourself that you do want to take the biscuit, and that’s okay! It’s about giving more space in your mind so you are making the choice consciously, rather than out of habit.
Now it’s your turn:
- Set a time for 2 minutes, and write down as many habits you want to change as you can. Look back over your list and consider one that would be the easiest to tackle first.
- What is prompting you to do the behaviour? Write it down.
- Can you make the behaviour more difficult to do? Could you change your environment? Could you remove the prompt altogether? Could you swap it with something else that makes it easier to follow a habit you want to do?
What next?
Mental wellbeing
Use the list below to reflect on your mental wellbeing. Note down a number to identify whether each statement is accurate:
- Not at all
- Some of the time
- A lot of the time
- Feeling happier
- Feeling less anxious or depressed
- More confidence to try new things
- Feeling more alert
- Being aware of your emotions
- Looking after yourself better
- Noticing cravings compared to hunger
- Feeling better about the way you look
- Looking forward to social situations
- Spending more time with family / friends
Use the list below to reflect on your physical wellbeing. Note down a number to identify whether each statement is accurate:
Physical wellbeing
- Not at all
- Some of the time
- A lot of the time
- Improvements in breathing
- Improved sleep
- Feeling more energised
- Increasing strength or stamina
- Reduced pain
- I can walk further distances
- Change in body shape, clothes sizes
- Improvements in blood glucose control
- Improved blood pressure readings
Key points
- Don’t stop eating out or ordering in, but be aware of your choices and how often you do this.
- Alcohol can be part of a healthy lifestyle, but it’s important to be aware of how much and how often you drink, and how it affects your other lifestyle choices.
- As well as thinking about developing new lifestyle habits, there may be some unhelpful habits you wish to stop.
- Celebrate even the smallest of changes.