3 Tips for Navigating Summer Gatherings Without Dieting
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
Summertime often means more family gatherings and cookouts, plus added pressure to diet and lose weight. If you’re working on ditching diets, then going to these gatherings could understandably cause nerves and anxiety.
It’s no secret that our Latine families are a little too comfy commenting on how much we eat and changes in our weight. Plus, summertime often means showing more skin through wearing bathing suits, shorts, dresses, or tank tops, which can heighten body image concerns.
So, in this blog, we’re sharing three tips to successfully handle summer gatherings without dieting!
1.Nourish yourself consistently before the event
When we restrict, that sets the binge-restrict cycle in motion.
Essentially, not eating enough makes it more likely you’ll end up uncomfortably full when you do finally eat. Your body is trying to load up on energy while it has access to it. It doesn’t know the difference between a famine and voluntary restriction.
So, nourishing yourself adequately before the event sets you up to enjoy the company of those around you without being mentally preoccupied with the food. Plus, it can help you enjoy the food without ending up in pain from overeating.
2.Plate yourself a satisfying meal
Sometimes nourishing yourself consistently before the event leads to a fear that you won’t have enough room for all the delicious food you’d want to try at the event. Or, you may still be in the process of making peace with foods available at the gathering, and you may be tempted to avoid them entirely.
We invite you to consider what will be most satisfying and what you’ll truly enjoy! There’s absolutely room for pleasure on your plate.
That could mean intentionally incorporating a variety of food groups, eating the foods you don’t often have access to, and connecting with your body to discover what sounds most appealing in that moment.
If you find yourself overwhelmingly full before you get to try everything you want, remember you can always take home leftovers or come back to the food a couple of hours later!
3. Cope ahead for unwelcome comments
One of the most challenging parts of family events is the comments from loved ones. Too often, our loved ones greet us with comments on our weight changes. Nicknames like “gordita” or “flaca” are commonplace.
When we’re eating, they might also comment on how much or what we’re eating.
If you know that your family is one to make these kinds of comments, cope ahead for how you might navigate a family member making these unwelcome comments.
Maybe you want to call them ahead of time and request they not make these comments. Maybe you want to see what happens in the moment and address it then. Maybe you want to have other conversation topics lined up so you can quickly change the subject. You might also want to be prepared to leave early if staying for an extended time isn’t serving you.
Final Thoughts
Summer gatherings can be tricky. So, do what you can to cope ahead for challenges that may arise and make sure to keep yourself nourished.
We’re sure to be more irritable and less energetic if we aren’t nourishing ourselves consistently, which won’t help with having fun or navigating these tricky situations!
For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.
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