How to have a night out without destroying your health goals
How to have a night out without destroying your health goals
Have a weekend or ladies’ night planned and worried about how it’ll affect your health goals? Don’t fear!
Today, you’ll learn how to enjoy a night out without falling off the health wagon. Apply these four critical steps next time you have a night out on the town.
Have a Plan
If you know your night out will be full of burgers and booze, start the day on a healthy kick.
Make sure all your other meals are as clean as can be. Hit the gym and bust out your favorite exercises or take a long walk through your neighborhood. Drink plenty of water and boost your electrolytes (we’ll dive into hydration more below).
Make a plan for your evening out. Decide ahead of time what you’re comfortable eating and drinking. If you’re pumped for french fries and wings, eat your meal mindfully without guilt. Pace yourself and maximize the enjoyment of whatever meal you order and savor all the flavors.
Prep by Prioritizing your Protein
Protein is the most important macronutrient for weight loss, but you can’t just pack it all into one meal. Our bodies need a slow drip of protein throughout the day to function at its best. If you’re going out for dinner, try to pack some protein into the meal and make sure to give your breakfast and lunch a good boost of protein.
High protein foods like chicken are some of the best foods to eat before a night of drinking. These foods help slow the rate of alcohol being absorbed into the body. Since protein takes longer to digest, it can help slow down your blood alcohol levels too.
Drink Plenty of Water During the Day
Dehydration increases hunger, cravings, and over-eating. Plus, if you’re planning on throwing back a few while you’re out, dehydration will lead to that dreaded next-morning hangover and slump.
Hydration is your hangover’s kryptonite, and it will help you portion your meal properly. Throughout the day, drink plenty of electrolyte-rich water. It’ll keep your digestion moving, decrease bloating, and help your body flush toxins from the less-than-healthy food and drinks you may enjoy. I like to use LMNT and I make sure to consume one pack throughout my day.
Side note on Electrolytes
Electrolytes are crucial for many of our physical functions. They help balance blood acidity and pressure. They help to rebuild damaged tissue. They relieve headaches, flush out toxins, and enhance our exercise performance and recovery. But there are two functions that electrolytes have on the body that are essential to note:
Electrolytes control the water in our bodies.
Charged ions of electrolytes determine the flow of water in our cells. Without the balancing act between electrolytes and water, our cells would either shrivel and die or burst from being too full.
Electrolytes control the impulses in our nerve cells.
When a positive ion moves through one of our ion channels, it sparks an electrical impulse, signalling our bodies to function properly. Electrolytes control these constant impulses in our body to keep our hearts beating, our lungs breathing, and our brains working.
What Causes an Electrolyte Imbalance?
Excessively working out, rapid or extreme weight loss, and a poor diet high in unhealthy fats and low in protein can cause an electrolyte imbalance. Also, when we get a stomach bug or drink alcohol, our electrolytes can get depleted.
If you’re low on electrolytes, you may start to feel sick. Some common signs of electrolyte imbalance include dizziness, muscle cramping, irregular heartbeat, and mental confusion.
Don’t Forget to Reset
Don’t panic the morning after. You may step on the scale and be greeted with a shocking number. How you respond will make more of a difference for your long-term health than your one night of indulgences.
What’s your go-to response when the scale jumps up on you?
I panic, immediately sign up for a cleanse, and hit the gym.
I feel so discouraged that I throw in the towel and give up on my goals.
I do nothing.
The food you eat during one night out won’t determine whether you’re set back in your health goals, but how you respond will. The key to enjoying a night out with friends is learning how to reset the right way afterwards.
So, what’s the right way to respond that will help you keep losing weight?
Do nothing.
Sure, you may feel extra dehydrated and need to flush your body with more water. Maybe you’ll feel bloated and want a lighter breakfast. Or perhaps your energy levels will be a little lower, and a long walk outside sounds refreshing.
But the best way to get back on the health wagon is to simply step back on. Return to your normal healthy routine—no need to throw in the towel or fast for three days.
Living a healthy lifestyle and losing weight doesn’t require perfection. The morning after a night out, remind yourself of the 80/20 rule.
Don’t let one bad decision spiral into a week of poor choices or crash dieting. Simply, go back to your sustainable and healthy lifestyle in your next meal. Return to your healthy lifestyle as soon as possible and your body will adjust back easily.
Living Healthily and Losing Weight Can Actually Be Enjoyable!
Finding that healthy lifestyle you love is the key to long-term health. Your weight loss journey is about feeling more confident and having enough energy to do the things you love with the people you love. Embarking on a health journey and even losing weight doesn’t have to feel like a painful punishment.
If you’re ready for lasting weight loss and better health, join me and my crew of health seekers who are reaching their health goals and feeling amazing too!