When some people lock in with their nutrition they are able to see every eating decision as black and white.

“This food or drink is either helping me or hurting me get to my goals”.

This is a good approach. It’s simplistic, logical and my personal preference.

No matter where you go or who you are around you employ this mindset and are able to adapt your eating whether it’s on the go or at a party.

Great.

We will call the above person, type#1.

But, the majority of people can’t be like them.

They often times think they can, but within a couple weeks their consistency goes up in smoke.

This person must change their environment, people around them, or both in order to be successful.

We will call this person, type #2.

Gimme’ More Details Jon

Okay, I will.

Type #2: You’re addicted.

You have a dependency in your life around doing certain activities:

1. Happy hour

2. Wine tours

3. Seeing live bands

4. Going to lunch with co-workers

5. Having drinks with clients

“Whoa, wait a minute! You think I should just stop doing those things, have no life, and be a hermit?!”

Relax a minute. Maybe grab some tea. Perhaps herbal.

I’ll explain.

Type #1 can handle every example on the above list.

1. They can go to happy hour with some buddies and have a couple waters and enjoy the company.

2. They can go on a wine tour and have fun with their significant other while not drinking.

3. They can enjoy an Abba cover band without drinking or eating the cheese fries.

4. They can go to lunch with co-workers and choose a healthy food option.

5. They can go for a drink with a client and get something non-alcoholic. Or, at the very least, get a vodka soda for 90 calories, which is a far cry from a 700 calorie margarita.

(We aren’t going to get into a hormonal effects of alcohol debate here, so I am simply mentioning calories.)

***If your client has a bad opinion of you because you don’t have a drink, you probably aren’t that good at what you do anyways.

So, here is the problem: Type #2, you can’t do the above list. You have proven it. Over and over.

You never get results with your nutrition.

You are addicted and have a dependency on being in certain environments and around certain people.

Okay, What Are My Options?

FIRST, you can avoid certain environments all together.

If being around people drinking at happy hour while you are stone sober sounds dreadful, don’t go.

If seeing live music while you are sober sucks, that is a no-go as well.

SECOND, consider avoiding certain people if you find that being around them leads to you drifting off plan.

If every time you see certain people you are all drinking, it may be a good sign that they aren’t that impressive of people anyways.

Maybe Loud Mouth Rick or Annoying Hen Lou-Ann (I don’t know any Ricks or Lou-Anns FYI) make you feel stupid on a wine tour by announcing to every stranger around that you are staying “sober” because you are on a “diet”.

Sounds like a couple of people to cut out of your life in some capacity if you can’t stay true to your plan when you are around them.

Have a client who you need to meet up with twice a month, but you know they like to drink?

Make the meetings for breakfast or lunch so that guzzling down a couples toddys isn’t in the cards.

Whatever Jon, This is Stupid Advice

Some of you are thinking this.

That’s fine.

I never said this is what you SHOULD do.

This is advice for people who say they want nutritional success, but constantly struggle to achieve it.

If you truly want to change, you will.

Everyone has a different level of how hard they will try with something and it’s solely based on how much value they place on it.

If being in great shape is extremely important to you, blowing off a crap lunch with co-workers or a happy hour at the local watering hole would be no issue.

But, if being overweight and less capable sits fine with you, by all means, go ahead and schedule another brewery tour and keep seeing those live bands while sluggin’ down shots. It certainly doesn’t make you a bad person.

I don’t care what you do, just don’t tell me something is important to you when your actions prove otherwise.

And remember:

You do not get over any addiction by just stopping yourself from doing something. You must create a new life where it is easier to not partke in your addiction.