This article is for overweight people. If you are not categorically overweight, the urgency of the matter is lesser.
There is a culture of feasting in Singapore. Once in a while, this is fine.
A lot of the time however, this is not the case. Feasting happens when we meet with friends for a get together. Feasting happens at the weekends. Feasting happens during parties.
Food has almost become synonymous with companionship. For some, alcohol too.
The psychological implications of this is only something I can speculate on, but I feel that it cannot be healthy if food has become a highlight in every one of our meetups.
We must pay attention to our psychology when it comes to food!
There is a whole host of adverse effects associated with being overweight. I will not go into that here. You know this. I know this.
I am passionate about health because my loved ones suffer poor health.
We treat eating as a national past time and do not second guess the culture. But let’s do just that! This is a health blog after all. IF NOT HERE, THEN WHERE!?
Why is it good to over order food? Why is it bad to waste food?
We should try to order less food when going out. We do not have to try everything on the menu. If we really ordered too little, we can always order more. There is nothing glamorous or courteous about over ordering food.
If today was your planned cheat meal, fine. Eat that dessert or second serving. You deserve it. But if unplanned, please try not to! Do not give in to the culture.
You are doing people harm when you over order. There are harmful effects to being overweight.
If you know someone is in debt, do we not put them in situations whereby they would feel they have to spend money to save face?
If someone has allergies, do we not support them to avoid the allergy?
If someone is sick, do we not give the person medicine?
In cases like these, it is seen as kind and courteous to be considerate of the person. But when it comes to food, we set up ourselves and our friends for failure. We think it is culturally acceptable to over order.
It is a set up for failure because people love food too much. We will tend to overeat if there is too much food in front of us. Heck! I’m not perfect. This happens to me too!
People do not want to waste food; they have been taught this since young.
But really, in the event there is too much food, better to package it for take away or even waste it then to over consume. Just like someone falling sick, if there is extra medicine, we do not give it to someone just to not waste the extra medicine right? That is overdosing!
Another thing, allow me to rant. When you are on an exercise program for weight loss and changing your lifestyle and there is too much food to finish, do not let your friend’s words “You are exercising now, you can afford it!” affect you.
You are the one working hard. DO. NOT. GIVE. IN.
You know your calorie budget and exercise goals. You likely cannot afford it. Do not believe the sweet uninformed lie!!!
Psychologically, there is inertia in everything we do. We as human beings tend to love the status quo. If you want to get healthier, you need to keep making small progress towards the goal.
From overweight to healthy, depending on the individual, it can be a long process. We must understand our psychology; we need to see progress. Even small progress is good.
I’m not saying to do an extreme diet either. Do not get me wrong. Even 1 to 2 kg fat loss a month is great!
If you let your progress stall for too long, if you give in one too many times, how long do you think you can stay committed to the change if you do not see progress?
Think about it and be honest. These are hard questions we must ask ourselves and be mindful of.
Thus, it really is an emergency!
We do not want to revert back to our old unhealthy habits!
Conclusion
Be mindful when eating with friends and family. Be the leader that starts the change. Do not lecture them. But be firm on your own portion size; do not over indulge. This is the only thing you can control.
When they see food is wasted or food has to be taken away. Maybe they will order less in the future.
In the future, they will see your results and might follow you. You are actually doing the whole group a service!
Speaking from experience:
Because of me, over the years, my group of friends has slowly adopted better eating habits when eating out. The culture of over eating is lessened.
At first you may be the only one, but when someone else follows, and you have two people, the group will take notice and change slightly. You will feel less pressure.
So stay strong, stay mindful. It is good for you and your whole group. You are the leader.
Fitness IQ +3!
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Lean. Fit. You. 