Surviving Saturday Nights (and Beyond)

I hope you're having a great Saturday! August, and the summer, is winding down, so I'm trying to savor every moment possible while it lasts. For me, that means that after I work out this morning I'm heading to our local farmer's market to pick up some fresh produce and just enjoy walking around for a while. We're getting together this afternoon with some friends and will either go for a long walk or go for a bike ride with them before we have dinner. My friend is on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 right now, so I know the dinner will be a lean & green :-).

Hanging around people who are pursuing a healthy lifestyle makes it a lot easier for my husband and I to make healthy choices, too. The couple we're getting together with lives a very active lifestyle, and with her closing in on her own weight loss goal (she's lost over 30 pounds so far), they're more active than ever.

There was an opinion piece in our local newspaper this week entitled, "Face Reality: America is Obese." The writer made this statement: "Human beings in a very fundamental sense behave like flocks of geese or herds of wildebeests. They do things in droves, and whether you gain or lose weight, or start or stop smoking, depends very much on what the people around you are doing."

There really is strength in numbers, and that strength can either be positive or negative. For many of us, weekends, especially Saturday nights, are times to get together with family member and friends. Most of those get-togethers will probably revolve around food, and that's where it gets tricky. Many people who do great and stay on plan all week find it next to impossible to navigate around all of the food obstacles that come their way each weekend. If the people we spend time with aren't focused on living healthy themselves, it can be difficult for those of us who are trying to make positive changes. If the people we spend time with also try to sabotage us, it can be almost impossible.

ALMOST impossible, but not impossible :-). If you're able to move your particular crowd towards a healthier lifestyle, that will not only be good for you, but it will be good for them, too. Suggesting a restaurant with healthy options instead of the usual pizza joint would be a good start, and hopefully your group would be supportive. Or offer to grill at home, and accompany the grilled meat with a lovely salad.

Whether or not you can redirect our family members and friends (and I know some will be next to immovable), it's important that you decide what's really important to you. As you take charge of your own health, don't feel like you need to apologize for making healthy choices. This is YOUR health we're talking about, after all :-). Set yourself up for success, not failure, and don't put yourself into a situation where it might be next to impossible to stay on plan (I won't list some of the potential restaurant landmines, but you all know what they are!). This is such a short time in your life that's been set aside to get to a healthy weight, so don't let anything or anyone get between you and your goal. I promise you, even though this might not be easy now, once you're at goal, you will never regret it!