Balancing Heatlh and Social Life - 20 Somethings

sjaykay13

I'm a 20-something, working full time in Boston, living outside the city with my boyfriend and currently trying to lose 155 lbs (already down 25lbs). My girlfriends from college are all single, living in the city, relatively healthy and fit, have extra income and want to go out and do things. I am struggling keeping my friendships while I focus on myself. I'd rather stay in, go to the gym, eat well and go to bed than go out to a bar until late. They are great friends but aren't quite getting my priorities right now. Have I swung too far in one direction? Or should they be more understanding?

BossLadyDSimp

I am in the same boat. I am (newly) single and I really enjoy staying at home. I can keep track of what I am eating better when I stay in. My roommate moved in with me and we rarely go anywhere. I like to be home resting on the weekends. We used to workout together 4 days a week but she stopped going because it was too early with work. We also were using MFP together but she hasn't in a while so I am on my own. Which is fine becasue at the end of the day our friends cant lose the weight for us!!!

I used to have the thought process that whenever I went out that I could eat whatever I want!! I still do that now, the only differnce is then I was going out to eat 3 times a week. I think your best bet is not to go out as much but to make sure that you PLAN.

Save the days that you go out with them for your cheat meal! When I go out on dates I make sure that I save the calories for that time. I don't care if I look like a pig eating a giant burger and downing 2 beers, because he doesn't know how hard I've worked for it, and he cant lose the weight for me either!!!

I have always had smaller friends or ones that just dont care, I just have to be clear on what I am going to eat and do even before I leave the house! Since you have a cheat meal once a week it should be easy to go out, eat, drink, and have fun with your friends! They will feel comfortable and you will feel FREE!

If its not a cheat meal just remember that this journey is about YOU! So do what is best for you and what makes you happy!! If they are your real friends they will support you and understand.

We cannot escape food so we have to learn to work in a world where negative choices are ALL OVER the place ... that means getting out and still staying on track!

Good luck!

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mumblemagic

Two comments:
1. Give yourself a break every now and again, maybe try to build in at least 1 day per week when you can socialise and not worry too much about the diet. This will be good for you psychologically, ensure that once you've lost the weight you still have friends, and make for a much more sustainable lifestyle choice.
2. You could join an excercise club or make friends at your gym, so you have new friends whose priorities match yours a bit better than your old friends. Try not to lose the old friends though, because it would be a shame if such a positive step forward had negative consequences.