Stay in the Game While Navigating Life’s Curve Balls REAL APPEAL | VOLUME TWO REAL APPEAL | VOLUME TWO 87 14 Stay in the Game While Navigating Life’s Curve Balls Learn how to handle

REAL APPEAL | VOLUME TWO 87 86 REAL APPEAL | VOLUME TWO

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Stay in the Game While Navigating Life’s Curve BallsLearn how to handle holidays, weekends, vacations, parties, and other special occasions without getting thrown off your “weight-loss game.”


SESSION 14

Be a Weight- Loss WinnerIsn’t it great when you don’t even have to think about what the right choice is because you instinctively know what’s best for your body? The healthy habits you’ve learned over the last 13 weeks are probably starting to come naturally now. You may even be surprised that it’s becoming second nature to stock your kitchen with healthy foods, watch portion sizes or schedule in your workouts. If you’re losing weight, it’s no wonder—you’re now living a life that promotes weight loss.

B ut (there’s always a but, right?) it’s

hard to keep your perfectly planned

life in place when you’re tossed a few

unexpected curve balls, like your family

vacation, the holidays, office parties—heck,

even a last-minute happy hour! These

special events are part of a fun, happy

lifestyle, however, if you aren’t prepared,

they can easily throw you right out of

the game!

If you know how to handle these

experiences however, you can get to

the point where you enjoy them without

gaining any weight. And afterwards,

you can get right back to your “regularly

scheduled programming”—relaxed and

without any guilt.

Sure, routines and consistency can seem

a little, well, predictable, but that’s exactly

what helps peel off the pounds—and keep

them off. People who are able to maintain

their weight loss for five or more years stay

true to their nutrition and exercise habits

during the weekends and even holidays,

according to research. And it seems a

little planning pays off.

All you need to do is “stay in the game”

and you, too, can be one of these happy

and healthy weight-loss winners!

Successful losers

say they do not feel

deprived; but rather,

they report being

happier and more

energetic.


SESSION 14

3 Eat consistent meals and snacks.

When you eat three meals and a snack or

two each day, you’re much less likely to let

yourself get over-hungry, which leaves you

vulnerable to poor food choices.

2 Be flexible. If your original plan falls through (or

something better comes along), adjust as

much as you can, and don’t beat yourself

up. Have confidence that whatever the

scenario, you’ve developed the skills to

make good choices. (Just be careful not to

let this flexibility turn into excuses.)

1 Set a “success” schedule.Know you’ll be encountering tricky

situations in the coming days? Talk to your

Real Appeal coach; he or she can help

you strategize a “success schedule.” Or,

simply take a few minutes to log a quick

schedule in the Notes section of your

RealAppeal.com dashboard. This helps

you keep some semblance of the structure

that you’re used to. Plus, the act of thinking

about it and writing it down means you’re

more likely to stick to healthy choices. No

need to schedule every second. Instead,

include when you might fit in exercise,

meals, and any necessary logistics to make

it happen. For example, on the Sunday of

an afternoon holiday party followed by an

evening dinner get-together, it might go

like this:

• Have half of breakfast: Small bowl

of plain yogurt, fruit and nuts

• Work out: 30-minute power walk

or Real Moves workout DVD

• Have other half of breakfast

• 11:30ish: food shopping

• Have half of egg salad sandwich

• 1:30–2 pm: Holiday party plan:

have 2 appetizers max (plus

any fruit or raw vegetables),

1 cookie, no booze

• 5 pm: 15-minute walk

• 6:30 pm: Leave for dinner get-

together. Stick to serving sizes

on my Real Appeal Perfect Portion

Plate, enjoy just 1 glass wine, skip

dessert and eggnog

Create a Game PlanNo matter what you’re planning for—three holiday parties in one week, a Caribbean vacation or change in routine—the same seven basic principles apply.

4 Fend off food pushers. Be aware of “food pushers,” often

well-meaning people who persistently

pester you to try a cupcake, have

another helping, or go for that second

drink. Remind yourself that it’s not

OK to disappoint yourself in order to

please others. And, in fact, most people

overestimate how disappointed others

will be when they turn them down politely.

When you’re tempted to give in to the

pressure, remind yourself that your health

and weight are more important than

someone else’s brief desire to have you

indulge in something that might not

benefit you. A simple, “I just couldn’t eat

another bite!” should be enough to get

them off your back.

5 BYOF: Bring your own food whenever you can.

In many cases, with a little tactful planning,

you can figure out a way to have healthy

options wherever you go. For example,

offer to bring a dish to a party, book a

vacation home with a kitchen, and plan

ahead for road trips.

6 Keep moving. While you may not be able to stick

with your regular workout routine, you can

find easy and creative ways to sneak more

activity into your everyday life. Add an

extra trip or two up the stairs, park farther

away from stores, or take the dog out for

a longer-than-usual walk. It may seem

like small stuff, but every little bit counts.

(Check back to session 10 for tips on how

to move more all day long.)

7 Have confidence. The above tips will help you handle

most situations, but you may still struggle

with a strong desire to just “give in” at one

point or another. When this happens, break

out your toughest resistance techniques.

RemindersRemind yourself that if you were not in

this situation (at a party or on vacation),

you probably wouldn’t be craving the food

you’re tempted to eat. This helps diminish

your sense of entitlement to the food.

Think back to another time you were

able to resist temptation, and how great

it felt afterwards.

When all else fails, remove yourself from

the situation—even if only for a few minutes.

If it’s a holiday party and everyone is having

eggnog, excuse yourself. You may likely

find that the temptation of the moment has

passed once you return.

Finally, keep in mind that building

confidence is just like working out a muscle

group. The more you do it, the stronger

that muscle becomes, and the easier it

feels to use when pressured under the

same weight.

real tips


SESSION 14

Covering All Your BasesWhat trips people up the most when it comes to weight loss? Often times, it’s moments of celebration or fun, like a weekend BBQ or a “surprise” office birthday party. You obviously can’t avoid these situations, nor would you want to. If you have a few healthy tricks up your sleeve, you can turn any event into a win-win situation.

SESSION 14

Happy Hour

It’s just one drink, how bad could it be?

Unfortunately, it’s usually a lot more

than one drink or even one hour. It’s

easy to overdo it when you’re facing

half-price specials on drinks and all-you-

can-eat buffalo wings. Yet, you won’t be

so “happy” when you end up downing

more calories in snacks and sips than if

you’d gone out for dinner!

How to handle:Have a light snack beforehand and

make sure you’re adequately hydrated

so you’re not as tempted by the food.

Let your friends know that you can

stay for only one drink. Give those

“confidence” muscles a workout!

Oftentimes, letting people know that

you have dinner waiting for you at home

can make it easier to say no to food

and stick to a single drink. Worst-case

scenario: If you get caught in a situation

where you’re hungry and need to eat

something, opt for items that are paired

with veggies (like hummus), high in

protein to take the edge off of hunger

(shrimp cocktail or chicken skewers) and

avoid fried items (mozzarella sticks) and

creamy dips (spinach artichoke).

Weekends

After a long and stressful week, it’s

tempting to just let loose on the

weekend. You may think you deserve

a quick break after five days of staying

on track. But look at it this way: The

weekends make up almost 33 percent

of each month! Throwing your planning

and eating regimen out the window

each weekend can quickly add up to

stalled weight loss—and worse, even

weight gain.

How to handle:Stick to a general schedule on the

weekend. This doesn’t mean skipping

all social events and sitting home so

you can eat lunch at exactly 1 p.m.,

but it does mean taking a look at your

plans and figuring out ways to fit in as

many of your regular meals and snacks

as possible, as well as finding time for

activity. And if you’re taking in more

than 1,350 daily calories, you always

have your daily treat to look forward

to (see session 9 for how to fit in your

favorite indulgent foods)! Consider a

mindset shift: Taking care of yourself on

the weekend makes you feel good and

sets you up to have more energy for the

upcoming week. Plus, you deserve to

feel great, no matter what day it is.

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SESSION 14

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Seasonal Events

The change of season can be a good

thing—you may feel recharged or

reenergized. But some people struggle

with the transition. For instance,

summertime means lots of cookouts

with the standard barbecue bites—hot

dogs, cheeseburgers, mayo-laden

salads. Maybe you’re more of a Winter

Blues type person, with the lack of

sunshine, the temptation of comfort

foods, to keep you warm and cozy.

How to handle:There is an upside to each season—

it’s just a matter of using it to your

advantage. For instance, summertime

brings the opportunity for fresh

produce, like grilled sweet corn,

zucchini, watermelon, berries and

peaches. Headed to a barbecue?

Offer to bring a healthy dish, starring

one of these in-season picks.

While fresh summer produce isn’t

available when the temperature drops,

you can always enjoy frozen versions.

Instead of a salad, try the White Bean

and Spinach Soup on page 60 of your

Real Foods Nutrition Guide—it’s warm,

soothing and nutritious. And take

advantage of the extra time indoors

by cooking food on the weekends and

freezing it to use throughout the week.

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SESSION 14

Vacations/Travel

Between eating every meal out,

sampling local specialties, sitting on

the beach, and indulging in cocktails

and dessert, your week vacay can

quickly undo (and more!) all the

accomplishments you’ve achieved

over the past few months.

How to handle:Decide upfront whether you’re going

to continue to work on losing weight

while on vacation, or try to maintain and

jump back into weight-loss mode when

you’re back home. Talk to your Real

Appeal coach to figure out what will best

work for you. Or, reach out to your Real

Appeal support buddies for strategies

they’ve used to lose or maintain when

going on vacation. It’s fine to hit the

pause button for a short period—a few

days to a week away of loosening up a

little won’t wreck all of your progress.

Either way, you can still do small things

to stay healthy while away from home.

For instance, before you choose your

vacation destination, do some research

to find a location that is walking-friendly.

Consider renting an apartment with a

kitchen (or at least book a hotel room

with a mini-fridge) so you can make

some meals yourself. And don’t forget

to pack your own snacks and meals for

travel day so you aren’t at the mercy of

airport or road stop food.

P.S.: Your body doesn’t

know it’s on vacation,

so it’s looking forward to

the same care you give it

on a regular basis.


SESSION 14

Office Parties

Does it ever feel like you do more

celebrating at work than you do actual

work? You don’t want to be rude when

everyone in the office gathers to mark a

birthday, promotion, work anniversary,

baby shower or other special occasion,

so you nosh a cupcake or have a slice

of cake with everyone. Unfortunately,

these events happen often and without

much notice, making it hard to stay in

the game.

How to handle:Set a guideline for yourself for treats

for the week, including how often and

how much you’ll have, and stick to it.

You don’t have to eat to show support

for a coworker—arrive with a giant smile

and a congratulatory hug and enjoy the

happy celebration sans sugary snack.

If there’s coffee or tea, you can always

sip a cup while you mingle so you have

something to keep your hands busy.

Office Candy Bowl

There it sits on your coworker’s desk,

looking all sweet and innocent. And yet

that candy dish can be a dish of doom.

Between trips to the restroom and stops

to drop off paperwork, you find yourself

reaching into that bowl several times a

day. These “negligible” nibbles can add

up quickly if you’re not careful.

How to handle:Carry your water bottle with you when

you leave your desk—this not only keeps

you hydrated, but makes it much easier

to skip the mindless goodie-grabbing.

Keep a few pieces of fruit on your own

desk; it serves as a handy reminder to

reach for healthy snacks. If the treat jar

is not on a coworker’s desk, but in a

public spot, like the reception area or

the break room, consider talking to the

office manager about replacing it with

fruit or removing it completely.

SESSION 14

Roadside TemptationsYour regular routes around town are

lined with convenience stores and fast

food joints. It’s so easy to pop in and

pick up a quick snack or meal, yet doing

so can lead to guilt-laden goodies that

aren’t very plan friendly.

How to handle:Be sure to have a nutritious meal or

snack before leaving the house or

office. Or, if it’s not quite time to eat,

bring a pre-packed snack from home

like air-popped popcorn, apple slices or

string cheese, so you have something

delicious and healthy when the time is

right. The last thing you want to do is

get stuck passing a roadside quickie

mart when hunger is at its peak. Better

yet, if you can find a route with less

temptation, go for it!

Holidays

Extra pounds—it’s the one holiday “gift”

you can’t return! Festive fare, food-

pushing family members and calorie-

laden cocktails may feed your holiday

spirit, but they certainly won’t help

your weight-loss efforts. And when you

consider there’s at least one holiday

each month worth celebrating (don’t

believe us? Simply Google April Fool’s

Day recipes!), you can’t afford to throw

all your healthy habits out with the

discarded wrapping paper whenever

one rolls around.

How to handle:Again, devise a plan for eating

occasions (meals and snacks) and

exercise going into the holidays so that

even though you might indulge once

or twice at a party or skip a workout,

the majority of your choices are still

pushing you towards your health and

weight goals. Don’t let black and white

thinking—for instance, you’re either

“on” or “off” a diet, with no in-between

or gray area—hold you back from

reaching your goals. Remind yourself

that it’s a holiday. Allow yourself a treat

to celebrate, but be mindful to not layer

treat upon treat for days on end.

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SESSION 14

Vacation Weight Gain RxY ou get back from your vacation,

step on the scale with dread, and

see that yes, you did gain a few pounds.

There’s one souvenir you did not want

to bring home! There’s no need to panic.

Instead, follow the vacation “recovery”

prescription below.

3 Add extra activityIf you’re used to doing 30

minutes of activity per day, plan to do

20 to 50 percent more for at least two

to three days to help jump-start your

weight loss again.

4 Figure out what went wrong

In an effort to prevent a gain on the

next vacation, reflect on what you think

went wrong this time around. Did you

not have a good enough plan going

in? Were you TOO strict with yourself,

thinking you would lose weight, but that

eventually backfired and you went way

too far overboard? Taking time to think

about your slip-ups will help avoid them

in the future, giving you even more time

to enjoy that relaxing vacation!

1 Get back on track right away

Don’t wait a couple days or longer

because you feel you “already blew

it.” The sooner you start tracking your

meals and following your pre-vacation

plan again, the quicker you’ll take the

weight off.

2 Talk to your Real Appeal Coach

Recruit your coach to help come up

with the best strategies to get you back

on track. The two of you can home in

on what exactly it is you need to do

to get the scale moving in the right

direction again.

tipreal fix

Personal injury or illness

Legal

troubles

Major League Curve BallsC urve balls come in all shapes and

sizes, from minor ones, like a missed

workout, to more major ones, such as

an illness in the family or marital trouble.

If you’re experiencing any of the more

common big league stressors below, or

anything else that is stressing you out more

than normal, you can always talk to your

Real Appeal coach or refer back to session

8 for stress management strategies. Divorce

Marriage

Top Stressors

• Death of a spouse

• Divorce

• Marital separation

• Legal troubles

• Death of a close family member

• Personal injury or illness

• Marriage

• Loss of a job

• Marital reconciliation

• Retirement

Retirement

REAL APPEAL | VOLUME TWO 99


SESSION 14

I’ll handle life’s curve balls without getting thrown off my game

Commitment Contract I can stick to my eating and exercise plan while enjoying holidays, weekends, vacations, office parties and other special occasions.

I’ll learn how to enjoy these celebrations to the fullest while still

following the path to my health and weight-loss goals.

I’ll use the basic planning principles, including scheduling my meals, snacks, and exercise into my weeks like any other important appointments as well as relying on my confidence and effective game-plan strategies, such as removing myself from temptation whenever possible.

I’ll review the examples of potential curve balls and brainstorm ways that I can continue to stick to my exercise and eating routine. I’ll come up with specific goals for each occasion—for instance, Office Holiday Party: I’ll limit my eggnog at the party to 1/2 cup and will skip dessert.

I will determine whether I plan to continue to lose weight or simply maintain my weight before embarking on vacations.

My signature: ______________________________

I will work to change my mindset so I start to equate fun with activity, healthy food and feeling good.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue my other healthy habits (weighing in, tracking, eating meals from the Real Foods Nutrition Guide, staying within my calorie range) to the best of my ability.

CURVE BALL AHEAD! MY PLAN

Documents

Stay in the Game While Navigating Life’s Curve Balls REAL APPEAL | VOLUME TWO REAL APPEAL | VOLUME TWO 87 14 Stay in the Game While Navigating Life’s Curve Balls Learn how to handle