Can I Lose Weight And Have A Social Life?

3 Tips for Making Healthy Choices in Social Settings

As someone who has lost over 60 pounds and kept it off for over 12 years now, today I feel very blessed to work with people all over the world helping them to achieve their weight loss goals, without dieting or deprivation.

As a weight loss expert, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “What should I eat and drink when I’m out at social events?”

• Is this something that you struggle with too?
• Would you like to know how you can still be social, and lose weight at the same time?
• Have you ever wondered what you should do when you attend a work function or family gathering?

If so, then in this article, are my 3 top tips to help you lose weight naturally, even whilst attending numerous parties, work events and family gatherings. 

Tip #1: Mental Preparation.
At social events, it is important to mentally prepare yourself beforehand, so that once you are at the event, you can stay focused on achieving your health goals. As someone who is on a health mission, you may have very different priorities than most people at the party. Once there, remind yourself of this frequently!

Before the event, and whilst you are there, mentally ‘coach yourself.’ Reconnect back to your ‘bigger’ goals: remind yourself what you most desire.

You want to get strong

You want to lose weight

You want to feel healthy

You want to heal your body

You want to get your body back into balance

You want to feel good again

If you mentally prepare yourself beforehand, making empowering healthy choices will be easy. Even better, you will leave the party feeling proud of yourself. 

Tip #2: Think Addition, Not Deprivation.

Adopt the mindset of addition, never deprivation… 

Deprivation is the old-school way of losing weight. Plus, as Jon Gabriel and I share, it just doesn’t work over the long term (it can even do more harm than good!). As you start adding nutritious foods and drinks that nourish your body, it makes sense to also substitute real foods for fake foods wherever possible.

At social events, you will most likely come face to face with your ‘nemesis’ food; whatever that might be for you:

• Cookies
• Cake
• Fluffy white bread, margarine
• Crisps and chips
• Burger and chips
• Cheesy pizzas
• Cocktail sausages
• Artificial fizzy drinks…

The list of fake ‘party’ foods goes on… But remember, these are man-made foods, they are not real food. 

Remind yourself that your beautiful body does not even recognize these ingredients. They are not food you want to eat or put in your body. Eating these foods will certainly not help you lose weight. Eating these foods can make you gain weight…

Instead, try adding these real foods into your body…

• Juicy watermelon chunks
• Juicy pineapple chunks
• Platter of Veggie dippers
• Guacamole, hummous and dips
• Big colourful salads
• Mixture of different grilled vegetables, flavoured with tasty dressings, herbs and lemon juice
• Grated carrot or beetroot
• Grilled fish, grilled chicken or grilled zucchini
• Stuffed red peppers
• Grilled tomatoes
• Chocolate mousse made with avocado and coconut

If you know that you are going to a family gathering where the food/drinks are not healthy, if possible, take your own!
Who knows, you might even inspire your friends to eat real food as well! 
Add into your life – including your social life- foods that your body knows and recognizes.
Most importantly, keep choosing foods that will help you effortlessly achieve your health and weight loss dreams. 

Tip #3: Healthy Alternatives to Alcohol

At social events, instead of not drinking at all, try delicious non-alcoholic drink alternatives made from real food. Besides the damaging and dehydrating effects of drinking too much alcohol, it negatively influences your decision-making process, which will make it more challenging to stay committed to your health goals! 

Along with alcohol, substitute any ‘juice’ from a box or can, even if they say ‘natural’. These kind of juices and drinks are very disruptive to your body’s delicate internal chemistry, and disastrous for your weight and waistline.

They are made with high corn fructose syrup or refined sugars, along with artificial additives, colourings, flavourings and preservatives. They are made in a science lab and are a chemical concoction that is horrendous and damaging for your immune system, your brain, and your digestive system.

Here is an easy way to substitute these fizzy, sugary or alcoholic drinks for healthier alternatives instead

Start with the most gorgeous glass jug you can find. ¾ fill it with mineral, still or soda water. Add in generous amounts of freshly squeezed lemon, lime, pineapple, or orange juice. Then add in chunks of cucumber, pineapple or melon. Lemon and lime wedges are great too if desired.

Other ideas are pomegranate seeds, cherry halves, pieces of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries… Let your imagination play!

Finish your drink with sprigs of fresh basil or mint. Drink immediately or leave to infuse. 
Serve in beautiful cocktail glasses of your choice.

These drinks looks amazing when served and are a party winner every time. They are very refreshing, especially when you squeeze the wedges to flavor it with fresh lemon or lime juice. Simply delicious!


If you are at a restaurant or bar, try ordering a large mineral water served with a generous wedge of lemon or lime in a tall glass.

Ask if they have any fresh non-alcholic alternatives. Perhaps a fresh berry smoothie. Or could they do you a freshly squeezed apple and ginger juice. Or a refreshing cucumber and mint juice in a tall glass with a straw. YUM!

If the places you currently frequent don’t serve these types of drinks, maybe it’s time for you to start looking for cafes, bars and restaurants that do serve healthy options…

Yes… You Can Lose Weight and Still Be Social

Losing weight is about taking charge of your life. Make the decision to go after your health and weight loss dreams and you can attend any party under the sun and still not want to put fake food in your body. 

Create the mindset for success and use the power of substitution to make healthy choices for yourself.
Eating real food is an active act of self-love and nourishing yourself from within.

Have fun with substituting and adding in healthy foods to your life.
Play and experiment with different ideas and food choices and over time, you’ll learn how to find healthy foods and drinks that are far superior to fake ones that truly align with your health goals.
And remember, you can do this. 

* On a side-note, many people drink alcohol to deal with ‘social anxiety’. If social anxiety is a problem for you, I suggest you check out other healing modalities such as emotional freedom technique (EFT) or tapping. 

I hope that you find this blog post helpful on your healing journey…

Source: The Gabriel Method