#47: Eating in Social Settings

Hey Friends,

Happy Sunday! Sorry I missed sending a newsletter last week, had a pretty busy weekend.

This week, I’m talking about something that becomes a lot more relevant as summer rolls around: social eating.

My goal is to equip you with a couple of strategies that you can utilize to avoid going completely off plan when you are eating in an environment where there are likely to be unhealthy options that don’t necessarily align with your goals.

Weekly Action Point

🥕 Introduce a vegetable this week that you don’t usually eat 🥕 

I believe that having a variety of vegetables is beneficial for getting all the micronutrients your body needs.

Now, if you are someone who doesn’t eat vegetables, this is a great week to start.

But hopefully, you are already eating some vegetables. So I want you to pick a veggie that isn’t in your normal rotation.

If you always eat broccoli, consider opting for some carrots instead. Or if you always do green beans, maybe try out some cauliflower. You get the idea.

Mix in a veggie that you don’t eat as often. I mixed in green beans for my meal preps this week, and honestly, haven’t purchased green beans in months.

Social Eating Strategies

For me, summer is the time of the year when it’s hardest to stick to my meal plan.

There are BBQ events, eating on a boat, going up to a cabin, and more weekend travel with friends/family.

Put simply, there are far more events and opportunities for me to be eating things that don’t align with my goals.

Rarely are ground beef, sweet potato, and asparagus served in a social setting... It’s common to see a bunch of bars, cookies, and other sweets in social settings. There’s also almost always some sort of chips/crackers with dips that are extremely easy to overeat if you aren’t mindful about it.

But, the good news is that you can enjoy all of these foods in moderation without feeling guilty about it; you just need to be aware of a couple of strategies that will help you out.

1. The “one plate” rule

The first strategy to avoid hugely overeating in a social setting is following the “one plate” rule. Fill up one plate with food, enjoy it, and then don’t keep going back up to the food table for more.

At every event where food is a component of the social dynamic, it always feels like there are huge amounts of food. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean you need to eat three plates full.

2. Eat your protein first

Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it makes you feel fuller than carbs or fats.

When you get your plate of food, eat your protein source first. So, for example, if there is some sort of meat, eat it before the mac and cheese, cheesy potatoes, dessert, or other side dishes higher in fats/carbs.

3. Engage in a good conversation while you eat

The main attraction of a social event should be the people, not the food. Engaging in conversation while eating helps you to slow down your eating and prevents you from mindlessly overeating.

By being mindful of your interactions with other people at the event, you likely will feel more satisfied and eat less.

4. Plan around it

If you know that you are going to be eating a larger dinner with a group of people, adapt how you are eating throughout the day.

I’m not saying you should starve yourself in the first half of the day.

But generally, you’ll have no problem getting your fats and carbs in during a social event. Maybe earlier in the day, you prioritize protein while minimizing carbs and fats. (btw, awesome opportunity to go back and reread newsletter #14: The Basics of Macronutrients)

For example, my normal breakfast is eggs, egg whites, and oatmeal w/ peanut butter and honey. If I know I’m eating in a social setting later, I’ll just cut out the oatmeal and peanut butter with breakfast, knowing the carbs and fats will come later.

5. Avoid showing up starving

Showing up to a social event starving is setting yourself up for failure.

Before you show up, maybe have something light and high in protein, like some tuna, cottage cheese, or turkey.

If you show up completely starving, you are far more likely to go way overboard on how much you eat at the event.

6. Eat the foods you genuinely enjoy

Ever been to a social event where you ate something just to be polite, but didn’t necessarily love it?

Well, no need to do that.

Pick the foods from the table that you genuinely love and enjoy eating.

I’m not saying you should be rude. If someone puts a bunch of time into making something and wants you to try it, obviously, you should give it a try.

What I’m talking about here is when there is just a bunch of food out on the table. You don’t need to try everything that’s out there; just select the foods you know that you enjoy and love.

7. Avoid the “I’ll eat whatever and get back on plan tomorrow” mentality

You can eat in a social setting without completely going away from your fitness goals. Avoid just saying “screw it” and eating anything and everything (a personal challenge for me in social settings).

You can be mindful and aware of what you are eating while still enjoying the food.

Completely disregarding your fitness goals and the work you put in just because you’re in a social setting seems silly to me.

Ben’s Best

Here’s a fun recipe idea for the week. Not a meal prep, more of a way to satisfy a sweet tooth. This is the coach that I’ve been working with since the beginning of 2025, so you should give him a follow because he has great info :)

quinton_pulliam

458K followers

View more on Instagram

That’s all I have for you guys this week.

Remember that you are doing awesome.

Ben