March 2021

Here’s How to Make Healthy Choices on-the-Go!

Every day throws up countless situations where our food choices can go really well, or really sideways. The good news is that with a few simple strategies, you can tip the odds in your favour far more often than not.

Here's how to navigate four of the most common real-life scenarios and keep kicking your healthy lifestyle goals.

Scenario 1: The Busy Parent With Young Children

When you're constantly preparing food for little ones, it's all too easy to graze your way through the day; their need for snacks and meals feels never-ending!

The simplest fix: prepare their meals the way you'd prepare your own. Healthy eating starts young, and your choices shape your children's relationship with food for life. After WLS, you have a wonderful opportunity to influence the whole family's eating habits, and because bariatric-friendly food is really just good everyday food, there's no need to cook separate meals for "you" and "them." Kids thrive on protein-rich foods with healthy carbs too.

Winning strategies:

Remove the foods you struggle to say no to from the house entirely
Encourage kids to make their own snacks and lunches as they grow more independent, or prep cut-up veggies, dips and easy snacks in portioned containers
Involve them in planning and shopping - talk about why you choose different foods, and ask what they'd like that week
Sit down together for three main meals a day, and focus on the meal
Keep snacks protein-rich

Scenario 2: Shift Workers

There's no way around it; irregular or long hours take a toll if you're not vigilant about what you eat. Sleep deprivation and disrupted sleep patterns can leave you craving quick-hit carbs for a fast energy boost when you're running low.

Winning strategies:

Plan ahead and cook in advance - freeze meals in portions for the times you know will be busy
Batch-cook freezer-friendly meals like chilli con carne, bolognese or slow-cooker dishes for easy variety
Make a firm deal with yourself to skip the vending machine - nothing good comes from it
Regulate your sleep as much as you can, and get a good dose of daylight each day to help reset your body clock - better sleep means fewer cravings

Scenario 3: Desk-Bound Days

Many jobs involve long stretches of sitting, office workers, drivers, and anyone tied to a desk. When you're sedentary, your muscles aren't being used, you're burning less energy, and over time this can affect your metabolic rate and muscle tone.

The key is to match your food intake to your day. It won't be the same every day, and that's exactly the point.

On mostly sedentary days, stick to three small protein-rich meals with lighter servings of pasta and rice-based sides
On active days - say you walk to the gym, train, then walk to and from work - include some healthy carbs before and after activity to fuel your workout and support recovery

Eating the same way every day regardless of activity is where things come unstuck. Tailoring your intake to what your body's actually doing keeps everything in balance.

Scenario 4: Dining Out and Social Occasions

Food is social, it's how we connect with friends and family. But a busy social calendar can make it tricky to keep your health goals front of mind. Here are our go-to tips for enjoying the social side of food without the unwanted extras.

1. Set your own rules, and stick to them. Decide what's genuinely worth "spending" your energy and nutrition budget on. Personally, I won't waste mine on fried or battered foods or pastry; they look appealing, but I always feel uncomfortable afterward, so to me they're not worth it when I could spend my allowance on something that truly makes my heart sing.

2. Know your non-negotiables. Have a clear mental list of the foods you don't do, and the special ones that are worth it. Scan the menu and let your personal rules guide you. A few things to remember:

No one cares about your food choices as much as you think they do
Most people are far too focused on themselves to worry about what you're eating
It's your body and your choice - don't let well-meaning nudges ("oh come on, have some fun!") talk you out of your own decisions

3. Don't be shy about asking. If a dish ticks every box but comes with white pasta or mash, ask for a swap to sweet potato or to leave the starch off. Whatever lands on your plate tends to get eaten, so head that off before it arrives.

4. Track how you feel, not just the scales. If you like to monitor progress, a waist measurement every couple of weeks can offer gentle, useful feedback, and tends to be a kinder guide than the scales alone.

Most importantly: enjoy the company, the experience, and the treat of having someone else cook and clean up. When you stop fixating on the food itself, you win every time.

Making healthy choices on the go isn't about rigid perfection, it's about having a few simple strategies ready for the situations life throws at you. Master these, and staying on track becomes second nature.