So you’ve started the year off strong. You decided that the jellification of your mid-rift was simply not going to cut it anymore. (not sure if there is even such a word, but bear with me) – So you hopped online, ran a couple of Google searches, with the search-term “ripped, abs, vascular and maybe lean” all appearing on the same search line… And somehow you arrived at the Thorfit course and now you find yourself in what he calls an insulin re-set phase. The past 2 weeks have not been fun as your body has started its transition from your previously sugar addicted Insulin Resistant state, to one where you’re starting to feel mysteriously alert and your energy reserves are beginning to return and you’re beginning to feel good about your progress to boot. 

Then, out of the blue, disaster strikes. You’ve been invited to a restaurant … 

Cold sweat begins to run down your back as you’re already negotiating with the devil… Do I just drop the whole dieting thing and “live a little” – but then it’s all this “living a little” that has gotten me to where I am in the first place , and I was just starting to make some progress.

How can I go out to a restaurant or bar without dropping the ball when it comes to my eating plan? 

As your coach and protector of your waistline, I have the following advice to offer: 

In the food department, see whichever eating establishment you frequent, as just another chance to feed your body. 

If you’re still on the Insulin re-set part of the journey, steer away from carbs. This will give you leeway to go for a great and juicy protein source. If it’s the Duck L’orange you want, enjoy with a clear conscience. If you’re after the steak and want an egg on top of it, be my guest. Be sure to have some greens with this, as these provide the transport for your proteins. 

If you’re unsure about what they put into the sauces, then opt for basic olive oil. 

Sometimes the mark of a great restaurant lies more in how well they can prepare the simple dishes, allowing the subtle flavours to come to the fore, over drowning whatever poor fowl in a sauce that sounds like it was invented during the Napoleonic wars… 

I can hear a chorus of concerned thoughts..

“Yeah, but what about the booze tray?”

– The best advice here, is that you’ve earned yourself a little reprieve from the week’s “drakonian” menu, so have a drink. If you’re looking to make good on your eating plan, then steer away from beer please. (Yeah, the beer belly is a thing, and possibly the reason you clocked into this course in the first place)  Then next culprit to try and avoid, is white wine and bubbly, for all its sugar.  – If your teenage daughter just became a Doctor, then please do have the bubbly… in fact, have the bottle and be sure to Uber home. 

Red wine tastes great with red meat and at least has a few health benefits of reservatrol and if you’re on a Tinder date, at least you can talk about the terroir and the hint of dark cherry whilst leering at your date seductively over the rim of the glass. 

(Just sure it’s not the cheap house wine you ordered) 

You will find that the leanest drinkers will have one of either Tequila, Whiskey or Vodka.

You can literally choose your poison in this department. Avoid cocktails that are mixed with high sugar content. Remember “White Mischief” featuring a bunch of colonialists slurping down gallons of G&T’s ?! – Unless you’re expecting to sleep naked outdoors and are looking for the quinine to keep the mosquitoes at bay, I’d avoid this. – Too much sugar. 

Go easy on the Tequila, unless you don’t mind waking up in new places, with new tattoo’s and maybe a tiger in the bathroom. At the very least, your abs will still be showing, because it’s one of the leanest drinks to have. 

All said and done, from a purely dieting perspective, know that you’re having sugar. You can mitigate this influx of insulin, by cutting out the starch from your food. It’s not a bad idea to have some food in your tummy before you turn to Senior Don Julio.

Try to alternate a drink with a glass of water before you slam the next one down. If you can stick to this, you’ll feel a whole lot better in the morning and you’ll have found the golden middle where you’ve had some fun, but not completely whiplashed into calories, sugar, bad choices and self-loathing. In your build-up to your night out, avoid all carbs and sugars. There will be plenty of those in the drinks you have. 

Wishing you a super weekend….

and self-loathing. Wishing you a super weekend….