{ "version": "1.0.0", "segments": [ { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "0.79999995", "endTime": "33.31", "body": "Welcome to the Nutritionist UK Coaching Podcast, your exclusive audio space designed to make this process easier, clearer, and more effective for you. Inside, you'll find bite sized guidance, walkthroughs of key resources, and relevant insights that cut through the noise to help you take action without needing to sit down and read through everything. Whether you're walking, cooking, or on the school run, this is here to keep you consistent, informed, and moving forward. Let's get into it." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "33.31", "endTime": "75.225", "body": "And welcome to another episode of I was gonna say no forking nonsense out, but this isn't no forking nonsense. This is us on the client feed, hanging out together, so we can all chill out a little bit. Now this podcast is about a topic which has come up a lot recently, and if it hasn't impacted you recently, then I'm sure it will in future. And it is how to eat at events, whether that is birthday parties, kids parties, dinners at friends, hotel buffets, work functions, weddings from the gatherings, whatever. So we've all been there, the situations where you have zero control, basically." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "76.025", "endTime": "117.92", "body": "Everyone's watching what you eat, and the only other option seems to be either eating everything or sitting there with nothing. So we're going to talk about how to navigate those events without feeling that you've got to be an outcast, bringing your own packed lunch when that's not an option, and without hopefully causing too much anxiety. So the first thing we have to do is establish why these events feel really difficult. And it isn't just about the food, it's about the unstructuredness of them. Because obviously in those scenarios, you don't choose menus, you don't cook food, you can't necessarily log it well, and you don't actually know what's in it." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "117.92", "endTime": "151.73", "body": "And if you're someone who's obviously on plan, then this lack of control can be quite tricky to navigate. But there's also social pressures of like, you know, if you've friends and family, I know I've certainly got a client whose family, close family, siblings aren't supportive, you know, and people saying, go on, have another, have a slice of cake, live a little, it won't hurt you. You're on a diet, everyone's got an opinion on what you should be eating. Obviously, if you say no, it could feel a bit awkward. But events are also tied to celebration, right?" }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "151.73", "endTime": "185.92502", "body": "So, family traditions, nostalgia, it's about the connection, it's the comfort, and saying no to your nan's cake is, you know, it's hard saying no to Grem. But also, there's that kind of all or nothing thinking, right? You think, well, I've already had two sausage rolls in the size of cake, I might as well just eat everything now and then just restart. And that can be what happens, and then you feel like shit, and then you probably restrict all week, and then the next event happens, and it's like repeats. That's why it kind of feels impossible." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "186.565", "endTime": "206.03", "body": "But what we're going to do is we're going address all that. And before we talk about what to eat, we need to talk about, I guess, how to approach and how to think about these events. Because I've said to you before, one meal isn't going to be range of progress. So not one buffet, not a birthday cake, not a three course dinner at your mate's house. What ruins progress is what you do after." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "206.18999", "endTime": "231.93001", "body": "And if you eat a big meal at an event, and then you get straight back on track as soon as possible, nothing happens. Your weight will probably fluctuate a bit. We spoke about water retention before food volume, but it's very unlikely to be fat. If you eat a big meal at an event and then think, Oh fuck it, I've earned it, and spend the next three days just chowing down or just avoiding me, then that's how you fall off. So the first rule is to see it as one event." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "231.93001", "endTime": "249.09502", "body": "And the second rule, or mindset shift, is you don't have to eat perfectly at these events. We just have to try and control the environment. Don't let it control us. And you are obviously allowed to enjoy yourself. You're allowed cake, you're allowed to have a psychedelic, but it's about the kind of damage and limitation." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "249.735", "endTime": "277.16498", "body": "Eat, enjoy yourself, don't go absolutely mental, and just make sure that you get back on it as soon as possible. And that really is like how we want to approach these things when we don't have control. So the other thing that we want to do is like, how do we approach it? So initially, before an event, you don't want to starve yourself, and this is the biggest mistake people make. So you're going to a party tonight, people often skip breakfast or maybe lunch and try and save all the calories." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "277.16498", "endTime": "305.945", "body": "But what happens if you arrive hungry is your blood sugar is obviously lowered, and you're probably going to find that your willpower is on the floor as well. There's like a buffet with 47 different options, so you end up eating more than you wanted to. And you end up not being able to control yourself, because you're physically too hungry to make a rational decision. So instead, try and eat as normally as possible. Have breakfast, have lunch, maybe make them a little bit lighter than usual." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "306.42502", "endTime": "329.245", "body": "And I'm talking like 400 calories instead of 600 calories, but don't skip them because we want to arrive at the event not starving. And this alone will probably save you from over a thousand plus calories. Always consider what you're going do, so decide are you going to drink alcohol, if so how many, commit to it. Am I going to have dessert, if I am, what am I going to have? Am I going to go back for seconds?" }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "329.245", "endTime": "360.425", "body": "You don't have to stick to that perfectly, but having a plan means that you're making decisions before you're put in that environment, not during it when your brain is already in ting mode. And obviously, it goes without saying, eat enough protein, especially before you go, and if it's a long event. So if you're going to a conference or a day long event where food might be sporadic, have a high protein snack before you leave. Ensure So you're getting your breakfast in, ensure you get some lunch in if you can. Grab some form of protein that's twenty-thirty grams." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "360.425", "endTime": "389.795", "body": "This will keep you full, it will stabilise your blood sugars, and it will stop you demolishing the biscuits that are on offer. At the event, we want to build our plate. So, there's food everywhere, what do you actually eat? The best case scenario is a buffet with lots of options. So if it has a decent selection, scan the whole buffet, don't just grab the first thing you see, walk the whole lamb, see what's available, and then make your plan, because this will stop you loading up on mediocre food and then seeing something better in the end." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "389.875", "endTime": "421.73", "body": "Build your plate in the following way: half the plate of protein: meat, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, maybe even cheese. Whatever protein is available, prioritise it, because we know protein keeps us full, it'll stop you going back for seconds and thirds, and it helps you recover from whatever training you might do. It's almost, almost, it's also the most important thing on your plate. The core of the plate is your carbohydrates, so rice potatoes, maybe a bit of bread, whatever carbs are available. You're not on keto, so carbs are fine." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "421.73", "endTime": "441.795", "body": "Just don't make them the main event on your plate. Just have a quarter. And then the rest of your page, just throw as much veg in salad as you can get on there. Even if the veg is in a little bit of oil or covered in a bit of cheese, it's fine because fiber is going to help with digestion, especially if you're eating a big meal. And just eat slowly." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "441.875", "endTime": "472.785", "body": "So put your thought down between bites, have a conversation because I've said to you before, it can take your brain fifteen-twenty minutes to even register that you've eaten. So if you eat fast, you'll probably finish your pain and still feel hungry because your body doesn't even know you've eaten. So you'll go back for seconds even though you probably don't need it. So eat slowly, give your brain time to catch up, wait fifteen minutes, and then maybe if you're really hungry, then you can go back for more. Maybe even have a drink, have a conversation, go to the toilet, just wait." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "473.185", "endTime": "496.57498", "body": "You're still genuinely hungry after fifteen minutes, then go back. Most of the time you won't be. You'll realise that you're actually just going back seconds for the sake of it. Worst case scenario, so if there's limited options, it's all shite. So, kids birthday party, my mum's beige buffets, conference lunch, hotel breakfast, continental buffet with just pastries and cereal." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "497.13498", "endTime": "516.95", "body": "Eat what's there but less of it. So if the only option is pizza and cake, have pizza and cake, just don't have four slices of pizza and then three slices of cake. Just know that probably it's not going to fill you up and it's probably not going to ensure that you're satisfying the hunger. Have two slices of beetle and one slice of cake. You're not gonna eat perfectly." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "516.95", "endTime": "534.185", "body": "That's fine. Just don't go off the rail. Ideally, you bring your own snacks. If you know the food's gonna be terrible, conferences are notorious for this, then bring your own. Protein bars, nuts, Greek yogurt pots, pouches, boiled eggs, ready to drink protein shakes, a wrap." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "534.185", "endTime": "553.77496", "body": "I did this. Was at a conference in the week, and I just packed myself a wrap, some protein bar, because I knew the food wasn't going to be great. The other thing is eat before and after. If the event is short, like a kid's birthday party or a quick work function, just eat a proper meal before or after. Have a small portion of what's there, be polite, and then eat properly when you get home." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "553.77496", "endTime": "572.55", "body": "You don't have to eat a full meal at every event. I want to go through now specific scenarios. So, a conference lunch with sandwiches, crisps and pastries. Pick the sandwich with the most proteins, chicken, tuna, egg, not just the cheese. Skip the crisps because they're not filling, they're just extra calories." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "572.70996", "endTime": "585.795", "body": "Have the pastry if you really need to, but only if you actually feel like you want it, not just because it's there. Bring some source of protein. It's so easy to do that these days. Ten years ago, we would have struggled. These days, it's a piece of piss of those foods." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "585.95496", "endTime": "605.04", "body": "The best choice would be a chicken sandwich, skip the crisps, and have some fruit, if it's available. Worst choice, cheese sandwich, crisps, a pastry and a can and go. Scenario two, kids birthday party, pizza crisps, sweets cake. What to do? Eat before you go, don't arrive starving, have two slices of pizza mert, skip the crisps and sweets, they're for the kids." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "605.795", "endTime": "620.26", "body": "Have one slice of cake if you want it. Drink water or diet drinks. We don't go for the full sugar juice. So the best choice in that scenario, two slices of pizza, one slice of cake and some water. The worst choice, four slices of pizza, Crisp, sweet, scade, full sugar drinks." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "620.26", "endTime": "627.46", "body": "Eat it like a child. Dinner at your friend's house. So what to do? Eat a normal breakfast and lunch. Don't save for calories." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "627.54", "endTime": "641.015", "body": "Have one reasonable plate of whatever they've cooked. Be polite. Say yes to seconds if you genuinely are hungry and you've left it fifteen minutes, but not just to be polite. Have dessert if you want it, but you don't have to just because they offer it. I actually have a conversation." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "641.015", "endTime": "652.45996", "body": "You've also got the ammunition, so I'm working with the nutritionist. Like, I work with nutritionists. I'm actually I'm rarely hungry these days because I eat so well throughout the week. Job done. I've invested in a nutritionist." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "652.45996", "endTime": "660.10504", "body": "Like, that's usually enough. And it's okay, by the way. So this is amazing. And I've really enjoyed this. But I'm actually I'm really happy." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "660.10504", "endTime": "671.22504", "body": "I said this at Christmas. I'm really happy. I don't want to eat more because I'll just spoil it. You know, that's fine. So best choice is one balanced plate, maybe a small dessert if you really want it." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "671.22504", "endTime": "682.8", "body": "Worst case is three plates plus dessert because you don't want to offend them. Don't do that. Hotel breakfast buffet. So don't treat it like an all you can eat buffet. Build one good plate." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "682.8", "endTime": "699.825", "body": "Eggs, bacon, beans, mushrooms, tomato, fruit. I've said before, when it comes to breakfast buffets, have eggs, have yoghurt, have fruit. You can't go wrong. Skip the pastries because the pastries are always shit. Remember, everyone has breakfast in the hotel, so they usually don't have the best foods at breakfast." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "699.825", "endTime": "717.24", "body": "Have a coffee, not a massive sugary latte in the muffin. Best choice: eggs, yoghurt, fruit, anything egg based. Beans are great, and a black coffee. I mean, you can have a white coffee. Worst choice would be two croissants, pancakes with syrup, waffles, pastries, full sugar juice, latte." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "718.795", "endTime": "731.195", "body": "Next scenario is work function with drinks and canopies. Eat a proper meal before you go, that's what I want you to do. Canopies are not a meal. If you're drinking, alternate alcohol with water. One pint, one water, one pint, one water." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "731.195", "endTime": "743.64996", "body": "Have the canopies, but be selective. Pick the ones with protein, prawns, chicken, skewers, not the pastries and cheese. Set a drink limit before you arrive, e. G. I'm having three drinks max." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "743.73", "endTime": "768.02", "body": "So the best choice is three drinks, protein based canopies, and eat your meal before. Worst case, eight drinks, demolish everything, skip dinner entirely. Alcoholic events. So we spoke about alcohol in previous pods, but alcohol is where people obviously derail at events because, it's not just the calories itself, but it's because what alcohol does is your decision making. Because you'll have a couple of drinks, you feel good, and you stop caring about, your inhibitions fall off." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "768.18", "endTime": "811.895", "body": "You eat everything, you have more drinks, you eat more, you wake up the next day, you've eaten 5,000 calories and you feel like shit. So set a limit before you arrive, decide what drinks you're having before you start drinking, because once you've had two, your brain will say, Ah, fuck it, let's have another. Alternate with water, and they're really empowering about saying I'm having two and actually having two. One alcoholic drink, one water and repeat because this will slow you down, will keep you hydrated and will start you getting drunk as well and then eating everything. Choose lower calorie options, so spirits with diet mixes, dry white wine, beer, like standard lager, so it's about 200 calories a pint, dry white is about 130, spirits are mixed for about 60 calories." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "811.895", "endTime": "829.65497", "body": "Avoid cocktails, they could be 500 calories. Sweet wines are also about 500 calories. Craft beers and IPAs can be 300 calories plus. Eat before you drink. Don't drink on an empty stomach, not least because obviously you get drunk quicker and then your inhibitions fall, but also you will find yourself having a headache the next day." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "829.65497", "endTime": "854.055", "body": "Doesn't matter how hydrated you are, because eating will slow the absorption of the alcohol, stop you getting drunk too fast and will stop you eating rubbish. After the event. So once the event is done, and you ate more than planned in this scenario, maybe you drank more than planned, maybe you had three slices of cake, this is what you have to do. Get back to on track immediately. Not Monday, not next week, the next day." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "854.055", "endTime": "870.35", "body": "Have your normal breakfast, have your normal lunch, have your normal dinner. Don't try and make up for it, because that will just trigger that binge and restrict cycle. Just eat normally. Drink water. You are going to be retaining water from sodium, carbohydrates, alcohol, so drink two-three litres of water the next day." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "870.35", "endTime": "883.345", "body": "Help flush it out. And move. Go for a walk, hit the gym, do something active, not to burn anything off. Just feel better and get back in your routine and take control. Also, reflect on what went well and what didn't." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "883.745", "endTime": "904.27997", "body": "What would you do differently? And just don't beat yourself up, but reflect just to make sure you don't repeat the same mistake. The must avoid, don't restrict your next day, don't write off the whole week, don't obsess over it, you ate it, it's done, move on. Don't spend three days and analysing every single thing you did. Don't avoid the scale." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "904.27997", "endTime": "917.815", "body": "Some of you do that and think it's really unhealthy. We weigh ourselves every day. I wear to an eating disorders clinic. In the eating disorders clinic, we weigh them every day because we want them to learn about what happens to our weight. The number on the scale is the number on the scale." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "917.895", "endTime": "938.895", "body": "What's more important is the average. Weigh yourself consistently, face it, understand it and move on. Events are part of life. You're going to have birthdays, you're going have weddings, there's to be conferences, there's going be dinners, going to be parties. If your nutrition only is working around when you're in complete control, then it's not accurate." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "938.895", "endTime": "956.83", "body": "The goal is not to avoid the AIDS event. The goal is to learn how to navigate them. Some events you'll handle it perfectly, others you'll overeat, some you'll drink too much, some you'll eat cake and enjoy it without feeling guilty. That's fine, that's life. What matters is you don't let one event turn into a weeklong binge." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "956.91003", "endTime": "983.48004", "body": "You get back on track as soon as possible, you don't beat yourself up, you learn, you adjust. That's the skill that we're trying to build, not how to never eat this. It's about trying to work out where it fits, controlling the environment, still make rope. So I hope that made sense. Quick summary: before the event, eat normally, have a plan, eat protein before long events and prioritise protein." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "983.56", "endTime": "1009.67", "body": "At the event, scan the buffet before, build your plate half protein, half veg, the rest carbs. Eat slowly, put your fork down between bites, wait fifteen minutes before seconds, set a drink limit. Best case scenario, prioritize the protein, have reasonable portion of everything. Enjoy yourself, but don't go mad. Worst case scenario, eat what's there, but less of it." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "1009.67", "endTime": "1024.455", "body": "Bring your own snack. Eat a proper meal before and after. Then after the event, get back to normality. Drink as normal as possible, move your body, don't restrict, learn, move on. I hope that made sense." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "1024.455", "endTime": "1037.7799", "body": "Events don't need to derail your progress. We just need to eat normally, build a balance, play, eat slowly, set limits, and that's it. That's your strategy. You don't need to be perfect. You just need to, as I said, just control that environment." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "1038.18", "endTime": "1052.465", "body": "One event isn't gonna ruin your progress, but weeks of events will. So next time you're at conference, birthday party, wedding, buffet, build your play properly. Enjoy it. Just don't go mental. So hope that makes sense." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "1052.545", "endTime": "1063.8899", "body": "Any questions, let me know. At some point, I'll do a resource on this. We've got so many resources in the pipeline. But I just thought I'd do this podcast because it helps a lot of you, and it's already been asked for. Hope that made sense." }, { "speaker": "@paulthenutritionist", "startTime": "1063.8899", "endTime": "1064.45", "body": "I'll speak you soon." } ] }