How to Eat Low Carb When Your Family Doesn’t?

Low carbohydrate ways of eating have grown increasingly popular in recent years. Despite this, there’s still a good chance that your family and friends won’t always eat the same way as you do if you’re following this lifestyle.

1. Identify Your Challenges

Breaking old habits and making healthy lifestyle changes can be difficult enough without adding unsupportive family, friends, or housemates to the mix. You can make it easier though, by knowing what specifically you find most challenging. 

Spend some time reflecting on what has triggered lapses in the past, whether it be work stress, family troubles, boredom, or something else entirely. Do you want to grab the first thing you see in the kitchen after a long day at work? Have trouble asking for something different when your friends decide to go out for pizza? What you find challenging is individual to you, but it’s helpful to know what it is. 

2. Form New Habits

One of the hardest parts in sustaining a lifestyle change is breaking unhealthy habits that you may have had for decades. This can be even harder when those habits involve other people, like getting popcorn at the movies with your kids, or a special dessert you always share with your spouse on your anniversary. 

Write out a list of the habits and behaviors you think are holding you back from your goals. Are there healthier versions of them? For example, if you’re used to making pizza on Friday nights, you could experiment with a low carb version for everyone or do a “build your own” pizza bar, with options that fit everyone’s tastes.

3. Outsource Support

Having a support network is important to maintaining healthy lifestyle changes. If your immediate family, friends, or housemates don’t agree with your choices or even actively attempt to sabotage them, it can be even more difficult to maintain your new way of eating. 

If this is the case for you, try getting creative to find the support you need where you can. An online or offline community of like-minded peers can be beneficial and offer practical insights on how to make your new lifestyle work in the long term. Health coaching can also be beneficial by providing impartial insights and feedback.