Tomorrow, one of the biggest social events of the year is happening – the Melbourne Cup! Cue the champagne, loooong lunches and indulgent foods….nNow, if you are trying to stay healthy and on track to achieving your goals, Melbourne Cup lunches can be a bit tricky to navigate. So, how do you keep motivated when temptation is all around you? Here’s some of our top tips:n1. Eat before you head out for lunch. Bringing your own pre-prepared food will ensure that you are satisfied on lots of good stuff before you head out for lunch (and before the alcoholic beverages commence!) so you are less likely to over-indulge. 2. Drive, don’t drink. When we drink, the alcohol is burnt off first – before anything else. The processes that normally break down food and burn fat are focused on burning the alcohol off instead. Any food that you may eat while you are drinking will be stored – not cool if you are trying to lose body fat. Now we are big believers in moderation, so of course we aren’t saying that you should never drink again, especially if it’s something you enjoy! All we are saying is that if your main focus is to get leaner, then offer to be a designated driver – it’s a really good reason to say “no” when your colleague offers you another glass of champagne. 3. Find an accountability buddy! I don’t know about you, but I find it so much easier to workout when I have someone to workout with, so why not do it with your food, too? Find someone who may be on the same page as you and offer to stick together for the afternoon, or make a pact with one of your gym buddies/friends/MP crew. It’s amazing what we will do for other people, so use that positive pressure to help you! 4. Don’t beat yourself up! If you do go a little overboard on the champers or the food, don’t spend the rest of the week feeling guilty. Accept that it’s happened and get back on track tomorrow night or Wednesday morning at the latest. The sooner you can put nutritious food back into your body, the better you will feel and remember, you don’t put a whole heap of weight on overnight, so it’s going to take more than an afternoon to completely derail your progress. They key is to get back on track asap! Do you have any other tips for Melbourne Cup survival that you can share with us? For more tips and strategies for how to make progress on your goals, regardless of the situation, check out our Online Nutrition program! It’s a completely holistic program, designed to take the guess work out of body transformation. Work out what’s been holding you back and create your own personalised program to create a body you can be proud of! Get started now and save $300!