The Tiki Lifestyle is going to be the death of me, unless I make some changes …
When I started my tiki blog back in 2016 I had no idea where it would take me. Anything could have happened! I could have written a couple posts and called it quits, but I kept going and the whole Tiki With Ray thing changed my life … actually Tiki With Ray became my life! I’ve met a ton of great people on this tiki journey and have visited many tiki bars, both commercial and home. If tiki friends from out of town come into Seattle, I meet up with them for drinks. It’s no exaggeration, I’m living the tiki lifestyle almost constantly and with each Zombie or Mai Tai that has gone down my gullet, my gut has gotten bigger.
I’ll start the diet tomorrow …
I’ve been saying this for way to long. It’s supposed to be a joke, but it’s time to take things seriously.
I never plan on eating poorly, it just happens. Believe it or not, I actually don’t drink that much. I don’t drink heavily, but I do drink often. Most nights, I may only have one or two tiki drinks and that’s about it. What’s really putting on the pounds is all the snacks consumed while drinking. You would not believe all the chips and salsa, tater tots, and fries that I’ve eaten over the last couple of years. Once I start eating any of these things, I can’t stop.
And this doesn’t include all the other bad eating choices I make on a daily basis. Let’s just leave it at that, and don’t even get me started on how much I love cake …
I ran into some tiki friends at the Devil’s Reef …
We ordered our tiki drinks, grabbed a booth and talked … for a long time. I don’t remember how, but we started talking about diet and health. My friends mentioned that they were on a low carb diet. Their story and situation was similar to mine, but they had to make some changes or some serious health problems were going to be inevitable. As I looked down at their tiki drinks, I had to ask the most obvious question …
How can you be on a low carb diet when you’re drinking tiki drinks?
And their answer was simply this …
We do a strict low carb diet, EXCEPT for the tiki drinks.
The only carbs they take in are the ones they drink. They told me that after going on a low carb diet, they lost weight and their health improved immediately, even though they were still drinking tiki drinks. I was sold!
This is a diet I can do. To me, it’s about making sacrifices for the things that are most important. Mai Tai’s are not important to me, but spending time drinking Mai Tai’s with my Ohana is!
To get started, search online or get a book about low carb diets. There’s a couple of different plans like Keto, Primal, Atkins, Protein Power, Paleo and even Carnivore, but at the heart of all these plans, there is one goal, to keep your carb count as low as possible. Trust me, if you follow any of these plans (even with tiki drinks), you will lose weight and get in better shape. It’s just going to take a little bit longer than if you cut out tiki drinks entirely. It’s been a month since I started and I’ve lost 8 pounds so far.
Way more to come!
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last May and immediately had to change to low carb and sugar and it hit me hard with the tiki drinks for sure. I had to learn that it’s okay to be imperfect with my diet and I can’t deny myself things that I love or I’ll be miserable! So I’ve cut back immensely. I have tiki drinks once to maybe three times a month, and when I do, I’m perfect the rest of the day so I can cheat a little. It’s all about finding the balance 🙂 glad to hear of your progress, it’s not easy so keep going!!!
Thank You! Yes! I think the most important thing is being honest with yourself. I know that I’m not going to give up tiki drinks, but I know I can give up chip, fries, candy and all that other stuff!
My daily diet is an extremely low carb “keto” diet but we do allow ourselves to have drinks a few times a week. I’ve learned some ways to make my Tiki drinks lower carb by using mostly hard alcohol, lemon or lime juice, unsweetened coconut cream and sugar-free syrups for flavoring and then just add a splash of juices or sugary syrups like Falernum.
This is pretty much what I’m trying to do. Try to eat as little carbs as possible and still enjoy some tiki drinks, although I’m trying to drink rum straight more often. (No carbs!)
Not all rum is carb free! Good Luck, it’s helped me.
Good luck Ray! I look forward to the updates. If you try diet sodas as a base, remember to not shake the drink to mix it or the fizz will create a disaster. Not that I have ever done this with Hansen’s Diet Tangerine Lime soda. 🤣
This is great Ray! So glad you found something that is working for you and still allowing you to enjoy life. You’re so right! It’s about finding a healthy way to enjoy time with your Ohana! ❤❤❤
Thank you Lola! I’m excited to see how all this works out. But there are some foods that I plan on cutting hopefully for good!
I applaud you talking about diet and your love of Tiki becoming a balance. I myself carry a bottle of organic liquid stevia to adjust my drinks to be “diet friendly”. Looking forward to reading your adventures.
Thank you Morgana! It’s going to be tough but I know I can do it!
I’ve been looking at making some big diet changes for health reasons and one of the things I was most sad about was it limiting my ability to enjoy Tiki culture, including food and drinks. I love to cook, and historical food research and recreation is one of my main hobbies, so I’m confident I can come up with tasty food options, but Tiki drinks are a whole different barrel of rum!
Yes. It’s a real struggle to eat healthy when most food out there is processed or filled with sugar. For me it’s all about picking my battles. I’m not giving up Tiki drinks but there’s a whole lot of other things that I can!
What a fun group, I need to find my Florida tribe…best of luck…!!!
Cutting out dairy really helps too. I’ve noticed a real difference since I’ve stopped eating dairy and it helps to cut down on the really tempting, (at least for me), things like pizza, pasta, and nachos. Even though its hard I feel a whole lot better. Good luck!
I noticed that dairy clogs my sinuses. I only have dairy with coffee.
I have dropped 29lbs since I decided to make a change in mid December. I just started counting calories and made an effort to create an exercise habit. Like you I didnt drink a lot (unless I was drinking with Jason at the Devils Reef) but I drank often. I love alcohol and inparticular Tiki drinks. I honestly had to cut back to one or two drinks a week. If I know Im going to have some drinks, I bake that into my caloric intake for the day and modify as necessary. I still get to have my drinks, I just have to be smart about it.
I think that’s the most important thing about trying to lose weight, having a plan!