I swear I can gain weight just looking at food. Every pound lost takes a Herculean effort but it is easy as pie for me to gain a solid 3-5 lbs in a weekend away (even if I haven't eaten any pie). I'm trying to prepare myself for the onslaught of food that comes with the holiday celebrations. First, there is the Halloween candy everywhere. Everyone is pushing sugar, sugar and more sugar. The store isles are filled with tons of it and every desk in my office has a "trick or treat" dish staring at me. After coming down off the sugar high we have to get through the holiday that is basically all about the food (turkey, stuffing, smashed potatoes, pies, cookies, cake, etc.). We give thanks for the abundance of food and curse it at the same time as we slip into a food overdose coma while watching football. After you get all the Tryptophan out of your system the holiday parties start. Friends want to get together for a cup or two (or ten) of holiday cheer, the gift baskets of food get delivered to the office, relatives visit and bring all their special dishes, Christmas celebrations abound, New Year's drinking ... oh, give my strength. Where do I buy fashionable holiday blinders so I can avoid looking at and giving in to all the temptations?
I want to go out and enjoy myself over the holidays. I want to celebrate but I don't want to get to the start of another year fatter than the last. I need a plan to get through these next couple of months without gaining even more weight. I'm at my highest weight ever and I've been gaining and losing the same five pounds for months.
Maybe I should just concentrate on not gaining, making the best choices I can and getting as much exercise as possible. I'll concentrate on spending as much time as possible on the dance floor and away from the buffet tables. I'll be the Dancin' Queen. Dancing burns calories, right? What do I do at the parties without a dance floor? The parties where the entertainment is food and booze.
How do you get through social events without diving off the weight loss wagon?
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I hear ya! How I avoid it at parties is I don't go! HA! I've sworn of booze just for the weight loss aspect (and other health things I guess) but food is a serious problem. I've got no answers! let me know what you come up with!
ReplyDeleteI hate the thought of avoiding parties just because I can't keep myself from stuffing my face or pouring the booze down my throat. It is sad that you basically have to become anti-social if you want to get in shape and lose weight. It just sucks! I'll let you know if I get any bright ideas but I'm coming up empty right now except to stay home and watch sappy x-mas shows. How boring ... Bah Humbug!
ReplyDeleteBTW: My sister is the only other "Randi" I've ever known. I absolutely love the name.
When you go to a social event, grab a glass of ice water and socialize. If and when you must eat, look over ALL the choices and pick the healthiest things first (load up on raw veggies, salad, steamed veggies, turkey, fruit). Then look at all the other stuff and choose TWO things you really want to have. ONLY two. And have a single serving of each thing. And that is it, stop. Enjoy and savor every bite. And don't go there hungry!
ReplyDeleteMy strategies for holidays:
ReplyDeleteI drink lots of water or diet soda...it fills me up so I'm less likely to snack. At parties I drink diet sprite with lime. When I eat, I always take a little plate and eat off it, not doing anything else while I do - no empty nibbling that way...otherwise I'd just nibble all day and I actually enjoy what I do eat, guilt free. But probably the biggest thing is I don't starve myself all day "saving up" for a big meal...then I don't inhale half a turkey when I finally eat cuz I'm not starving.