It never fails, as soon as I start trying to lose weight, "events" come up that involve food. And quite frankly, I'm no good at "just saying no" or at eating salads every time I go out to a restaurant. And if you've noticed, I'm not breaking any records losing the pounds. So, for what it's worth, here are my ideas and how I'm dealing with it:
I eat out every Sunday after church. My husband especially enjoys it and we go out with friends. So I'm not going to go home and eat there just for this time while I'm losing weight. Here are some things I do:
~My husband is so sweet and splits the meal with me.
~If he's not along, I split it before I eat it and put it in a to-go box.
~I choose a grilled entree.
~I choose mixed veggies over anything fried, with a sauce, or with butter.
~I choose an interesting salad but ask them to omit things like croutons and cheese. I ask for a lighter dressing or vinaigrette and try to use very little.
~I choose a smaller portion appetizer. (Or a smaller portion dessert like the kiddie size frosty at Wendy's)
~I choose something that isn't that great calorie-wise (like the spinach and feta quiche on a recent girls outing) and compensate at breakfast and dinner.
~I avoid the bread...(Such a hard thing for me to do)...or have just one piece.
~I exercise a little more (not so easy with my boot on, but when this boot comes off...)
~I realize that this is a lifestyle and every day is not an occasion to eat. In fact, most days aren't. So I really try to watch portion size, which has been my biggest downfall in the past. Well, that and sweets.
Speaking of sweets. You have probably noticed that I don't usually show you on the blog any desserts I've tried. That's because I'm doing my best to avoid them. Sweets are my addiction. Not drugs or alcohol. Sweets! I can handle things that are sweet like my morning coffee with Splenda or a smoothie with fruit or Splenda in it, or a Fiber One Bar. I just can't have a whole cake or pie or cookies in my house. I have no willpower and will just keep on eating. I've also noticed that when I pig out on sweets, my joints hurt and I feel terrible. I also will wake up with a headache. I have felt so much better in the last 8 weeks! And I have to remember it's partly due to the fact that I have cut sweets out of my diet.
When the grands come over, they expect some kind of "treat" after dinner at Granna's house. So far, I have gotten by with frozen yogurt popsicles (see last week's blog), regular popsicles (1 PP), and marshmallows. Yes, these kids love marshmallows, and I can definitely say no to marshmallows!
Now, what do I do when I go to a birthday party with cake and ice cream or a church event with food and desserts galore? I eat. I just try to choose wisely and watch portion control. I admit, these times are the hardest for me. But I have to remember, I have 49 extra points a week on Weight Watchers, so I can use them for my special occasions.
Wouldn't life be boring if all I got to eat was celery and broccoli? One of the reasons I love Allrecipes is because of the variety I can get here! This watching my weight is going to be for a lifetime...a long one, I hope, with good health (something I think about more and more the older I get). So I may as well enjoy the journey. And if I lose slowly, so be it. These last two weeks have been extremely hard due to extra occasions that involved food. It seems this week I was gone from home and ate out quite a bit. I know I haven't lost any weight and just hate to pay out the money for someone to tell me that, so I didn't go for my weigh-in today.
On a brighter note, I got my boot off!!!!!! The doctor told me to start back walking 1/2 mile a day for a week and then to increase by 1/2 mile each week. Not to rush it. I am so glad to be able to start back walking now and can't wait to get back to my 4-mile routine! Maybe the weight will come off more easily now.
Be sure to let me know in the comments section how you deal with special occasions.
Since I've already written a lot, I'll just post the pictures of what I tried this week. You can read my reviews to see what I thought of them.
So...how do you deal with special occasions or constant busyness and being unable to cook right?
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