Don't quit living!!

Ya know I find that when I get serious about weight loss, I don't even want to accept invitations to do anything with anyone, because it might interfere with my weight loss.  How ridiculous! I actually get annoyed by invites - thinking in my head "Why does everything have to come up when I'm trying to lose weight?  Why is everyone out to sabotage me?"  Sounds crazy right...but it's what I would think.  Not anymore!!!

If my ultimate goal is to change my lifestyle to make better choices in eating and exercise for the rest of my life, cutting out friends and family doesn't make much sense does it?  I decided to learn how to survive in social settings too.

I went to a birthday party yesterday.  I made a huge tossed salad because everything you read says you should bring something healthy so you know that you have one thing you can eat.  And I ate some of it.  But I also had ice cream, with strawberries on it.  I had macaroni salad and barbecue, etc.

What did I learn?  What lesson did I walk away with?  Well none of that stuff was what I would normally eat in my new healthy menu, but I had some anyway.  And you know what?  I had small servings of them.  I didn't revert to my old way of eating.  The past would have had me standing by the buffet grazing the whole time I was there - then when everyone else grabbed a plate, I would have one too. 

Instead I had a huge glass of water that I sipped while I visited - AWAY from the buffet.  When it was time to eat, I did - and I had a little of those things I love but do not let myself eat often.  And they were good!!  Once I was finished eating, I tossed my plate and had NO MORE!!!  That's right, no seconds, no grazing.

I don't know if this will hurt my weight-loss for the week or not.  But I'm positive it won't hurt my weight-loss long term.  Today I'm back to eating my much healthier choices - I worked out this morning just like I'm supposed to.  So it didn't send me spiralling out of control, nor did it derail my plan.  I know that this can not be a permanent healthier change if it means I have to give up friends, family or the events that we attend together.

So for me my goal at these things is to learn to enjoy the people MORE than the food.  Change my "grazing" to "mingling".  Enjoy the food choices whatever they may be in moderation.  No guilt, no regrets - and then get back on PLAN.

Don't give up the good stuff (the people - the fun)...don't give up living!!

Congrats! I am working on the same thing when I visit with friends. If I am not sure that I can eat anything, sometimes I have dinner or lunch before I go, that I am not hungry, and I can enjoy just a couple fo snacks that I really like. I also make sure to COUNT! Often, I plan for those days to be my maintenance days.

This is really inspiring and right on in my opinion!  This way of living healthy and exercising is a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix or fad.  I used to feel EXACTLY like the OP in that I'd get so frustrated and annoyed when people would ask me to grab dinner or go out for drinks, or when people would make plans for during the week and invite me, thinking that it would throw me off my gym schedule.  Eventually I was turning my friends down so much that they just stopped inviting me, and my neuroticism about sticking to the "plan" backfired on me, leading me to rebel against myself and completely give up on my lifestyle of being healthy and exercising.  I viewed it as all or nothing.

Today, I'm much different, and one of the biggest tips I tell myself is that because this is a lifestyle and not a fad, I need to make room for my friends and parties and dinners and drinks and just chill out.  I used to associate these events with food and with having to eat.  But I now go into it thinking that I'm there to be with my friends and to enjoy their company, NOT to eat food.  For instance, my boyfriend had a holiday party and the spread was ridiculous, with all the desserts and dips people brought.  I forced myself to eat a large salad for dinner to fill me up, and then the rest of the night i concentrated on being with people, talking, and remembering the real reason my boyfriend threw the party, which was for us all to get together, not for us all to stuff our faces. 

That's exactly what I'm talking about.  It's really been an eye opener to me to realize what high value I've put on food.  Instead of looking at events for the people and the joy I should get out of being with them, I'm more worried about what I should or should not eat.  And to be completely honest when I was eating anything I wanted (which got me in the shape I'm in now) I loved these events  - and I think more for the food than the people.  Shame on me!!!

In the process of changing my diet and lifestyle, I'm learning to put the REALLY important things in life back in the position of honor they deserve.  And rightfully putting food in it's rightful place in my life.  I see just how rediculouse I've been and how much I need to change.  All good life lessons...for my NEW HEALTHY LIFE!  :-)

Thanks for understanding!!!