Parties

Every time I pack a healthy lunch and try to be good my coworkers end up having a party planned for some stupid reason or another. Today it was for two people retiring. They ordered Pizza, brought cake and macaroni & cheese,  soda... the whole works! I must say that I did eat my whole wheat hummus wrap, but a few hours later temptation hit and I gave in. I did try to eat in moderation (one SMALL piece of pizza and a sliver of cake) but it ended up consuming all of my calories for the day. So, of corse when I got home after a 13 hour day I could not eat anything but a small salad with no dressing. I had no calories left to spend on a real dinner.  

Why do nurses find so many excuses to eat? It seems like once a month we are bringing in tons of carb heavy foods to munch on. They sit there in the break room for hours just waiting for you to dig in. 

Anyone found a good way to avoid going overboard??

Yes, take healthy alternatives. Or create a weight loss challenge with a pot that the winning team wins. Or just say,"NO!"

What we do is optional. We CHOOSE to participate or not. When you remove diet from your mindset and transition yourself into "healthy", that "temptation" over time loses its power. Let me share:  I LOVE buttercream frosting. I would always eat the corner pieces with the roses. After 7 months with CC, I have only lost 10 lbs, however, I have lost all desire for fast food (except on VERY rare occasions), butter cream frosting, Snickers, and even York peppermint patties. I still OCCASIONALLY eat french fries and other such "bad foods". Last week, I had 3 pieces of Pizza Hut pizza--this was the first pizza that I have eaten since last December.

Where I work, there are always junky foods available. I have learned how to CHOOSE NOT to indulge without regret, regard, or feelings of deprivation.

You can do, too.

Good luck,

J-mom

You know how beautiful a table filled with fruit salad and veggies is? It always adds the color and gets compliments. We kind of upped the quality of the food at our celebrations naturally- I think because so many of us are getting older and it really does make us sick to eat a whole plate of rich food. And that's always my excuse for not eating the really bad stuff. I generally have to convince myself first...

Make sure you see the party coming. I bring a healthy option and make it my main course, then add a few goodies. If I didn't know about it, I try to stop in for a laugh and a song, then slip away for my own food and tell everyone I sure did taste their delicious contribution and it was awesome. I get away with it because I have an office to go to, I can see that it may not be so easy for everyone.

Anyway, once a month isn't so bad. Once in a while you should just relax and enjoy yourself so you don't feel deprived, go ahead and eat a balanced dinner, and try to stay within your calorie count the rest of the week.

(Yes, I'm still losing weight. Slowly, very slowly.)

pj

Here are my recipe suggestions for a fabulous, guilt-free, nutritious "dip"

Make yogurt cheese from a quart of natural yogurt (drain, refrigerated, in a colander lined with newspaper 8-12 hours).  You will have about 2 cups of yogurt cheese from the quart of yogurt.  This is the base for the dip.

Add your favorite seasonings, roasted vegetables, herbs and spices.  

For baked potato topping:  mix in chopped chives or green onion

For blue cheese salad dressing: Thin yogurt cheese with milk or cream. Add garlic, scallion, and crumbled blue cheese.  Grind fresh black pepper to taste. 

For sandwich spread or hearty dip for vegetables or crackers: Mix roasted vegetables into the yogurt cheese.  I especially like to chop up and roast eggplant, peppers, onions, and squash and then stir this mixture of colorful roasted veggies into the cheese.

Your dips will be rich in calcium and protein and will be fresher, healthier, and easier on your waistline than traditional fare.

Newspaper?  OMG I must still be thinking about RHPS....

Drain the yogurt in a colander lined with paper towels or a coffee filter.  Not "The Daily Planet"...LOL