I did it again!
Another family weekend where I ate like a maniac and drank like a sailor!
I thought I had this one figured out after the ski trip last February. Remember, the one where I had decided not to let peer pressure dictate my food choices?
The one where I was going to separate love from the menu? The one where I was going to dare to be different?
I went prepared for this latest outing – a family gathering to celebrate my mother’s 85th birthday. We numbered 17, a great big clan of fun and laughter.
The Challenge: Healthy Eating at Family Get-Togethers
I brought my green smoothie mixings, lots of fruit and nuts for snacking, plenty of salad fixings, too.
I brought it all back home with me, too, because I ate chocolate chip pancakes and baked ziti and Doritos.
Need I go on? It was a weekend of complete surrender, starting with Happy Hour Friday afternoon and continuing straight through to lunch on Sunday.
So what was the common denominator between these two weekends?
Did I say Happy Hour on Friday? Exactly; way too much alcohol.
For me, all supportive food choices go out the window after two cocktails.
And exercise? Who can do that when you’re hung over? Not me.
My 3 Options to Address Unhealthy Habits With Family
So, once again, I am searching for the learning. Seems to me I have several choices:
1 Don’t attend family gatherings
No, that’s too harsh. I’m not missing out on the fun!
2 Don’t drink during family outings
Or, at least, restrict it to an amount that won’t turn me into a chocolate junkie – hmm, I suppose I could give this one a try but my historical lack of abstinence doesn’t predict a likely adherence.
3 Try my best
…To temper the alcohol and make good choices when and where I can and give the rest up as enjoying life, my loved ones and myself.
I’m picking door number three.
My Journey Towards Health & Self Acceptance
I have learned to be happy with myself and my ongoing work toward health, both physical and emotional.
I’ve learned that self-love involves a little forgiveness. Food deprivation, failure and then guilt is toxic; I’ve lived with it all of my adult life.
Letting go of that cycle has been life-altering for me, and I will be forever grateful for that accomplishment – no matter what my body size is.
I am free of the negativity that lived with me from waking to bedtime. Nope, no more. If I go away once or twice a year and go food-crazy, so be it.
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