soon2bkimk

Today is day 2 for me on FitDay. Last night I encountered an big obstacle for me. I am most definitely a family person and we all get together every other day or so. There is almost always food to eat. They will say they support you, but then eat cake in front of you! They actually did this! Does anyone have this same problem and what do you do? I love these people but they make it soo hard! lol

rpmcduff

You can only change you. You can't expect your family and friends are going to alter their eating habits whenever you are present. Even if they do support your efforts (be glad for however much that is) they don't fully comprehend the process.

You need to plan for these get togethers. Here are some suggestions:
* Plan your daily calories to budget for that piece of cake you know your'e going to eat.
* Bring your own healthy alternatives.
* Cut the portion size substantially.

I have used the approach that I can eat anything I want. So I allow myself a small piece of birthday cake at family gatherings. That way I am not denying myself anything but instead exercising moderation.

It is unrealistic to believe your family will suddenly change their habits for you just because you have chosen a healthier lifestyle. But this is life. Temptation, family and social events are part of the equation. You just need to manage your diet around life and educate yourself about healthier alternatives and strategies to accomplish your goals. Good Luck!!

justawalker

Well this is the tough part. I have been doing fitday since July 11th and encounter this often.
You have to put your goal in the forefront of everything else.
I will use last night as an example:
It was my daughters 15th birthday and she wanted hot dogs, mac and cheese, cake cookies.
What I did in this situation is I cooked everything she wanted and I threw a turkey burger on the grill and ate with the family and friends.
When it was time for the cake I sang happy birthday and just didnt have any cake. I just sat down and watched the election and grabbed a glass of water. let my dinner soke in for a while and grabbed some cottage cheese and Chocolate powder with stevia and enjoyed it for desert. Problem solved, substituted something healthy for the cake.
When I am going to my friends houses who dont care about nutrition and eat appitizers, chips then gorge on fatty foods, desert etc.I will eat something healthy within my calorie allowance for the day right before arriving(cottage cheese, half of sandwich, etc) when I arrive I get a light beer socialize, visit etc but dont eat appitizers or drink too much. When dinner rolls around I find something healthy eat a small portion lots of sallad a small slice of lasagna, a taco whatever they are serving but limit myself to a smaller portion. when desert comes around I skip that, limit myself to 2 or three light beers. Skip the wine, hard alcohol etc.
When it is time to leave I go home and have something small like again cottage cheese or something devout of Carbs high protien and go to bed.

Success!!!!!!!!!! didnt deprive, insult anyone or sabotage my plan. not hard at all any more for me because I am seeing results. Ya gotta want it!!!!!!!

Hang in there and be as perfect about it as you can if you slip up get back to it tommorow it isnt the end of the world. go to the gym and do some weights or cardio and do better the next time. You will find it isnt that tough it works if you apply your self. Just keep your goals in mind

soon2bkimk

Thank you so much guys for the advice. I do need to work on planning ahead. It is so worth it though. I am determined!

almeeker

My family gets together all the time too. Thankfully my parents keep a basket of fruit on the counter. So no matter what there is always an apple or banana that I can throw down before the really fattening stuff comes out. The other way to handle it is to bring something healthy, veggie tray, fruit salad, rf cheese cubes, tossed salad etc etc. My family actually LOVES deviled eggs and they never notice that I make them with ff Miracle Whip. I've also been known to bring chips & dip, never mind that it's guacamole or salsa and baked whole wheat "healthy style" tortillas cut into wedges.

Lizzycritter

I'm usually the one bringing the fruit and/or veggie tray. I've tried not eating before I go so I have more calories left in the budget, and that does NOT work! I rationalize way too much because I'm starving, so hey I can afford this or it's just a few bites of something else. Then I get home, try to backtrack the food log, and it's always several hundred more calories than I thought it would be. I'll also wait til the end of the line, because I gotta get the kids food. Then whoops, what do you know? Running low on plates, that's OK I'll just use a salad plate. Smaller plates makes it easier to eat a smaller portion, and I wasn't being rude, I was just using what dishes were left.