Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.8-pounds.
It's the same weight as yesterday's weight.
I'm still up 3-pounds over that record weight.
Recently I have written some posts about the Christmas / Thanksgiving / New Years celebrations. It's this time of year when everyone says, "I gained 10-pounds because of all the Holiday Food."
Today was the Christmas brunch at work. I am sure that many Christmas brunches are much like this one. Everybody brings in a dish to eat, or a dessert to share with everyone else.
At my companies Christmas brunch on the make shift tables were set all kinds of desserts, and casseroles, meats, and breads. It truly was a cornucopia of food.
I was reluctant to go to this brunch since I have so far to drive, and I am not really to interested in being tempted with so much food. Did I write tempted? I sure did.
This morning I knew that I would eventually have to make a good will showing at this event. I had to think about what I was going to bring. I had to think about how I was going to avoid chowing down on all the goodies.
I made a decision to make a Christmas Preemptive Food Strike. Before I left I made myself a concoction of pulverised apples, and two scoops of protein powder. When I guzzled down this mix I felt like I had just stuffed myself with a Thanksgiving dinner.
My plan was to make sure I wouldn't show up at this brunch feeling hungry. If I had, then I would have been a goner for sure.
Before going to the brunch I stopped and purchased a couple of bags of Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. I looked at the bag of these delicate morsels of fried potatoes and noticed the grand advertising on the bag. It said, "No trans fats. All natural oils and ingredients."
That's great, natural potato chips. Hmmm? I read that little side panel looking for the calorie count. It said, "Serving size 10 chips. Calories per serving-190 calories." Whew, all natural, but lethal for the calorie counter.
Just think for a guy like me who allows himself 1,500-1,600 calories a day, this bag of delicious, oh so natural delicacies would allow me about 79 potato chips; that's all.
Think about that the next time you push your greedy little arm into a big bag of potato chips.
(If the shoe fits, wear it.)
So, how did I do with the Christmas brunch? I took small portions of different things. I made one sandwich of barbecue beef using only one piece of wheat bread. I had a small scoop of egg casserole. I had some small scoops of other foods. I stopped myself with one plate of food, that had about five different items on it.
For dessert I had one small piece of cherry cheese cake, some cranberry sauce, and a slice of zucchini bread. I took out my little piece of paper and wrote down everything that I ate.
People wondered what I was doing. Some asked me if I was counting calories. I said yes.
I had some conversations with people there at the party. One guy told me that he lost 80-pounds. Then he said he put back on 40-pounds. He told me that he had forgotten all about dieting. Then I ran into the one guy who I have written about before. He was putting two pieces of chocolate cake on his paper plate. I was watching him when he caught my attention with a comment. He saw it and said, "There's Dave watching what I'm eating." I told him, "I'm not your conscience, and I wasn't watching you."
I told him, "You have to live with what you are eating not me."
And that is the way it is. I can't think for myself, let alone think for anyone else. But, the guilty always feel like they are being oppressed, even when no one is watching. It was his conscience that was giving him a hard time, not me.
One of the owners of the company came out and told me to eat up. I told her I have eaten all that I am going to eat. She was delighted to be digging into all this food. She complained that she felt so full already. Then she said, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could do this everyday?"
I said, "Sure we can, and then in five years we'll all be rolling around in wheel chairs."
Then I thought, "That was dumb to say." But, I said it. Oops. I can't take it back.
My only thinking is this woman is a certified millionaire. She can have this kind of food everyday if she wants to. No one is stopping her from having a banquet everyday. She could also afford to put out food for her employees everyday like this if she wanted to. It wouldn't hurt her banking account any.
I am wondering how a woman, and people like this who have so much can think so impoverished. You would think by her comments she hasn't got two nickels to rub together.
Anyway, I couldn't oblige her and dig into the pile for more food. I told her I lost sixty pounds by avoiding eating all of this stuff.
I made my preemptive strike before I got to the party, and I walked away eating like a normal person ought to.
I know that it's hard to eat properly when we go to functions like this. I certainly have my times when I ask myself what did I do? But, I can't take my little finger and stick it down my throat and spit up my food.
If I ate it, then I must live with the end results.
It only makes sense to pull in the belt and say to oneself whoa, what am I doing here? And just because I am going to a Christmas party or any other party doesn't mean that I have an excuse for pigging out. I don't.
I thought ahead of time about what I was going to be facing. I made a preplanned route for escape. I didn't want to see another 185-pound day. I am hoping to get to below 180-pounds here soon. By the looks of things, it's real hard to do.
If you are going to a Christmas party soon, it might pay to eat a couple pieces of fruit before you go. By planning ahead, you may be able to save yourself from a diet disaster.
I call it a "preemptive food strike."
The reality of life is this. Each and everyday many people over eat the amount of food necessary to survive. As a result they get fat, and fatter. I was the same way.
The Holiday season is an excuse people use for eating more food than they should. Then they contrive all sorts of reasons for over eating. "Oh, I would feel deprived," is the best one.
You're deprived here in America? Since when? I haven't seen empty shelves in any local supermarkets lately, have you? I seem to recall going into every gas station I fill up at and seeing rows, and rows of soda, and drinks of all make ups in the refrigerators. I seem to remember seeing about 30 different boxes of candy bars at the check out counter. But, we're deprived?
Ummm, I don't think so.
Christmas is a great time of the year. It's fun. But, I can't let that be my reason to put on 10-pounds. Especially since it took so much effort to get off that 10-pounds.
I like anyone else would love to keep pounding the food into my face. But, I don't want to pay for my mistake. I took a stand today to fight. I said to myself, "No, let all these other people eat this stuff." I thought, "If they want to get fat, and fatter, then they can. I don't want to."
Here's A Thought For The Day
Do you remember the credit card commercial where the items were listed and then the result would be priceless? Here is my rendition:
- Bag of Christmas cookies- Two for the price of one $5.00
- Christmas cup cakes purchased at the Charity bazaar- $3.00
- Christmas Dinner at the Church- $10.00
- Two loaves of Rum Cake- $10.00
- Gallon of Eggnog - $5.00
- 20 extra pounds on New Years Day- Priceless
- Last Year's "New Years Day Resolution" - Worthless!
Bye for now...
And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane
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