Surviving Fall Festivals

Isn't there just always an occasion to eat?

Now that we're moving into fall it's time for all the beautiful small town festivals, which I love...

but can also be a challenge when it comes to staying on Plan.

This past weekend my family went to an Apple Festival and a Greek Festival in our home town.

The plus side is that this isn't the first time I've been to these and I know what to expect.

By now I also know that I need to plan ahead to be successful.

Before I went to the Apple Festival last Thursday I made sure to eat low pt foods.

I had a salmon burger for 2 pts(I get these from SAM's), a 2 pt simple salad using Opa Feta Dill salad dressing for 1 pt and 3 oz of grilled chicken for 1 pt(also from SAM's) and fruit on the side.

When I got there I wasn't hungry and that was a huge help.

I decided ahead of time that I was going to have some of the homemade kettle corn that I love.

We usually buy a couple bags to share among the five of us(Gran & Papa came too-hooray!).

I estimated I ate around one cup but tracked it as two cups since I realize I sometimes underestimate that type of mindless eating food.

Mom had a hamburger and went on and on about how good it was and..

I was really tempted to eat one

But I didn't!  Yay me!

I knew I still had to make it through the Greek Festival and I am much more tempted by that food and already planned on using weekly's for that.

So First Fall Festival was a win!  I didn't crash & burn.  I didn't go over my daily pts because I planned for it!  Hooray!

The day after I was hit with a strong craving for the full fat gooey, chocolaty brownie.

My husband said the thing I was already thinking- "You know you just need to eat it and get it out of your system or you'll eat the house down just wishing you had that brownie".

He's right and so I went to a local bake shoppe and got a salted caramel brownie which was heavenly!!!!!!

Admittedly I was also overwhelmed at the display seeing all the other goodies and ended up getting their sort of chocolate dump cake with chocolate frosting mixed in along with a small pumpkin cookie with a tiny drop of cream cheese in the middle.

I gave half of the cookie away and at least a quarter of the cake away.  I gave my son and husband one bite of the brownie.

At the Greek Festival I had one piece of spanikopita and keftedes(Greek meatballs) that came with a huge plate sized grilled pita.

I gave my son one of my meatballs and a quarter of the pita and my husband half of the pita.

For dinner I made a whole roasted chicken with potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic(I'll show you that on another post :).

I definitely used up all my weekly's and I felt a little bloated and uncomfortable last night but instead of dwelling on my mistakes what I know is this-

Before WW I would've eaten ALL of the food myself without sharing any of it.

This would've been followed by self destructive loathing and spiraling out of control.

Today I still love myself.

Today is a new day.

And, I'm still on plan.

AND guess what?  My mother-in-law was in from out of town and she usually takes us out to a huge brunch buffet on Sunday.

I don't really have it in me yet to go to a buffet like this and not overeat.

There was the pressure of knowing this is always what we do together and it's expected.

I also knew my weekly's were gone and I don't want to gain more weight.

So once again what saved me is my own courage.  It's like that old saying- if you want things to change you have to make a change.

I told my husband and my mother-in-law that I really didn't want to go out to eat because I didn't have the points for it but that it didn't hurt my feelings if they went out together.

I had choir practice come up at church that conflicted with this too so I knew it was a sign from God.

Be true to yourself!

My mother-in-law was maybe a little disappointed but very sweet and understanding.  She is, after all, the most practical woman I've ever met.

So it turned out to be a good thing.  I had an uncomfortable situation come up but, as my son says, I summoned up all of my courage and spoke up for myself.

Today I feel so good about myself for honoring my Spirit and my goals.

I also really tried to honor my sweet mother-in-law and family.  I think they knew where my heart was in this.

Here's the thing, I think there are many people who are overweight for similar reasons.

They're really sweet and wonderful people who maybe just don't know how to speak up for themselves.

Our minds tend to think of the worse case scenarios but, with practice, we can change that.

We can start to realize that we're often blowing things out of proportion, that it isn't always as bad as it seems.

Either way it's important to learn how to speak up for yourself in a way that is loving and kind to you and those around you.

That's an essential part of this journey for me.

So enjoy all your gatherings and fall festivals but remember to speak up for yourself and plan ahead!