Ideas needed.

I've having problems at parties. I really tend to over eat when given the opportunity at holiday parties. I went to a Halloween party last night. I don't like the way I ate. It was like I had no control. In all reality I know I need to stay away from the food table, and eat a snack before I go. Other than that what can I tell myself? I saw a pretty decorated spread of cupcakes, cookies, pizza... I couldn't seem to stop myself.

Thank you for any advice or tips you might have.

Hi,

It is good that you recognize that these pretty and sweet things are trigger foods.  One thing I can suggest is eat before you go.  That way you won't be as hungry and hopefully, not hungry at all.  That way you can't use that as a reason to eat them.  Also, maybe one of your friends can give you support and steer you away from those yummy tables. 

As Paula suggested, eating protein and complex carbs right before you go may help. Generally, you will only stay 'full' for about an hour or so after you eat though, so you'll probably want to do it right before you go and make sure that it's dense protein and complex carbs to maximize the window of 'fullness.' 

I also think that really taking time to think about why you want to make choices that support your desire for good health, quality of life and appearance may help you see these choices as empowerment instead of deprivation. I might help to have photos of yourself at your heaviest as well as some as you want to be to refer to when you are feeling a bit 'weak.' 

Finally, it may be prudent to stock up on those dense proteins and complex carbs first, while giving yourself permission to have a some goodies, but only if you have the muscle to try a bit and not over-indulge. Finding ways to manage this is critical to our long term success, but remember that the problems you had last night are not a sentence and do not mean you are doomed, it does mean you are going to have develop some new strategies... it also means that if you stumble, like you did last night, the important thing is to do what you are doing... get up and try again. Do not surrender to the negative behavior, but BELIEVE that you have tools to make the changes to support your long term goals of better health, a better quality of life and looking the way you want to look.

 

Thanks ladies for all the advice and tips thus far.

I know that I didn't have a good plan last night. It was our church Halloween party. It started at 6pm and I normally workout at the gym from 5-6pm. I was running late yesterday and didn't get in the gym until 5:15-20. I wasn't able to do my full workout, but was very happy that I got in 30 solid minutes of good cardio. From the gym I rushed my little girl and I over to church to get dressed. 30 minutes into the party I was starving. I brought food for DD to eat in case church didn't have anything healthy, but I didn't think about a healthy snack for myself.

Here's the rub. I think in that situation I would have still gone for all that junk food if I had ate before and not just come from a hard core cardio workout. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm not going to try it again to find out! LOL! But I'm going to plan better next time.

I was reading one of Dr. Phil's old weight loss books last night. In the section about fighting the urges to over eat (or eat very poorly) he talked about doing something that contradicts eating. For example, take a hot shower or bath if tempted to eat when it's not meal or snack time. I loved that idea. I just need to find a couple ways to stay away from the food and enjoy the party.