Thanksgiving and challenges?
Okay - it will be Thanksgiving soon and we all get presented with challenges at that time of year!!
What will your challenges be and how do you plan to overcome them? This will be helpful to people coming up on their first Thanksgiving since surgery and also to us older ones who may need help staying on track.
My challenge this year is that we are going to go to our first au pair's house for dinner - (like the daughter I never had) First challenge - she is Romanian and has never cooked a turkey!! Second challenge is that she cooks everything in full fat, butter, sugar etc!! Third challenge is she really cant cook a lick !!! AND there will be so much food that we could feed all of Alexandria!!!
So I plan to bring some of my own food as side dishes that will be healthy but she wont realize it - I told her I will do the sweet potato casserole and the green been casserole (so I can use healthy ingredients and Splenda! ) The turkey I will only eat a little of and by the time I have had a couple of spoonfuls of side dishes I will be full! And i wont take any left overs home so I wont have further temptation....
So what are you doing for Thanksgiving!
What will your challenges be and how do you plan to overcome them? This will be helpful to people coming up on their first Thanksgiving since surgery and also to us older ones who may need help staying on track.
My challenge this year is that we are going to go to our first au pair's house for dinner - (like the daughter I never had) First challenge - she is Romanian and has never cooked a turkey!! Second challenge is that she cooks everything in full fat, butter, sugar etc!! Third challenge is she really cant cook a lick !!! AND there will be so much food that we could feed all of Alexandria!!!
So I plan to bring some of my own food as side dishes that will be healthy but she wont realize it - I told her I will do the sweet potato casserole and the green been casserole (so I can use healthy ingredients and Splenda! ) The turkey I will only eat a little of and by the time I have had a couple of spoonfuls of side dishes I will be full! And i wont take any left overs home so I wont have further temptation....
So what are you doing for Thanksgiving!
This will be my first Thanksgiving since the surgery and I must admit I am a bit nervous about it. My sisters in law and I are making the dinner this year so I do have a bit of control over how my dishes are prepared. Both of my sisters in law are wonderful cooks and love to try new things. We were discussing the menu last night and it sounds like they are going to take a different direction than the traditional this year. I am making a sweet potato casserole, garlic smashed potatoes for those in the family that dont like sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and a cranberry salad (found the recipe on Bariatriceating.com). I aim to not bring home leftovers however I am sure with this family I will be forced to.
Brenda
(deactivated member)
on 11/15/09 9:19 pm, edited 11/15/09 9:19 pm - Fredericksburg, VA
on 11/15/09 9:19 pm, edited 11/15/09 9:19 pm - Fredericksburg, VA
Hi Brenda,
Families sure are a challenge!! But at least yours are open to trying new things. My advice is only to take home things that are good for you - like turkey and green beans and veg etc so if you do get tempted to nibble it is only on healthy things..... my excuse for not taking things home will be that I hate to waste food and I will end up throwing it out so I don't want to take things home etc I will see how that works for me...
The other thing I keep reminding myself is - it is only one day of the year - I can get through it successfully!!!! I do not have to eat as if food is going out of fashion lol!!
Good luck!
Jackie
Families sure are a challenge!! But at least yours are open to trying new things. My advice is only to take home things that are good for you - like turkey and green beans and veg etc so if you do get tempted to nibble it is only on healthy things..... my excuse for not taking things home will be that I hate to waste food and I will end up throwing it out so I don't want to take things home etc I will see how that works for me...
The other thing I keep reminding myself is - it is only one day of the year - I can get through it successfully!!!! I do not have to eat as if food is going out of fashion lol!!
Good luck!
Jackie
This year I'm doing the cooking which I'm happy about. We're having turkey, a small ham, green beans, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes and more. Most things are no salt added or NuSalt. I am going to be baking most of the dishes as well. It really locks in the flavor. In addition, I'm baking no sugar added pies/desserts. This year I pray will be low key & peaceful.
Kitty Kat - Lap RNY 29th Jan 03 
Blessed Momma to ♥ Kayla & Nora ♥
Sober since 25th Aug 07 www.the-butterfly-chronicles.blogspot.com
Thankful for the easy, grateful for the hard & hopeful for tomorrow.
I too will be cooking this year just for 4 my mother a friend of ours and I over the years have incorperated low fat sugarfree dishes that nobody will know what Im doing 
my mother is a diabetic so she wont care and we have learned to cook to benifit ourselves and the other two wont be the wiser. Im doing Turkey homemade dressing a family recipe twicked, yames w/ brown sugar splenda, mashed potatos w/low fat cream cheese and no butter an 1% milk shhhhhh the cream cheese is in place of butter, gravy, green beans, my mothers famous cram fresh corn , sugarfree pumpkin pie, and apple pie, an rolls for the guest. Not cooking no more than we need for the 4 of us so there wont be alot of left overs and if there is mom will take home for my son and Ill send the rest down to my doggys, and husband.
my mother is a diabetic so she wont care and we have learned to cook to benifit ourselves and the other two wont be the wiser. Im doing Turkey homemade dressing a family recipe twicked, yames w/ brown sugar splenda, mashed potatos w/low fat cream cheese and no butter an 1% milk shhhhhh the cream cheese is in place of butter, gravy, green beans, my mothers famous cram fresh corn , sugarfree pumpkin pie, and apple pie, an rolls for the guest. Not cooking no more than we need for the 4 of us so there wont be alot of left overs and if there is mom will take home for my son and Ill send the rest down to my doggys, and husband. 
OH Support Group Leader - [email protected]
Believing in yourself makes it so much easier in supporting those who need your friendship, love, and support,so Believe in yourself First.
Charlottesville, Virginia VA FFP's Meet's every 4th Sat.
Do the spoon ful tastes of things but put it on your plate,...a spoonful (teasppon; not ladell :O))
Sip your water occassionally to keep from getting clogged or geting the foammies.
Focus on conversation and visiting. Don't get caught up in a eating contest or a pig-out fest; who can consume the most or clean their plate or eat the most desserts, etc., etc.
It is better to be there for the duration of the event than the topic of conversation because you keep excusing yourself to go spit-up or start having a dumping episode and have to lie down for a couple of hours during the gathering. Then thanksgiving turns into why you should have never done this to yourself and a personal beat down on how to eat right, carbs versus protein ; diets that work and don't work and junk like that. Bad Thanksgiving topics.......
Make sure the food is secondary to the family get-together, visiting, and giving of thanks.
Not eating or bringing blatant special just for you food (i.e, protein bars or shakes) draw attention to you (unless you are 3 or less months post op, then you are still healing and following doctors orders,...and that makes such conduct more acceptable to family and friends.)
Having a plate with a little food helps you to blend in and raises less eyebrows as well as impress others with the amazing self-control you must now have with your small portions (all good stuff). Also remeber to try and just say thankyou to compliemntn o your appearance or realize when the offereor is fishing for a return compliment so you don't spend too much time talking about yourself and hog the spotlight; major social turnoff for many people.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I love all you guys and your support, encouragement, enthusiam, and great examples overcoming obstacles, and hanging together over the last couple of years.
Joe
Sip your water occassionally to keep from getting clogged or geting the foammies.
Focus on conversation and visiting. Don't get caught up in a eating contest or a pig-out fest; who can consume the most or clean their plate or eat the most desserts, etc., etc.
It is better to be there for the duration of the event than the topic of conversation because you keep excusing yourself to go spit-up or start having a dumping episode and have to lie down for a couple of hours during the gathering. Then thanksgiving turns into why you should have never done this to yourself and a personal beat down on how to eat right, carbs versus protein ; diets that work and don't work and junk like that. Bad Thanksgiving topics.......
Make sure the food is secondary to the family get-together, visiting, and giving of thanks.
Not eating or bringing blatant special just for you food (i.e, protein bars or shakes) draw attention to you (unless you are 3 or less months post op, then you are still healing and following doctors orders,...and that makes such conduct more acceptable to family and friends.)
Having a plate with a little food helps you to blend in and raises less eyebrows as well as impress others with the amazing self-control you must now have with your small portions (all good stuff). Also remeber to try and just say thankyou to compliemntn o your appearance or realize when the offereor is fishing for a return compliment so you don't spend too much time talking about yourself and hog the spotlight; major social turnoff for many people.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I love all you guys and your support, encouragement, enthusiam, and great examples overcoming obstacles, and hanging together over the last couple of years.
Joe
Yes I have. I have taken up officiating; first football and had such a good time and made some side money (its really a part-time job and helps with the upcoming extra holiday expenses) that I have gotten involved with officiating basketball now also. It has realy upsstaged my daily jogging and doing running events but it keeps me plenty active and mobile.
I still come out and check on the message board to see how everyone is and whats going on but not as frequent as I use to. It seems cyclical, how many times can you cover the same regime and people either get it or thay don't, plus it is goo for the newe folks to supoort the newbies so they get the understanding as we sometimes learn more when we teach than when we are the student, so its all good stuff. It is still good to have us older rtreads so we can all see what the futre beholds if we stick with the program. You still look great and its good to have you back active with the group after you survived your times of crisis. I am sure that was no fun but hope you are happier as a results.
I saw your Christmas party meeting post and noted I am currently available that night. If not family crsisi arise, I may try to snaeak in avisit with you guys. I've been wanting to visit your group since the Sock Hop years ago and have never actually made the trip.
Take care and keep hanging in there and being so helpful to others. You are a great person.
Joe
I still come out and check on the message board to see how everyone is and whats going on but not as frequent as I use to. It seems cyclical, how many times can you cover the same regime and people either get it or thay don't, plus it is goo for the newe folks to supoort the newbies so they get the understanding as we sometimes learn more when we teach than when we are the student, so its all good stuff. It is still good to have us older rtreads so we can all see what the futre beholds if we stick with the program. You still look great and its good to have you back active with the group after you survived your times of crisis. I am sure that was no fun but hope you are happier as a results.
I saw your Christmas party meeting post and noted I am currently available that night. If not family crsisi arise, I may try to snaeak in avisit with you guys. I've been wanting to visit your group since the Sock Hop years ago and have never actually made the trip.
Take care and keep hanging in there and being so helpful to others. You are a great person.
Joe
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