WEDDINGS AND WILLPOWER

Voltaire said, “Moderation is the pleasure of the wise.” Well, without realizing Voltaire’s connection to that philosophy, I think I have always tried to live by that…sometimes more successfully than others! As you may know, I recently publicly patted myself on the back for a 40-lb. weight loss here on my blog. Immediately after that, I traveled out of town to attend the wedding of the son of a dear family friend…or I should probably say FAMILY. We spent the weekend at our friend’s house, trying in whatever way we could to help with the wedding preparations, the rehearsal dinner, and of course the wedding. As you know, we Americans have turned weddings in this country into major events, and few major events of course are unaccompanied by inordinate amounts of food!! I knew this was going to be a test!

My first line of defense was my own food from home. I knew my friends would not feel hurt if I pulled out my own bagel thins and fruit for breakfast or lunch, so I packed some basics: bagel thins, apples, bananas, low-fat peanut butter, raw almonds, some pretzels for quick crunchy on-the-go snack, and my large water bottle. This served me very well in helping me ignore the pancakes and syrup, or the Sara Lee Butter Coffee Cake they warmed for breakfasts. Ruth and I also popped over to Trader Joe’s one afternoon to get a few things to take home, and while there, picked up some organic yogurt and some pretzel chips, which we had for lunch one of the days. The rehearsal dinner and wedding feasts were another story, however!

For the rehearsal dinner, which was served at our friends’ home, she had bought huge trays of thinly-sliced cold cuts and cheese, along with trays of some raw veggies, and then had several wonderful artisanal breads on which to make sandwiches. Dips, spreads, chips, condiments….the works! As my wife and I went about setting out most of the food, it took every ounce of willpower I could muster not to just stop and eat up some of EVERYTHING! But, I managed to only munch a few things….obstacle #1 over! As the guests arrived, and as people began eating, I realized I was getting pretty hungry, so I decided to eat a little something. Two slices of the bread with the most visible whole grains, a single slice of ham, one of provolone cheese, and I sped away from the table, directly to the counter where the veggies were hanging out. A handful of cauliflower and celery, a small amount of spinach dip, and a bit of onion dip, a few pretzels, a cup of filtered water, and I found a seat and began to eat.

“OH, GEORGE!” I tried to ignore it. “OH, GEOOORRGE!” it persisted. Stay strong, I told myself. I recognized that siren’s voice as that of the cake that sat on the dining room table! Back, you vixen, I thought to myself! BACK I SAY! And yet, the next thing I knew I was standing over her, this tall, creamy stack of deliciousness, and I didn’t even remember walking back into that room! OK…so, she and I were going to have to compromise! I agreed to eat just a little, if she would release this hold she had over me and let me continue my evening relatively guilt-free. She relented, and I conceded, and I ate a very small piece of cake, which, by the way, was close to heavenly! Obstacle #2: done. I went to bed that night, knowing that I had strayed from my routine a bit, but content that moderation in the forms of quality of food and portion control would be my saviors.

Suffice it to say that over the two very full days we were there, through a wedding rehearsal and a wedding, I continually opted for either my own fruit, whole grain breads, peanut butter, etc. or I very carefully chose from the fare that was served, eating only small portions of anything I took, trying to stick to the things I know to be low in calories and/or fat. I did give in to a couple of indulgences, including the delicious wedding cake! At the wedding, I also imbibed a little, with a small glass of white wine and three beers before the evening was over! I feel like I dodged nearly every obstacle and cleared every hurdle keenly and with grace!  

On the return trip home, we stopped to visit with our youngest son and take him to dinner. His choice was a major Italian chain restaurant. I figured I could get a salad or something simple like that. Unfortunately, I’ve never been crazy about vinegar and oil dressings, which is what all their salads contain. I couldn’t eat very much, and it wasn’t very satisfying to me. I decided to order something else from the menu that I could at least enjoy, using some of the portion control rules. I selected the personal pizza. I got only a small amount of topping…Italian sausage…and a cup of coffee. When the pizza came, I had already made up my mind to only eat a portion of it, and to ask for a box so as to take the rest home for another day. Later, on the way home, I lamented at a big chain convenience store/gas station that one of the things I was going to miss most when traveling was their donut holes!

So, oddly, as careful as I thought I was being, I got up the next morning, emptied my bladder and stepped on the scales, as I have done every day now for months, and I had put on about a pound and a half. Not really unusual, but I can’t say I was very happy about it! Back to my routine! My diet his week was going to have to be a bit more regulated! Back to my bagel thin or cereal and almond milk for breakfast. Back to my fruit and Greek yogurts for lunch. Oh, and just before we had left for the weekend, my new HealthMaster blender had arrived, and I hadn’t even had time to try it out yet…..so the new stream in my journey was going to be filled with all kinds of combinations of fruits, vegetables and grains! I figure those recipes are going to be good blog food for a while!