They are lurking in every corner… Some, where you least expect it… They talk in sweet soft voices as they lure you into the trap… softly, they say, one bite won’t hurt you at all….. it’s just a little….
Giggles.. Sounds like a great mystery novel, doesn’t it? But the giggles aside, guess what? They ARE real and you have to be careful. Like any good mystery novel, you better have your secret weapons and be prepared, ready to go. Because if you don’t, the story isn’t going to have a happily ever after ending, and you will be angry with yourself and them, too.
Most people I know are great at supporting me. My family doesn’t even think twice when I show up with my own lunch bag to family parties or gatherings. Everyone knows I don’t eat dessert and no coffee for me, but thanks anyway. The ladies in my lunch are always good to me, and no one asks me if I want any of the cake or leftover goodies that are on our table. They have supported my journey and I am grateful.
When my best friend asks me to go for lunch or dinner, he is kind enough to point out things on the menu that I might like. “You can ask them to bring you a salad instead of the potato? What about a side of vegetables?” Most people are great. But then there is the other group………
You know them! We all have them in our life. “One bit won’t hurt you. You have lost over eighty pounds, one cookie doesn’t make a difference. What’s the difference if you eat it, Dr. Jack is not watching you. You have to live a real life, you know.” The list goes on and on.
So here is the truth of it:
No, Dr. Jack is not watching me, but I wouldn’t lie to him, EVER. If I ate it, I am telling him so. And besides, I am not doing it for him, I am doing it for ME. I refuse to give up on ME!!
I DO live a real life!! MY real life.
One bite WILL hurt me because my body will immediately start responding to that.
One cookie leads to two cookies and three cookies and then a row of Oreos. No, thank you. And cheating today, makes cheating easier tomorrow, which makes it easier the following day. I don’t want to play that mental game. It is so much easier living this way.
And lastly, I am afraid that my Hashimoto symptoms would come back….and I am NEVER going down that ugly, nasty road ever again….. yeah, but no thank you on that, too.
So what do I do about those sabotagers?? BE PREPARED.
This is a lot like Girl Scouts. You have to have your bag of stuff with you, both mental and physical things. Preparation is the key to the whole thing and definitely it is harder to do the mental part, but you have to keep the goal in mind at all times. What is more important to you? A one second bite? No thanks!
First, if I am going out to eat with friends, I always check out where we are going. What kinds of things are on the menu? What can I eat around? Smartphones are great for that. I can always find something. And I have just ordered two side salads anywhere the food was iffy. I also usually go with a little something inside me before I go, like a handful of veggies, so I am not famished. And I make sure that while the meal is going on, I drink a LOT of water.
If I am going to someone’s house who is my family or a friend, I always ask what is being served. I don’t ask for special preparation for myself, I just tell them and then show up with my dish to eat and then maybe have the salad with it. No one questions it anymore. And if I was ever really stuck, well, then I guess I would have to make the best choices I could and tell Dr. Jack so he could help me to recover from that setback. Thankfully, I have not had to do that yet. But I am mentally prepared if I was. No guilt. Just do the best I can and be done with it. That is also the key….. do the BEST I can. Not eat everything and then confess. That won’t do for me.
Interestingly, I found out through a lot of meals out that I have a reaction to bottled salad dressing. I try to always eat the Italian or vinaigrette kind but I still get itchy after I eat it. Then I start getting hives. So I asked Dr. Jack about it and guess what? It turns out that D’Avolio carries a little thing to carry your own olive oil and vinegar!!! So next time I am up that way, I am getting one and then I can carry my own little kit!!! What an awesome idea. It also gives me an excuse to get another bottle of their amazing olive oil which is my new addiction. LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE D’Avolio…… LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Do your best….. Be prepared…. and carry your secret weapons. You can do it!!!
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