So last night, I sat down to dinner with my husband…this time made cajun crawfish, lumpy sweet potatoes (another bad side dish) and our spaghetti squash and turkey meatball leftovers which I devoured and must say that even on day two, it tasted quite delish. But I digress. Anyway, we got on the topic of my weight loss mission and I told my DH that I had a fabulous idea for a new post – Are Your Friends Making You Fat? And at first, he was a bit squeamish because he doesn’t want me picking on our friends – don’t want to risk pissing anyone off but then he added that there’s actually a show on TV that already covers this topic.
And lo and behold, I googled the word he gave me, Diet Tribe and I discovered there’s a show on Lifetime about five friends who have vowed to lose weight together. My only beef with this new show is that these friends appear as if they’re single – although I haven’t read all their bios so don’t want to jump to conclusions. But when you’re a parent and you’re chowing down on your kids’ food and then finally getting the chance to kick back with friends over a glass of wine and some fried dough with powdered sugar, it’s as if you’ve been transported to a fantasy land where all your cares and troubles melt away. Unfortunately, in my instance it all melted onto my thighs.
And so, I’d like to just take on the topic of Are Your Friends Making You Fat in the most constructive way possible. What I’ve found, without a shadow of a doubt is that the answer is abso-friggin-lutely. Back in the summer, I distinctly remember gaining at least 6 pounds after we spent several days away with good friends and savored bottles of wine, great food and conversation – thankfully the chats were calorie free but the rest of the stuff caused a significant weight gain. Fast forward to the holidays and surprisingly, the exact same thing happened. But this time, in addition to spending time with our good friends and enjoying incredible dinners and mouthwatering desserts, we were also invited to holiday parties that led me to where I am right now – squeezing into tight jeans that were swimming on me last year. All I can say is, thank goodness for stretch denim.
So how do I deal with socializing with friends without gaining a significant amount of weight? Simple…when they reach for the bread basket, I’ll pretend that if I touch a roll I’ll get an electric shock if I lay a finger on the raisin pumpernickel. No, really, I mean it. And when they order two bottles of wine – I’ll have one glass instead of three. And when they order fried dough…I’ll take one little piece instead of five squares – that’s fair – I can’t deprive myself of everything!
So what’s your strategy for dining with friends who might unintentionally sabotage your weight loss plans? Share your story now!
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