Tougher than Usual?

When tradition and religious rituals are factored into your eating routine, even just for a short time, it can profoundly affect your head.

With Passover and Easter just around the corner, it got me to thinking that the range of feelings about ritualistic eating can stretch from panic strikken, because you desperately want to stick with your efforts, but have no idea how you're going to do that, to quite the opposite; giving yourself permission to throw out your Weight Watchers (healthy eating) habits/learning and resolve because it just seems too hard to stick with it.

Have you noticed that the same thing happens when out at a restaurant or at a party or vacation or spending time with friends or family who seem not to have a food care in the world?  It may feel like quite the same thing, but I figure there are some advantages to it being a religious holiday.

For one, the holiday foods remain the same year after year so there are not likely to be too many surprises with regards to our expectations.  This fact gives you the ability to use a resource we know as "Mentally Rehearsing".  It works like this:  Visualize yourself picking your plate of food with care and thought.  See yourself in your minds eye; what are you wearing, feeling, or saying?  Who are you with?  Where are you sitting?  Literally watch yourself and practice, practice, practice.  Just like an actor on stage, the more realistic your rehearsal, the more likely you are to follow your prescribed plan.

Secondly - this is a time when we are spending quality time with those members of the family we only see on special occasions, make the people your focus - not the food and drink!

Thirdly, every chance you get, be your own cheerleader.  Rather than regretting your behavior after the event, give yourself kudos every day that you stick with it.   Keep a log of decisions you are proud of; a journal of the times you said "No" to yourself or anyone else.  Act as if you have to show your accomplishments to your best friend after the holiday so you're writing them down to remember them.  You'll be surprised how quickly the things your did "right" add up!

Finally, go back to basics:

1. Look up PPV before you eat them, and write them down.

2. Follow the good health guidelines (lean protein, whole grains, healthy oil, fruits and veggies, drink plenty of sugar free fluids and fat-free or low fat dairy), this is the mainstay of the program and even though you have the temptation of the ritual foods for the holiday, the GHG can act as your healthy eating standard.

3. Move a little; don't give up on your activity because you're out of your routine, in fact if the chance presents itself, do extra!

4.  Treat yourself to a little of your favorite traditional foods; saying NO to all the chocolate or desserts may backfire, don't forget your 49 Weekly PointsPlus Values.  Their purpose is to make the program more flexible for you.

To manage Passover and Easter, you're going to draw on your own inner resources, the same inner resources that you have trained and honed that you've used at other times,  Inner resources plus superior knowledge, both of which can be obtained by coming to a meeting to brainstorm strategies with your meeting buddies.  

Are you curious about Fiber?

Come to this week's meeting to satisfy your curiosity; we are going to break it down into palatable bites!

In a 1997 USDA study, women who doubled their fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams per day absorbed 90 fewer calories. —USDA.gov

And finally..

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” -Anonymous