I Conquered the Holiday Party

[six footer]

So every year my office of about 18 people put on a holiday party, and each year it gets carbier and carbier. There were cakes, an ice cream cake, cupcakes, cookies, fruit salad, pasta salad, bread bread bread bread bread, pizza, tomato bisque soup, chicken noodle soup, blah bladdy blah. And they had swiss cheese, chicken and ham. I had a piece of ham and a slice of swiss cheese and two BIG glasses of water. I feel noble and a little depressed. Watching all those normally sized peeps gorging on carbs was enough to make me feel like the big old oddball again. I'll NEVER be able to eat that way. Oh sigh. But I conquered it. Another day tomorrow. Love this way of eating but at times I wonder why I can't just be like everyone else ... happy holidays to all!

[clogger]

Kate, first of all, WAY TO GO!!!!

Secondly, you're not alone. I definitely can relate to "I feel noble and a little depressed." and "Love this way of eating but at times I wonder why I can't just be like everyone else". It would seem the vast majority on this board has felt the same way before.

We have an emotional connection to food and we need to decide what feels better ~ to skip the carb stuff, feel a little sad about it, make good food choices and be able to look back with feelings of accomplishment and success OR eat the carb stuff, risk falling off the wagon, feel bloated, undo some of the success we've had, regret it, be racked with guilt and look back wishing we had done it differently?

It's just food...too bad it's not that simple!

Keep it up!

[philliha]

Great job! This post was the inspiration I needed. I have four parties this week--and it's enough to make me go crazy!

[IrishIrish]

Yes, but you will not be fighting with yourself to figure out why you gained weight during the holidays and you'll be ahead of the game come the first of the year! Great job ... I know those first parties and a new way of living can feel overwhelming.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by six footer

So every year my office of about 18 people put on a holiday party, and each year it gets carbier and carbier. There were cakes, an ice cream cake, cupcakes, cookies, fruit salad, pasta salad, bread bread bread bread bread, pizza, tomato bisque soup, chicken noodle soup, blah bladdy blah. And they had swiss cheese, chicken and ham. I had a piece of ham and a slice of swiss cheese and two BIG glasses of water. I feel noble and a little depressed. Watching all those normally sized peeps gorging on carbs was enough to make me feel like the big old oddball again. I'll NEVER be able to eat that way. Oh sigh. But I conquered it. Another day tomorrow. Love this way of eating but at times I wonder why I can't just be like everyone else ... happy holidays to all!

Fruit salad, pasta salad, pizza, tomato bisque soup, chicken noodle soup, bread are foods that you may add during On Going Weight Loss Phase, Pre-Maintenance Phase and Maintenance Phase, provided your body is able to tolerate those foods and your CCLL allows for those carbs.

Induction is a minimum of 14 days. It was never meant to be the entire Atkins Diet.

[sallyseachange]

I'm with Megs. You'll soon be able to expand your menus. Once you hit OWL, you'll find the extra food choices are very welcome and give you lots of flexibility.
I remember that "noble and a little depressed" feeling, very well... but I promise you, it isn't forever!
Once you get to maintenance you really can eat incredibly well and a huge variety of things... plus great substitutions.

Well done for resisting temptation! The way you're going, in the future you're destined to feel "noble and euphoric!"

[six footer]

Thanks guys. I think, though, that I'm one of those peeps who won't be able to do a whole lot of add-ons in the carb department without fluffing up again. Just me & my whacko metabolism, but it be what it be. You'd think that after a dozen marathons, a dozen half-marathons, hundreds of road races and tens of triathlons, I'd eventually lose the excess fat, but no. My fat hangs on like some codependent spouse. Sad but true.

It was interesting to note, three days post-holiday party, that all of the desserts & snacks were entirely consumed, and all that is now left is the ham, the turkey, and the cheese. Haven't had to buy lunch for three days now!

[not2late]

Originally Posted by six footer

Thanks guys. I think, though, that I'm one of those peeps who won't be able to do a whole lot of add-ons in the carb department without fluffing up again. Just me & my whacko metabolism, but it be what it be. You'd think that after a dozen marathons, a dozen half-marathons, hundreds of road races and tens of triathlons, I'd eventually lose the excess fat, but no. My fat hangs on like some codependent spouse. Sad but true.

It was interesting to note, three days post-holiday party, that all of the desserts & snacks were entirely consumed, and all that is now left is the ham, the turkey, and the cheese. Haven't had to buy lunch for three days now!

Have you ever done Atkins before? If so, did you go through OWL as Dr. Atkins described in the book? If you didn't, follow OWL as it's written in the book. Alot of folks think during OWL you can add carbs back any old way in any old amount. For some people this works, for others it doesn't. That's why Dr. Atkins outlined a stepwise approach to OWL in his last book.

I never thought I would be able to eat potatoes or rice again because I'm a starchy carb addict. But when I got to the starchy veggie rung, I was able to add potatoes without any problems---no cravings, no desire to eat an entire pot of mashed potatoes, nothing. Ditto for rice. I did have problems with wheat: it didn't interfere with my weight loss, but it caused me to start sneezing and wheezing, so I don't eat that. But things like fruit salad, tomato soups, chicken noodle soups (made with Asian rice or bean noodles) have made it back into my diet.

[Beautifuldisaster]

GREAT JOB!!!! I think the longer you live atkins the easier it gets to walk out of those situations feeling GREAT and not even a bit sad!
But one thing I do have to say. A lot of us look at others eating those types of diets and not gaining a pound and think "I wish I could eat like that" or "why am I not like everyone else"
The way I look at it, after living a life addicted to carbs, and then living a life carb free... then back then forth again... is there is no living 'happy' filled with carbohydrates! They slow us down, mind, body and soul!
Those with amazing metabolisems who eat whatever whenever (aka my sister ) are weighing themselves down with all the crap they put in their bodies...
We are not only thriving for a better body but a stronger mind! Remember that!

[six footer]

Beautiful disaster ~~ nice name! and Megs, you have been SO SUCCESSFUL on this program. My hat's off to you both. I have been back on forth on low-carb like so many of us here. This time I'm in my third week and am doing okay on it. Here are the things that I notice so far: I've lost 13 lbs so far (YAY!). My skin is so much softer. My mood is more stable. My arthritis pain has WAY subsided to the point where I can work out again. (DOUBLE YAY!) I am happier and more focused at work and at home. I sleep so much better. My lipid profile is fantastic: triglycerides 37, LDL 104, HDL 78. My only issue remaining is my fasting blood glucose level: 105. Another forum suggests magnesium at 200 g per day at night to bring it down, and maybe lipoic acid.

So there's so very many reasons other than weight loss to claim the low-carb lifestyle. You guys are obviously so successful in sticking to it. I'm hoping that when I do decide to add carby stuff back into my diet, I can do it without totally losing focus. Right now, I'm kinda informally doing OWL 1, I guess, eating more broccoli with a little more sour cream for dinner, and having that lovely mousse with sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and splenda for dessert.

What I'd really like is a no-brainer diet, where I'm eating what I want to eat when I want to eat it and in the proportion I want to eat without totally psyching myself out about it. I think the only way I can get there is to just put a big bright line between me and the starchy, sugary, grainy stuff. Maybe a vodka and diet tonic every now and again. I think I can be satisfied with that for now. It's safe and it's easy and it's really satisfying for me. Portion control I maybe still need to work on to continue the weight loss.

Thanks for all the great comments. Appreciate the support!