How to deal with unexpected/spontaneous events

Capt_Apollo

as long as i'm under maintenance, i'd eat a brownie and a glass of milk.

Lounmoun

No one ever shows up at my door with unexpected brownies. Do people really do this? Why don't my neighbors bake me brownies?

Move. Don't talk to your new neighbors. Don't answer the door unless you are expecting someone. No unexpected brownies to deal with.
Say they look delicious but no thanks. Repeat no politely but firmly if pressed. Change the subject. You are in charge of what goes in your body.
Explain that you are watching your calorie intake. Accept just one brownie. Eat it while staring in them in the eye intensely if you like. Ask for the recipe. Log it. Move on.
Accept the brownies and say you'll enjoy them later. Eat one the next day and log it. Put them in the freezer to have later. Put them in the trash. Move on.

Evilmuffin666

I have a similar issue. I have a neighbor who frequently invites me for coffee. But it's never just coffee. She always has a spread of food. Even if you stop by unexpectedly, the food comes out. She is from Macedonia, and that's how they roll. Luckily the food is normally healthy homemade food with tons of veggies and I love Macedonian food. If it's a pre-arranged coffee date, I plan accordingly. If I am going for 10 am, I skip breakfast and keep the portions small. I never know what food she is gonna have at that time... Could be buns with cheese, could be lasagna, could be a fruit cake..... Apparently it's a part of their culture. I went to Macedonia with her for a week, and everyone we visited, did the same thing. So if we visited 3 people's homes in a matter of a few hours, it was three times of food being put out for you to eat. And then we would go for lunch.

bpetrosky

For those who are seriously put off by neighbors bearing insensitive imposition unexpected gifts I suggest some of the following tactics:

• After they knock on the door pointedly turn off the TV and lights. Do not answer the door.
• Question them about every ingredient in agonizing detail. Was the sugar sourced locally from GMO free farms? Did they use free-range cacao pods that were conched in crualty-free cocoa houses?
• Offer them kale in return
• Engage in pleasant conversation and then ask them if they have accepted Cthulhu as their lord and master.
• Argue with yourself loudly about the merits of accepting the brownies or rage tossing it on the lawn. As they start to back away, ask them to defend you in your argument with yourself.
• Answer the door in a Trump wig.
• Amway

Francl27

Now I want brownies.

Yeah I'd have one, but I don't care if I eat at maintenance a couple days a week. I'm just happy with a small weekly deficit at this point.

snickerscharlie

bpetrosky wrote: »

For those who are seriously put off by neighbors bearing insensitive imposition unexpected gifts I suggest some of the following tactics:

• After they knock on the door pointedly turn off the TV and lights. Do not answer the door.
• Question them about every ingredient in agonizing detail. Was the sugar sourced locally from GMO free farms? Did they use free-range cacao pods that were conched in crualty-free cocoa houses?
• Offer them kale in return
• Engage in pleasant conversation and then ask them if they have accepted Cthulhu as their lord and master.
• Argue with yourself loudly about the merits of accepting the brownies or rage tossing it on the lawn. As they start to back away, ask them to defend you in your argument with yourself.
• Answer the door in a Trump wig.
• Amway

I love you.

queenliz99

snickerscharlie wrote: »

bpetrosky wrote: »

For those who are seriously put off by neighbors bearing insensitive imposition unexpected gifts I suggest some of the following tactics:

• After they knock on the door pointedly turn off the TV and lights. Do not answer the door.
• Question them about every ingredient in agonizing detail. Was the sugar sourced locally from GMO free farms? Did they use free-range cacao pods that were conched in crualty-free cocoa houses?
• Offer them kale in return
• Engage in pleasant conversation and then ask them if they have accepted Cthulhu as their lord and master.
• Argue with yourself loudly about the merits of accepting the brownies or rage tossing it on the lawn. As they start to back away, ask them to defend you in your argument with yourself.
• Answer the door in a Trump wig.
• Amway

I love you.

Me too!

toe1226

this thread just makes me want brownies...

nutmegoreo

bpetrosky wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

azulvioleta6 wrote: »

NO.

An unexpected/spontaneous event is when you find that one of your parents is in the hospital and you have to drive half way across the state to help out, or when you are in a car accident and get stranded, or when you have to evacuate your home due to tsunami warning. Those kinds of things WILL happen, so stay on track when you are actually able to do so.

A neighbor dropping in is not an acceptable reason/excuse.

In my case, there are health issues involved. I no longer allow other people to impose food upon me because it harms me, and that is not OK. Boundaries--they are a good thing!

OMG! There's nothing I love more than a brownie I had to heat up on my engine because it's the only thing I've packed in my car's emergency kit!

OP, as in most things in life, brownies happen. I would enjoy one (or half) log it, and just be accepting of it. I went out for supper tonight with a friend, I planned my meal, dessert happened. It was wonderful, and I don't feel bad (I haven't logged it yet though). The time I spent enjoying my friend's company was so worth it. I will be at this weight loss thing a while longer, I want to 1) learn how to fit unplanned food into my life (if that means a lower loss one week, I can live with that, it's a life long game I'm playing here) and 2) I don't want every decision I make about food to be about my weight loss diet. In my time here, I have learned that the time will pass. I am lighter than I was last year, and even more so than two years ago. That is success. Enjoy the brownie (or half for now), if you want it, but don't do it just because you feel obligated.

+1 for emergency brownies gently warmed on your manifold. Btw, what kind of brownies are apropos for a zombie apocalypse?

I think that would depend if they are fast zombies or slow zombies. Fast zombies would require high cal with fast release of energy along with something to keep the energy going. I would think large chocolate chunks and nuts with chocolate and caramel topping. You wouldn't want any 'special' ingredients that may create a desire to make peace with the zombies and just chill with them. I suspect that would end badly.

With slow zombies, you may get away with the second approach, but you will probably want to get some brownie into them as well.

robertw486

It's a brownie. Deal with it.

That individual brownie, or even all the brownies the neighbor brought over as an offer, is nothing other than a blip on your radar for long term weight control. You can choose to handle it any way you want depending on how strict or how forgiving you are on your daily goals. Find what works for you and go with it, and if it's working for you that is all that really matters.

Me? I'd invite the neighbor in and ask if they wanted some milk so we could sit down and share the brownies. Unless I was just getting finished on a hard workout. Then it would be more likely I would take the brownies, thank them, excuse myself for not inviting them in due to being sweaty and stinky from the workout, and promptly eat the brownies myself, guilt free.

It's all in how you view your weight control and choose to deal with it. There is no right or wrong really. There are plenty of options in most situations.