Going nuts

KellyWyatt1111

So I have family staying with us for the next 4 weeks and they are killing me, junk food , chips , soda just crap , I would love to trash , my issue is they keep bringing me stuff back to the house that I have refused for the most part , I kinda feel bad that they are spending money on stuff , I refuse to eat they have tried to take me out to eat and I refuse to go , they see me trying to keep track of everything that goes in my mouth down to counting jelley beans , they see me exercising , and yet , it has been the same thing everyday , I'm trying so had to stay on track but I sware they are out to get me I dont know what to do. Feeling the pain of saying Noooo and no one seems to hear me

nossmf

Ok, first, breathe. Remember they are FAMILY, not enemies whose goal is to harm you. They are loved ones who want to include you in their life.

Does this make it easier? Probably not. But it does help set us up for allowing some changes in the way we live our lives, at least for a short time.

If they insist on bringing in foods you want to avoid, I suggest setting aside one cabinet or pantry where they store their stuff (chips, cookies, etc) so it's not on the counter or table all the time. Asking them to only eat it when you're not in the room may meet with resistance, but at least as guests they can agree to store their food items between meals.

Eating out can feel like a calorie trap, but virtually everywhere you go there are ways you can eat, if not healthy, at least better. Most fast food places offer grilled versions of sandwiches rather than fried, and some offer salads or fruit as alternatives to fries and tater tots. Restaurants are usually willing to work with dietary requests like agreeing to grill meats, or put heavy sauces/gravies/salad dressings in a side dish you can dip food in instead of smother. Also, restaurant meals are often twice a normal portion size, so try asking the waiter to set aside half the food in a to-go container before it even gets to the table. Swap out sodas for water or unsweetened tea, and you can still be with the family, sharing stories and laughing at inside jokes, without ruining your calorie plans for the day.

And here's the kicker: what's the worst that will happen if you do go over calories by a small margin, but are still at or below maintenance? You either stay the same weight, or you lose but at a slower rate than normal. We're in this for the long haul, the rest of our life; not only does a few weeks not matter compared to future decades, but we need to remember the key word here: LIFE. Don't let the pursuit of losing weight alienate and destroy your LIFE with family. For the next 4 weeks, you can embrace the people in your family without having to embrace every part of their lifestyle, or demanding that they adopt your new lifestyle completely.

Am I giving the impression to stop every new habit you've been working to develop and just go glutton for the next month? I hope not, that's not my intent. I just hope that your time with family is remembered from the stories you share, the experiences you share, because one day one or more of them will no longer be able to spend time with you, whether from moving away or other, more permanent reasons. You and your body will still be here; dial the intensity back, love the ones you're with, be a good example through the changes you've made rather than nagging at them to change.