Ways to keep eating healthy while visiting relatives?

lapierrecyclist

I need some new ideas about how to stay on track (food-wise and exercise-wise) while visiting my mother next week.

For food: There are several issues here. First, I am prone to emotional eating and it is stressful to be around my mother for long periods of time. I need to find other ways to deal with those emotions and/or different foods. I'm thinking perhaps lots of baby carrots to crunch, and peppermint tea to stay calm. Second, I eat differently than she does (a lot more fruit, etc.), and she perceives it as rejection if I don't want to eat what she fixes. Third, she also wants to eat out (understandably). So if we eat out I will focus on getting soup and salad if I can. Fourth, I tend to munch when I'm on airlines. I will eat a good, full breakfast before we set out.

For exercise: My time will be fairly constrained because the purpose of this trip is to help her sort through family heirlooms in preparation for her selling her house. I can't cycle while I'm there for a week. I plan to call the local gyms and see if I can get day passes. My mother is 78 and has no desire to exercise herself.

So what works for you when visiting relatives, especially ones who are not so easy-going?

Thanks for any suggestions!

JoRocka

make sure you make time for you- insist that you need youre own time and space to walk.

see if there is a gym near by where you can escape too.

If there are smaller plates in the house- use those- it will help you keep down on serving sizes.

Eliminate mindless snacking (hard to do when you are stuck in a house doing work)

I would also explain very clearly to here that you not taking food is not personal- it is not a reflection of your feelings for her- it's about you- not her. So don't let her make it about her. That's emotional manipulation. People like to make it personal when it comes to their food- don't let her. You acknowledged that she does it- address it- and stand your ground.

Do your best to minimize damages- knowing you will probably have days that go over- but don't let it suck you into the down ward spiral of "oh well I already ate this - might as well give up for the trip" treat each meal and day separately and try not to just say "the whole trip is a wash"

and even if it IS a wash? so what- move on- do better the following week. You'll be okay- besides I'm sure there are good karma points for helping mom out!

laurelthistle

Funny you should post this - I'm leaving on Wednesday to go visit my family for about a week, as well. We drive and it's about a 17 hour trip, so snacking due to boredom can be an issue. I try to pack my own snacks, so that I'm not tempted to buy candy, chips, or other garbage at rest stops along the way. I like to bring protein bars, dark chocolate covered dried fruit, and plain dried fruit because these are all sweet and will take care of any candy cravings while leaving me feeling full.

My family is very supportive of my weight loss, which is great, so my mom has said that she'll make sure that there are lots of fresh veggies, fruit, cheese, and lean meat options at her house for me to eat for lunches and snacks. My biggest issue will be dinners - we're going home for my sister's wedding, so there will be a lot of dinners out and the wedding reception which is at an Italian restaurant and is sure to be super delicious and super high calorie.

I would suggest trying to see if any of the restaurants you go out have healthier options on the menu like chicken, fish, or even a plain grilled steak and choosing veggies or salad over rice or potatoes. Also, maybe see if there is a favorite dish from your childhood that your mom could cook that is healthier? That way you could ask her to make it since you like it so much, you'd be eating what she cooked, so she'd be happy, and it would be a healthier option for you.

lapierrecyclist

Thanks so much! I appreciate your feedback and you've given me some extra ideas to try. I lost 21 lbs last year and then when my mother arrived in October, by the end of October and three weeks of 10-hour visitations with her, my eating habits just went totally out the window. I gained almost all of that back. Not this year! This time it's staying off for good.

Thanks again!

Miamiuu

Why dont you tell her you are on a diet so she needs to cook healthy things if she expects you to eat it?