At parents' house in applachia - local diet woes and help?

SephirothsChild15

I've recently jumped back on the band wagon of (attempting) healthy eating. However I'm also on a nearly two week long vacation to my parents house in applachia. The local diet isn't great (fresh fruits are hard to come by, most things are fried for flavor) and not only that but mom is the type to fill the house with snack food in preparation for my arrival. I've been here a day and I've already ate more sugary granola bars and treats than I find acceptable.

I suppose my question is this: how do I watch what I eat when I'm here? Should I even bother? My thought is that I should allow myself this weekend to eat whatever I want, but starting Monday go back to calorie counting, but allow myself extra calories (no more than maintaining allowance at worst. Hopefully going for .5 pounds a week deficit) that way I don't feel deprived, I get the intitial giddiness and temptation of being home around all these foods out of my system, and keep my taste buds, belly, and mother happy.

What do you think?

veephil31

I would give my self a little break, though not blow the entire thing. Just look at what you are eating, and ask yourself if you really want to eat this. That will at least put your mind in the right spot. Can you go for some nice walks or get in some extra exercise on the trip?

SephirothsChild15

I would give my self a little break, though not blow the entire thing. Just look at what you are eating, and ask yourself if you really want to eat this. That will at least put your mind in the right spot. Can you go for some nice walks or get in some extra exercise on the trip?

Yes of course. There's a baby in the family (adopted) and he loves his "sissy" and I play (vigorously!) with him outside as much as possible. Yesterday I was climbing the jungle gym and swing him around by this arms!

Advaya

Well, I get your woes from Appalachia. It CAN be hard to eat here, and Appalachian culture is something I'm deeply steeped in. So what I've found is that its actually not that hard to make it slightly healthier while staying here. Butter beans are great, and they're not unhealthy even if they are cooked in lard. Just limit fried stuff and processed foods. But Appalachian food CAN be healthy! Fruits ARE hard to come by, but veggies/beans are not so much.

Appalachia is a food desert and it SHOULDN'T be. 50 years ago everyone grew their own food here, now its Dollar Generals.

Meerataila

Well, I get your woes from Appalachia. It CAN be hard to eat here, and Appalachian culture is something I'm deeply steeped in. So what I've found is that its actually not that hard to make it slightly healthier while staying here. Butter beans are great, and they're not unhealthy even if they are cooked in lard. Just limit fried stuff and processed foods. But Appalachian food CAN be healthy! Fruits ARE hard to come by, but veggies/beans are not so much.

Appalachia is a food desert and it SHOULDN'T be. 50 years ago everyone grew their own food here, now its Dollar Generals.

That's just sad. It's a place I'd expect to see farmer's markets and stands everywhere.

sarafischbach9

I will be driving through Appalacia tomorrow night on my way down to the beach, but I've driven through there a lot ( West Virginia, Virginia ) and there are certain parts where food can be hard to come by. I'm not sure where you are staying, but I stayed in Virginia last year. It was a resort in the mountains, but I think it was a more higher end part of Appalacia. We didn't have a hard time finding grocery stores....15 miles away was a Super Walmart, Costco and Kroger, and about 5 miles was a Food Lion. But still where I live in Ohio, I have several stores within a 5 mile radius. It did suck to have to drive 15 miles to Kroger and Costco, but it was beautiful out there so it was worth it.

How far are you from a major grocery store? I know W.V. has Kroger in certain parts, but I've drive down route 33 and didn't start seeing good grocery stores till we got within a couple hours from Ohio and PA and farther from the steeper mountains.

I would say just eat the best you can. Like I said, I don't know if you are 5 miles from a good grocery store or 20 miles, but the main thing is to get to one. Maybe do some research to see what's around and what is worth to make a trip to?

Anyway, have fun on your trip!! Eating healthy can be done, but you may need to travel a little bit. If you do travel, you should get one of those insulated bags for fruits and veggies. Maybe see where the closest WalMart Supercenter is?

zenalasca

Find out healthy snacks you can eat without feeling guilty and tell your mom you like those so that she'll buy them for you next time.