Holiday Eating Advice!

meggiemaye

Hey guys,

I'm going to be spending four days with my boyfriend's parents up in the mountains. I have no internet or cell service and I'm afraid I might stray off my plan since I won't be able to check in.

I'm a lifelong vegetarian and usually the only non-meat they have is mashed potatoes and rolls. In fact, they're so used to me not being able to eat meat that when my boyfriend told them over the phone that he was bringing me, his mom said, "Oh, I'll make sure and make twice as many potatoes then," which really hurt my feelings...as if even though there are 12 people coming, they need to double their portions just for me. :embarassed:

I'm not interested in consuming nothing but starch. I don't actually eat very much, but my plate looks pretty pathetic with a little scoop of potatoes and a roll. They say to stay away from white foods, and that's all I'll have there.

I guess the question is what I should do...we'll be too far away from a town for me to sneak down for some healthy and filling food, but I also don't want to throw myself into starvation mode by not eating enough. They've always chastised my eating habits and his mom thinks she's a world-class cook, so I don't want to say, "Hey, how about we make some green beans?" or something, it would just make everyone uncomfortable.

Help guys! Any advice? :ohwell:

CGade

Can you pack a can of soup or other things that you can fix? Easy, not asking anyone to go out of their way and maybe no one will notice

Mirabilis

This is what I've done with my inlaws: Bring veggies, salad, things you want to eat. Tell them you're under a doctor's care and that you must eat this way. If they want to share in your salad, then share, but the leftovers are likely to be yours anyway.

My kitchen scale's pretty tiny and operates on batteries. Could you take yours? You can always use the doctor as your excuse.

I'm getting the mother in law a little black book this Christmas that looks like a little black book but is packed with calorie counts and nutritional information, even for popular restaurant food. That's another thing you might want to invest in. I got mine at Chapters books in Canada. You might try Borders or Barnes & Noble in the US.

If you want to shake them up, tell them you want to fit into your wedding dress

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: don't be embarrassed or apologetic about bringing your own food or going into town to eat something healthy that fits into your eating plan.....be kind but firm and take care of yourself and your health.......why should you be the only person who is uncomfortable ????

freeatlast20

well if it were me i would take myself a cooler and take things i can eat....salad makings or heck take your on veggies and cook them..im sure she wouldn't mind if you fixed yourself some vegetables...that shouldn't make her angry. Sorry that they are that way...its hard sometimes to eat on plan when you are on the go.,,I wish you all the best,,,have a wonderful Christmas!

mirenner

its one day out of the year... lighten up and keep it to small portions of everything, no seconds and ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY...

you didn't gain weight eating one big meal out of the year... you gained weight due to your eating lifestyle beforehand

RLeighP

Last time I traveled, I carried some granola bars and things like them. I'd eat a bit of what was prepared, and then later I'd go to our room and eat a granola bar. It's not ideal, but it works.

And why couldn't you get your boyfriend to tell his mother, casually, about what vegetables you like. Maybe if he mentions it, it won't seem like you don't want her food.

kathleennf

You need to eat some protein, right? So if you are a vegetarian you really need to make sure you have some non-,meat sources of protein. That can be your excuse to bring some beans, nuts etc. Then I think you should show them the website, or a printout since you don't have internet access- x number of grams of protein you are supposed to eat so you brought some food...

tlp8rb

Why not whip up a couple of vegetarian dishes to take with you as your contribution to the weekend. I'm thinking a wonderful Gazpacho, or Ratatouille. I posted a recipe on this board under Silver Sneakers Recipes. You can take either dish in a big covered bowl and they travel well. Either can be eaten heated or cold.

Here's a link to a You tube video that shows how to make Gazpacho.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzN13uPhXQ8&feature=share

RachelHope

Hi!

I totally feel your pain on this one. I'm also a vegetarian, and healthy options are scarce when it comes to holiday food. Especially with a family full of carnivores.

Maybe offer to help out with the cooking by making your own healthy (and also vegetarian) dish for the whole family? That's usually what I do. And then my family is often surprised by how much they like the non meat recipe.

As for what to make, maybe a butternut squash soup or some sort of pasta dish with loads of veggies? Lots of vegetarian recipe sites have really great holiday options. I personally like vegweb.com, they have some great stuff!

Hope that was somewhat helpful!

TheMaidOfAstolat

Bring your own. Such is the life of us vegetarians, lol. I don't feel bad if I brng my own and if someone gets upset...all I do is politely say, "if you were coming to my house where there is no meat or hardly any animal products, I would not cater to your diet as you do not for mine..would you not feel obligated to bring your own?". Do not let them get you down for sticking to your guns. I am the only vegetarian in my family...I always cook for myself...I'm not catered to, nor would I wish them to go out of their way for me. Hope this helps some. It should be pretty easy to bring a cooler stocked with tofu, edamame, some veggies and fruits, and maybe a container of soy milk. Good luck.

TeresaJTuck

Don't feel bad about carrying your own food on vacation. I go to my boyfriend's house and I carry my food with me.
I don't the least bit bad or uncomfortable doing so either.
I carry my own food to Pizza Hut. And every one of the waitresses know I'm on a diet.
I don't eat Pizza, even though I LOVE Pizza. But I don't get TOO tempted, because I know how I'll look one day.

meggiemaye

its one day out of the year... lighten up and keep it to small portions of everything, no seconds and ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY...

you didn't gain weight eating one big meal out of the year... you gained weight due to your eating lifestyle beforehand

That's true...I gained weight from having cancer. They put you on a pure carbohydrate diet so that you maintain your weight during chemo and they don't let you exercise. So for me there's not really a lot of changes I need to make from my past diet, just that I have to eat a lot less since to get back to my prior weight.

Thanks everyone for the advice and support, these are all wonderful ideas!!