What Would You do?

kookla33

My very sweet Vietnamese neighbor showed up at my door the other day with authentic fresh, hot DEEP FRIED spring rolls that his wife made. He said to eat them right away because they are best when fresh. Of course I didn't want to offend him and ate four of them. I never eat deep fried food otherwise. Then, of course, he asked how I liked them the next time I saw him. I told him they were delicious because they were, but I wish they weren't so fattening!

Then, of course I felt bloated and blew my calories out of the water that day. This is a very hard one for me. I feel so guilty throwing them into the trash. Same with my husband's Grandma's homemade lemon bars. And then his cousin bought us Grande Pumpkin spice lattes with whip cream and handed them to us with a big smile on his face. What was I supposed to say "No. I'm on a diet." ?

Any suggestions/opionions?

melissa1977

I look at it this way: If you were an alcoholic and someone brought you a glass of brandy, would you drink it to be polite? Of course not! This is for your health, and people WILL understand if you tell them that. I totally get where you're coming from, but sometimes you just have to be a little impolite to save yourself.

ashlee954

I would have thanked them kindly, eaten maybe one, and given the rest to someone else not dieting. Husband, friend, coworker? That's what I do. The people closest to me love it when I give them goodies! This is going to be something you encounter for the rest of your life. It is how you handle these situations that will determine your success. Good luck to you!!

Mindful_Trent

I would've said that I had just eaten and wasn't hungry, but thanked him for the eggrolls. I then would've tried to find someone else who would eat them (my brother is great for that! :laugh: ). You probably could've eaten ONE and been okay, but 4 is a bit much! If he later asked if I liked them, I would've probably said that I had one and it was wonderful, so I decided to share them since I'm on a diet and trying to watch calories.

Elizabeth_C34

I think it would be very rude to entirely refuse them for health reasons. Eat 1 or maybe a half, then save the rest for later or give them to someone else.

nhendri

ooh I have this issue with my coworkers and clients. At least once a week someone brings in treats (donuts, candy, bagels, cake, icecream). I alway thank them but do not partake. At first they didnt understand but now they do. Its alot easier and if they want to include me (like for my Bday) they bring a veggie dish. :happy:

NoAdditives

Make sure the people around you know that your watching what you eat, but when someone offers something, especially if it's homemade, just have one. Laying off certain foods is ABSOLUTELY NOT the same as being an alcoholic! If you're diabetic and have to watch your sugar and carb intake, that's different. But if you don't have a health problem, you do need to be polite to friends and family. Have one cookie, or one egg roll. You don't have to overdo it for the sake of someone else's feelings, but doing just enough to make them happy and reward their effort and to let them know you care that they care won't hurt you.

MassiveDelta

First of all never turn down a freshly made AUTHENTIC eggroll/springroll He likely would have been very offended if you had not even tried it. Additionally He and his wife did it out of pure friendship and love.

Here is the deal. For the rest of your life your going to encounter things and situations that could potentially make you gain weight if not handled properly. So you as an individual need to learn to handle them in a healthy way NOT avoid them. Avoiding things doesn't make the problem go away and only you confronting the problem will help you progress and learn from every instance.

I do think you should have eaten one maybe even 2. There is absolutely nothing wrong with indulging in delicious foods. You just have to learn when to say enough is enough and stop. And its each of our own responsibilities to learn when we must say stop not the other people around us. We don't have a right to be rude just because we don't have self control.

kookla33

Thanks everyone for the helpful tips. Yes, this is something I will always struggle with if I want to stay thin. I agree. My challenge now is to have just one and not go into a binge after eating just one! Its really tough when you know people who are amazing cooks!

MassiveDelta

...Laying off certain foods is ABSOLUTELY NOT the same as being an alcoholic!...

I could not agree more this is a recipe for failure at the highest level. Moderation is your key not abstinence!

MassiveDelta

Thanks everyone for the helpful tips. Yes, this is something I will always struggle with if I want to stay thin. I agree. My challenge now is to have just one and not go into a binge after eating just one! Its really tough when you know people who are amazing cooks!

By the way you are so lucky to have a family willing to do that. I used to have a Laotian family that i was close to before I moved and it was amazing the food they would make. I envy you!