How do you handle indulgences/celebrations?

:flowerforyou: .the more I read about healthy eating, the less willing I am to eat the foods that will slowly kill me silently from the inside. The more I know about the effects of sugar and white flour and fried foods, the more I want to stay away from them and eat only nutrition dense foods that contribute to my health and longevity. I gave up alcohol when it caused me problems and four years ago I made the decision to say no to birthday cake......I go to many special events and don't eat or drink anything but bottled water.:bigsmile:

I can't agree that it's just one day and you should just go crazy. I really think it all depends on the person. Some people may be able to just let loose and eat all they want and jump back on the wagon the next day with no problems, then there's some people that may feel an overwhelming sense of disgust towards themselves and struggle to get back on because they figure, there's more celebrations I have to go to so what's the point. For example, during holidays at the end of the year. You have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and of course New Years. That's why alot of people want to start after New Years, when there's less celebrations.

On a personal standpoint I've decided not to have cheat days or self-indulge on a celebration becasue for me it's a mental battle. Once I let go of the discipline i'm building I'm worried I may keep going down that route again because I've learned what my struggles are. And for me it was over-indulgence and lack of self-control, which I'm happy to say I have slowly but surely been overcoming. I've learned to keep certain things out of my home because if it's readily available, I will readily eat it. When there is a celebration, like the other day my family had the 1st BBQ of the year, I didn't want it to be an excuse to over eat because I know there will be plenty more where that came for. I therefore went shopping and bought healthier stuff such as turkey burgers, 2% cheese, sandwich thins, etc. You just have to learn what your weaknesses are and be prepared to fight them off. But like I said earlier, if you're the kind of person that has no problem jumping back on the next day then more power to you. Unfortunately for me, I'm not there yet.

:flowerforyou: .the more I read about healthy eating, the less willing I am to eat the foods that will slowly kill me silently from the inside. The more I know about the effects of sugar and white flour and fried foods, the more I want to stay away from them and eat only nutrition dense foods that contribute to my health and longevity. I gave up alcohol when it caused me problems and four years ago I made the decision to say no to birthday cake......I go to many special events and don't eat or drink anything but bottled water.:bigsmile:

I really love your response because for many people the battle of food goes beyond over eating. I'm not knocking anyone who can indulge on a cheat day, I just know I can't for my own sake and some other people are the same. But that doesn't mean you can't still have fun with your family and friends. Def eat what you know you can before you leave. Carry your healthy snacks with you. And realize there's more tor a celebration than just food.

I honestly eat lighter the rest of the day (but don't go hungry by any means) and then enjoy the heck out of the meal out/celebration/whatever is going on and then the next day just start fresh!

I have one meal a week that I eat whatever I feel like, usually pasta with cream sauce and dessert too. I'm going to eat things like that occasionally the rest of my life so I'm not going to stop now! It's been working thus far...I hope it continues! haha

I tend to stick to the all thing in moderation thing...IMO, one day is in moderation, but that's just my opinion. When I do over indulge, I just carry on with life with no guilt, no regrets......the emotional effects of guilt and regret far out weigh the extra calories I put in my mouth, but that's just me.

This is a life style change, and the bottom line is you have to figure out what's best for you, and what you can, or can not handle both physically and emotionally. I'm new at this "getting healthy" thing (I really don't have that much weight to lose, I'm basically here because I was a 48 year old couch potato who recently quit smoking and realized I need to make healthier choices), so my opinion really might not count for much.

If you're a normal person, what you can and can not handle may change from time to time, and you'll have to adjust to that. The only thing I can say is....DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP over any of it, that will only make it worse!!

Edited to add....my 22 year old son spent the night at my house last night, and wanting to give him a treat, I cooked bacon and eggs for his breakfast.....my breakfast ended up being half of my calorie goal for today....so I've got the rest of the day to eat only 750 calories, and that's AFTER 20 minutes of circuit training....I really don't think that's going to happen, so I'm just going to chalk it up to "moderation" and go about the rest of the day as usual!!