LITERALLY CRAPPING MYSELF :( :(

just enjoy it. in your photo you look great, its your birthday. enjoy it, quit freaking out. not everyday is perfect. happy birthday!

One day is NOT going to hurt in the long run. It's your 21st......for goodness sake get out there and enjoy this one special day!!!!

Have a fab birthday :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Sue x

I suspected the thread was about Alli, which has a reputation for making folks crap themselves. :laugh:

If i am allowed one day off in my entire year, and even life, it should be this. But im still absolutely dreading it.

Who said that you only get one "day off" a year? It's okay to indulge once in a while. One day will not undo weeks, or even days, of "behaving". Personally, being able to enjoy myself and not count the cals once in a while helps me stay sane, and keep plugging along the rest of the time.

Oh, and Happy Birthday! :drinker:

I know how you feel. It's hard to give yourself even one day sometimes, since ED thoughts are something that are always there, even if it's not a conscious thing.

I remember staying at my grandmother's house for my birthday one year and telling her I didn't want a cake. Her sister decided to bake one anyway. It did not end well. Lots of crying and I was such a horrible person because I couldn't get myself to eat a piece of cake without freaking out over it.

Best thing to do though, is to find out what you can eat and enjoy without feeling guilty over it. I usually just go for a steak and steamed vegetables, since I like it and the calories aren't very high.

Most restaurants will accommodate special diets. If you let them know you have diet restrictions and what you want they will make it. If you want grilled chicken with steamed veggies they can do it for you. Don't stress over food... step back, take a deep breath and relax. You know what you should eat, just let the restaurant know and you will be fine. It's a win/win for everyone

So...why are you going out to eat for two meals if you hate eating out??????????? Makes no sense to me-if you're celebrating your birthday, why wouldn't you plan something you enjoy?

It is quite a rare occasion that we are all home together, so it is nice to do something together. Plus everyone else enjoys eating out, and it's my twin's birthday just as much as mine and she is really looking forward to it so i don't wan't to flake out and be pathetic and ruin it.

As for my other meal out, it is a good friend that i don't see all that often and we have been agreeing to go out for lunch for a while but i keep bailing when i can't justify it. And i thought my birthday would be a good excuse and the most justifiable

go out for coffee with your friend...or to a movie, or walk around the mall together...it's about the time spent together talking and catching up, not about the "lunch". Every time someone says "Wanna do something?" it tends to involve FOOD. Make it your mission to find OTHER things to do together!

As for the dinner with your family and twin...tell the server you are gluten free, have a huge green salad, dressing on the side, no croutons or anything...find some kind of chicken dish and order it plain, no butter or sauces, ask for your veggies steamed, no butter....
But most of all, ENJOY the time with your family!

omg i can't stop laughing at this topic title
LITERALLY CRAPPED YOURSELF?

I can understand that it will be hard - I have to go out for lunch on Nov. 30th and already wrote the restaurant asking them how much calories their food has, it is Vapiano and I know that their past and pizzas don't have as much calories as most do, but still - but like others said, enjoy eating out with your family. You don't have to go overboard. Just oder something you maybe haven't eaten in a while and enjoy it.

We can eat all we want, just in moderation. And you look fabulous (from your picture) and this day won't ruin anything.
you deserver to be happy and to enjoy your and your twins big day. Don't let food and eating out ruin your big day!

So far you must have done great with your eating disorders and you face the problems laying ahead of you. Now focus on not letting the fear get you down. You are strong and you can do it!!! Believe in yourself.

As for the dinner with your family and twin...tell the server you are gluten free, have a huge green salad, dressing on the side, no croutons or anything...find some kind of chicken dish and order it plain, no butter or sauces, ask for your veggies steamed, no butter....
But most of all, ENJOY the time with your family!

Actually, often chicken breasts and other meats are marinated in things, so calling ahead or at least having a serious discussion with the server is really REALLY important. Not sure if the OP has been diagnosed for long, and not sure if you are GF either, but the lists of gluten containing foods in many restaurants can be really depressing. It is also really depressing to go out for dinner with a bunch of people and only be able to eat a green salad with a boring dressing. If you plan ahead and talk to them usually they will accommodate and make something appealing that is WORTH going out to eat and paying for.

Ashleigh,

Do you really think that eating out on your 21st Bday is really going to mess up your eating disorders and make you gain immense amount of weight? The chances are, you will "physically" crap yourself out, if you know what I mean (joking). I had a visiting friend from South Carolina for 4 days and I ate out 2 days in a row. As I was eating out, I tried to keep what I ate at home at the bare minimum and guess what? No weight gain whatsoever! Although, I did have to go to bathroom a few times to take care of that eaten food!

All you need to understand is that you gain weight by keeping up an unhealthy lifestyle. That means eating a lot, or eating unhealthy, or not exercising as much as you should. My advice is let it go, and don't bother bringing it up in your family as it will create issues and not make your birthday worthwhile. Mark my words, YOU WILL BE ALRIGHT if you eat decent because next day you will eat normal again and go back to your current lifestyle.

Am I the only one that thought this was going to be an Alli post?

Okay so maybe my choice of title wasn't the best!
sorry if you were disappointed and wanted a topic about me pooing myself, that fortunately hasn't happened.

When I read your title the first thing that popped into my head was "Uh oh, someone must have tried Alli". It wouldn't be a stretch, I've seen several posts about that on here. I'm glad you picked out that one sentence from my post and were some how offended by it and completely ignored the part where I was on topic and wishing you well. I guess next time I'll learn not to take your post so......literally.

I hope you have a great birthday...Peace.

You might want to check the literal meaning of 'literally'.....

Hey Twin, I'm a twin too. I know it must be hard for you to not have the control that you want. Do you have any faith? May I reccomend that you give your worries/cares/stresses to God and really give it to him and then enjoy your time. If you are in the middle of ordering and things start to creep back in you just close your eyes take a big deep breath and give it right back. It won't be your problem to worry about. You can relax and eat a good healthy meal and spend time with the family and get through the day.

Stop stressing about ruining it for your family. They love you and want to you be healthy and happy. That's truly what we want for our childern. Hang in there and good luck.

I went on vacation for two weeks this summer and ate every single meal out - three meals a day, breakfast - lunch - dinner, every single day. One of my travel companions has celiac disease and cannot have gluten at all, even in microscopic quantities. He also ate every single meal out for 14 straight days. That's 42 restaurant meals in a row.

I actually continued to lose weight on vacation and my companion was able to avoid gluten completely. Most restaurants , even the small family-run ones, were aware of gluten-free eating and were easily able to accommodate his needs.

You will be fine! Go out and enjoy your birthday!