I have had an interesting week and it has been filled with such great things- like a 3lb weight loss (I am doing a happy dance now). I am officially 15lbs down which is so great and I am feeling really good however there are still stumbling blocks and one of them is hanging out with my friends (do not freak out if you are my friend just keep reading). I love to hang with my friends and I especially love to hang out after church on a Saturday Night. Also, I am really fond of movies and all the goodies that the concession stand offers at crazy prices and sizes- seriously a small drink is the size of a sand pail and costs $5 and the popcorn is crazy big and requires a dolly to get it in the theatre.
So this is me being completely honest about the Movie Smorgasbord- this girl could eat a bag of M&Ms and Buttered Popcorn at the movies and top it off with water or a diet coke (we would not want additional calories – LOL) and still be hungry.
Let’s breakdown a Friday Night with my friends at the movies. This would mean dinner before- and lets say I ate a a Chimichanga (just because that is so fun to say), chips and Salsa and then I waddle on over to the theatre and order some plain M&Ms and water — check this out:
- 12 Tortilla Chips =170 calories (Who am I kidding lets be on the conservative side and say 24 Chips at 340 calories and heaven forbid your finger is on a chip if I am going to get my chip and I might take your finger too)
- Salsa 1/4 Cup = 10 Calories ( whatever just round this up to 2 Cups at 80 Calories)
- 1 Chimichanga= 465 Calories (Not counting the rice, beans, guacamole bringing in 395 just on the sides for a total of 860 in calories)
- Total Dinner Calories for Angie- 1280 (Holy Moly people I have not made to the theatre! Side note- you know those electric pony rides you could put a quarter in the coin slot and ride for 5 min at the grocery store– I am thinking I should get an eliptical machine for outside of restaurants and charge .50 for people to work out some of what they just ate)
- Plain M& M- 735 Calories ( if I get crazy and get a small popcorn without butter and dump my M&Ms on it 1145 or if I change my mind and get butter I am at 1365 calories)
- Total Calories between 6pm- 10pm =2015 less the popcorn (I did not even add up what I stuck in my mouth at breakfast, lunch and in between)
So when I met with Ryan at Jenny Craig today she asked what was my biggest hurdle? I told her that it is not losing pounds, it is losing friends because I cannot eat out and I am becoming a party pooper (This conversation is in my head- none of my friends have or would say this– but I feel this way). I feel this way because I am ashamed to say I cannot go into a restaurant without ordering something yummy and I am ashamed because I do not have the discipline to push the plate away even if I am full– does this make me weak? Yes, it makes me weak but I can change this and become disciplined in my life and when I stumble I can pick myself up and do it better next time. Ryan said my goal this week is to figure out how to socialize without food, and then she went on to say that obesity has increased because we associate socializing with food. My Consultant then made suggestions about going bowling, playing board games, going to a movie and taking my planned snack with me (this will be done because I am seeing Captain America this week).
So I have come up with some alternatives to eating out and still being social:
- Movies (Go and take your own snack– the concessions are overpriced anyway and no one has frisked me at the theatre yet)
- Play a game outside (golf, tennis, kickball, anything to keep the Jiggly parts moving)
- Go to Starbucks (order water or something non-caloric and hang and save on teeth bleaching)
- Go workout together (Nothing like huffing, puffing, and having your underarms stink to high heaven to say ” You are my friend because I would let no one else see me looking a hot mess”)
- Play a game inside (Scrabble, Monopoly, WII)
The bottom line is that a healthy lifestyle has to involve a healthy relationship with food as well as my friends. Honestly I cannot have a life without the people around me so I have to figure out how to lose weight and not become the weight loss hermit that only appears out from under the bridge on the occasions that do not involve food. Funny thing is I thought about Jesus when Ryan was talking to me about hanging out my friends at Restaurants. I thought to myself- Jesus hung out a lot and ate with people on many occasions, but he walked everywhere and he did not have Chimichangas and Popcorn to contend with in those days. So if I am to be successful, I am going to have to figure out how to hang with my friends even when they ask to eat out and not be a slave to my food or be afraid that I may eat something I should not. I have to have discipline over my flesh and just say no to food and yes hanging out with the people who love me and are my biggest cheerleaders– but I am okay if you want to go bowling instead of eating out.
