Holidays

I recently read a good article on CNN about how Holidays are especially hard on those who have, or are recovering from, eating disorders. So much of family gatherings are centered around food and around food-related traditions. This fact tends to make those with eating issues feel very isolated, worried, and anxious about how to handle the whole situation without calling attention to themselves. After reading this article I was determined not to let my history with disordered eating get in the way of the holiday, but at the same time I was going to try not to let myself get thrown into the "over-eating because it's a special occasion and I want to look normal" for 4-5 days followed by "uh-oh I've gained 3 lbs I have to starve myself " for the subsequent week or two. 

As I've mentioned before, I'm good at the extremes. What I'm not good at, and have been fighting hard to attain, is moderation. That said, today has been somewhat of a success. Ryan and I are up at his folks' house in Ohio and for the trip I packed some healthy snacks and a turkey & swiss sandwich on WW bread for lunch.


Dinner Night 1:
Dinner was a little trickier. We ordered pizza from Pizza Hut, which is not exactly full of nutritional benefit. However, the pizza was thin-crust (my fav!), and had green peppers, red onions, and chicken on it...all of which I love while cutting down on a few of the calories and simultaneously adding a bit of protein.

Pizza: Delicious

Learning flexibility -- even in the smallest ways -- has been really helpful for me. I used to literally eat the same foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner without variation. I would get overly stressed when I had to eat something different. Now that I've been trying different foods over the past several months, and realizing that I can eat different foods and different amounts without changing my weight, I've been a lot more comfortable with experimenting. The scientist in me likes to experiment and this is what I'm seeing this holiday trip as in terms of my diet: it's an experiment for me to see how healthily I can eat, while still maintaining the flexibility that a holiday with family needs to run smoothly. Wish me luck!