OK, so I have been trying to PLAN, PLAN, & PLAN for the Christmas Eve & Christmas day gathering at my moms

I know for sure the ACTUAL meal part isn't going to be that big of a deal to stay on track but ~~~~OH MY GOD... THE SWEETS ~~~
I know I am going to make the Atkins peanut butter fudge for me as well as Atkins cheesecake. For Christmas Eve, I think if I can just navigate around all the homemade candies and cookies (which will be EVERYWHERE ) I can stick to the veggie tray with ham pinwheels and little smokies.
This is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay stressful for me. Top it off with me starting a new job as a floral mgr. in a grocery store (my dept. is right next to the deli & bakery...double ) and I can see T~R~O~U~B~L~E on the horizon.................sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Anyone have any ideas???

Hey Islandchick.

This is how I view these sorts of situations....with the attitude of, "oh boy, how many really expensive Atkins-approved stuff will I be able to eat there?....for free?"

When my son got married in August...sure, I couldn't eat quite of few of the lovely things at the reception. BUT.....I went crazy at the seafood bar where they had rock crab claws, jumbo shrimp, Alaskan king crab legs, raw oysters, etc.....things I could rarely afford to buy for myself.

Any opportunity to eat really expensive approved items, that I cannot usually afford to eat very often....is great fun for me. Things like expensive seafood/shellfish, prosciutto/mozzarella rolls, lox pinwheels or any sort of lox, expensive cheeses, expensive cuts of meat, exotic grilled vegetables, etc.

Most of us are busy...with jobs, etc....and don't really have time to make all sorts of fancy variations of Atkins-approved foods....not to mention, being able to regularly afford many of the ingredients. Who can afford to buy prime rib or jumbo shrimp very often? And IMO, variation is the key when it comes to sticking with the plan.....and any opportunity to get something different, something we did not make ourselves or was professionally prepared, something we could not usually afford....can be a real help with maintaining variety.

So this is how I view parties, huge family or holiday dinners, eating out, etc....as an opportunity to get something different....and hopefully, something quite expensive that I love but can rarely afford. Heck, even backyard family barbecues can provide all sorts of grilled meats and who the heck normally has time to cook out on the grill regularly? And I focus on that, rather than on all the stuff I won't be able to have.

See...I would have told you to prepare things you know are allowed and take them with you so you'll have something to eat there. But to me, that's no fun. I get to eat my own food all the time. The fun is in getting to eat stuff I didn't make....and in my experience, there is ALWAYS something, often quite a few things, we can eat at these parties, dinners, etc.

deena

(I luv Christmas)

Islandchick, you've done so well, don't let tacky bakery food mess you up...generally bakery food looks and smells waaaaaay better than it tastes. I'm trying to focus less on food in general...since I know there are entire categories of food I'm never eating again on a regular basis, I seem to be thinking about food less and less. I just don't obsess about it every day as I used to...meat and salad, chicken and veggies, fish and veggies, cream cheese something...it's not terribly exciting.

Deena's right, though, about enjoying the "expensive" part. So, relax, focus on non-food aspects of visiting your mom and friends...it's not really about food. Get something awesome to wear - even it's only an accessory or a new eyeshadow or glittery nail polish...and focus on how great you look! Right now I have a gorgeous lace blouse I haven't been able to wear for five or six years hanging outside of my closet - I'm wearing it Christmas Eve!

I'm taking a dozen of those fabulous cheesecake muffins, chocolate no less, with me as my Christmas sweets. They're amazing topped with whipped cream.