Holy cow this is going to be an interesting month for me. I feel very strong and committed to this program right now but check out what I've got coming up in the next few weeks.......

Tonight: DF's company party. Lots of free drinks & food. A very social atmosphere. They are a bunch of partiers.

Friday night: Concert. I also have about 15 people coming to my house for the "pre-party", then we are heading to the show.

Next weekend: We are going to Florida for 5 days for some fun in the sun!! It is our 7-year anniversary. The weather here in Des Moines has been pretty awful so I can't wait.

Feb 23rd: Girls's night out. I've already bowed out of the bar-hopping so everyone is coming to my house for a few.

This is going to be very interesting....one step at a time right? Tonight is the party. I am not going to drink at all and will eat before I go.

Thank god we've decided to skip Valentine's Day. We're going to celebrate while in Florida since we will be there 2 days later.

What challenges to you guys have this month? How do you plan to handle them?

Wow,

You certainly have a lot going on. Just stay positive and focused. Most of all plan ahead

Jill, Man oh Man can I relate to that. My company party was last Friday, the next day was my birthday, then the day after that the superbowl (and my DH is a huge football fan who EXPECTS to have stuff to eat for the big game) and now Wednesday is my daughter's birthday, and the only thing she really wanted was to go out to eat at the fondue restaurant.


So anyway, I did not make it through the weekend perfectly, but I did OK. You can't look at it if you eat one thing off plan that the whole diet is ruined, since it is not. So just do your best. I find I do best if I severely limit my drinking and if I don't go to a big event very hungry. So don't go to the party starved. Go to the bar and order a club soda with lime, so you have a drink, since many people will try to get you something to drink if you do not have one in your hand, and it is easy to be weak when someone tries to get you something (I tend to just say yes myself, so having something in your hand is a defense against that).

If you are hosting the get together, you can make it all on plan stuff... I have taken on plan treats to pot lucks, and really no one knows or if they do know they are more likely to eat it. You are not the only one who has to watch what they eat. Most likely all your girls will think it is a great idea too. I know that there are some great recipes out there.

I did like the diet tonic water with a wedge of lime at a party recently. Felt very much like a drink, since I wouldn't normally drink that.

As far as traveling goes... If you are driving, pack an ice chest. Perhaps you can entice your BF to eat on plan with you for breakfast and snacks. I brought yogurt and fruit and bars with me on a trip. We ate breakfast in the room with the yogurt and fruit and had two snacks a day. It saved some money (which is generally how you get my DH to agree to this plan). They have a lot of ice at hotels, and you can refresh your ice chest easily. I just have to say that packing pears was a bad call. They looked pretty unedible after being in an ice chest for a few days. Oranges did well. If you are flying, perhaps packing a bit of dried fruit, so you at least have something that could be on plan. Really hard to get fruit at a restaurant. If they have it, often times it is served with ice cream.

Anyway, you can enjoy yourself, socialize and even go out and eat, and still stay on plan, or at least very close to it. If you slip in these situations, just try to learn from it so you can do better next time, and get back on plan. It is what you do most days that counts the most.

I agree with Barbara. Just because you don't have a perfect day OP isn't reason to give up. If you are going to make this a way of life, you have to expect ups and downs, good days and bad - treats, parties, etc. are part of life. It is what you are doing the majority of the time that makes the difference.

I totally agree.. If you beat yourself up, you're more likely to fail in the long run, giving into feelings of lower self esteem... "I can't do it, so why bother trying"...

So you screwed up.. Fine.. No move on and get back on the horse.. We all have bad days.. The trick is not to have bad days in a row, and to take victories whenever and wherever you can!

I think that this whole month is going to be an eye-opener for me. This program is a complete life-style change and I am learning how to incorporate it into my life. For the 1st month, I sequestered myself and now that I'm emerging back into the social circuit, these challenges are hitting me like a freight train.

You're totally right Dan, I need to focus on the small victories. I had a couple of beers last night at the party. 2 Light Beers. I was beating myself up for that and almost fogot that I did not touch the buffet food. We ate a healthy sensible dinner that we prepared at home before we went. That is a HUGE victory. In the past, I would have taken this as a "cheat day" and just went completely wild at the party.

And only 2 beers is kind of a big deal too. I said "no" to shots that were offered and after I finished my 2nd beer, I switched to water. Good thing I did 'cuz my DF imbibed a little too much so I turned into designated driver. This was definately a 1st. I am usually the one who drinks too much.

Not being hungover today at work feels pretty awesome too! I'm surprising myself.

That's the way to look at it Jill!! Right on!

Now you have to focus on saving starches so those two beers fit closer to plan.

Wow.. Way to go on forgoing the buffet food.. Usually, I'd pick that over the beer (and I'm a guy!!)