[Allikat]

Help! I have a family reunion this upcoming weekend that is 8 hours away. I just had a housewarming party this past weekend and put on 2 lbs from that, and I'm afraid that this weekend is going to do even more damage! I know it's going to be a big eat-fest...so does anyone have some portable food ideas that I could bring to snack on instead of the usual junk? I'm thinking maybe bringing one of those pre-cut things of carrots and celery,... I'm just worried about the temptation of the naughty stuff versus the stuff that I should be eating!

[holicanmc]

I don't have any suggestions food-wise except for something like a veggie tray but there was a thread similar to this the other day here. I hope that link works.

Whatever you do decide to bring/eat make sure it is something you enjoy so you don't get upset that everyone else is eating yummy stuff and you're not.

Also, does it have to be portable? Because if it was me I'd do a quick 5-10 minute grocery stop when I got there to pick up stuff that I want to eat that isn't easily portable, like fish or something. Whenever I visit my parents for the weekend I go grocery shopping as soon as I get there so I'm not limited to what they eat.

[almostheaven]

I carry apples with me a lot of places. My reunion is coming up end of August and I plan on eating. I'm not going to obsess over it and eat what I want. Just don't go overboard. If you fill up before you go, take some apples to help keep you full, fill up on low cal stuff at the reunion first, that will help.

As for this weekend, I doubt you could gain 2 pounds in one weekend unless you ate 24/7. You would have had to have consumed over 10,000 calories in order to do that. It's more likely you ate stuff high in sodium and you're retaining water weight.

[NinaV]

I have been eating a lot of this lately and it's yummy and pretty healthy.

Chop english cucumbers in to bite size pieces
Chop about the same amount of tomatoes,
Chop finely a bunch of dill
Mix everything, sprinkle some salt (Mrs. Dash "It's a dilly" mix if you need to watch sodium), little spritz of olive oil (depends on hom much of this stuff you're making, but you really don't need much you can even skip this step). Mix everything and enjoy. You can really get full on this stuff and get away with relatively few calories. Obviously, if you eat a bucket full, it still adds up, but a good 2-3 cups is just a bit over 120 calories (depending on the use of olive oil), and by the time you had 2-3 cups you're feeling pretty full. I know it's not exactly "portable", but I've been bringing it to pot-lucks at my work and people can't get enough of it.

Hope this helps.

[Allikat]

Thanks for the suggestions. My mom is trying to watch her weight too, so I think the two of us will go to the grocery store when we get there. The reunion is in a super, super small town in North Dakota, and I wonder what sort of diet-friendly food they will have at the grocery store! Fruits and veggies obviously...I think I may run to Whole Foods today and pick up some Mr. Krispers. They are brown rice crackers in BBQ, Sour Cream and Onion and Nacho flavor. 35 crackers has like 110 calories, so at least I can join in when everyone else is munching on yummy chips and stuff.

[kristine724]

I just got back from my family reunion last week. Each dinner meal that we all had together included a large green salad, with shredded carrots & zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, and low calorie dressing choices. We did alot of BBQing, so the salad was nice to have, everyone (even the ones who don't diet or watch their food intake) loved the salad. I also made sure that there were alot of fruits and vegetables around to snack on.

Even with this though, I didn't do so good. I didn't exercise at all, just relaxed and layed by the pool or did shopping with my 4 sisters. I had lost 9 lbs, and got back Sunday and weighed myself, I gained back 7 lbs!!! Back to the beginning, but I'm glad that I am able to come here a get refocused on being healthy.

[freiamaya]

It is SO hard to munch responsibly when everyone else is snacking on chips and dip and junky stuff. I know I always show up with carrots and celery, but wind up breaking down and going for the chips and dip, and THEN feel crappy for the rest of the week. SO, to minimize the damage, why not try some hummus and bite-sized pitas (feels in a way like chips and dip), salsa and baked tortilla chips (may not be as strict as you want, BUT at least you are mitigating damage!), and try going to a WW site and finding a low fat, low-cal cookie that you can make and bring with you. By all means, bring the veggies and fruit, but this way, if you waver, you will have some healthy options that will help you feel UNdeprived, like you fit in, and you won't have any regrets about what you ate.
Best of luck...