On Saturday I'm going home for Spring Break. It will be my first trip home since starting Atkins, and I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to deal with it. Everyone in my family is a total foodie, and there is going to be so much carby deliciousness around. Part of the reason I'm going home is for Passover, so there are going to be a couple of huge family dinners at my house. I was thinking that maybe I could try to make myself a couple of low carb desserts so that I wouldn't feel left out or deprived or anything. The second reason for the trip home is that my entire family (grandparents, cousins, etc.) is going to Las Vegas for my grandfather's 80th birthday, so I'm also going to have to stay on track while there. My main reason for concern is that last year when I went home for Passover I was on Weight Watchers, but by the time the week was over I had completely given it up. Decided that I'd rather just enjoy the holiday with my family instead of obsessing over what I could and couldn't eat. I think I'm happier doing Atkins, and I'm hoping that it won't have to be a huge deal. After all, it is a holiday that bans bread for a week, so maybe they'll mesh well together. Okay, sorry to have written such a novel, but if anyone has any advice or has faced similar sittuations I'd love to hear.
Thanks
Abbie

Abbie: So there will not be any bread....what about those potato pancakes! Yikes, I love those it would be hard. I would definitely make some desserts that you can have and try very hard to stick as close to plan as you can.

I also just remembered a soup that a friend of mine makes for her holiday dinners.....uh oh, could you just live with having the broth?

Abbie: How has your family responded to your new WOE? Are they supportive? If so, that sure makes things a lot easier. I actually do better when I'm around my family because they all know I'm doing this WOE, and with the compliments they give me, I just can't let them down!

Holidays are hard, though. I thought for sure at Thanksgiving, I was going to have to break down and have a piece of pecan pie and some sweet potato casserole. I just thought it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it. Well, I avoided both, and you know what? It was still an enjoyable holiday, and I didn't feel like I was missing out. Can you look for low-carb substitutes for the foods they'll be eating?

Be sure and enjoy the holiday and the time with your family!

OH GC!! all I can think about is macaroon's

Okay this is good, what you need is a game plan. Can you bring and make things so that you don't go nuts. How about packing a few atkins shakes or lc chocolate bars, pork rinds, almonds, so when they are all eating high sugar stuff, you can whip out a candy bar and say neeener neeeener neeener !!!!! Bring some LC bread and lc pnut butter.

You can do it girlie, oh yes you can. Being prepared is all you need to do. Make a list of things you'll make there or bring, how about making it there just go shopping b/4 you get to the house, this way your sure they will have stuff you need.

But mostly enjoy your family, thats what the holidays are about. We need to get our minds off the food and focus on the meaning of being together.

Your doing wonderful and I know your gonna come thru this w/flying colors

Hugs !!!

Hey, GC, have you checked this out?

Atkin's Passover Recipes

It may come in handy for you

Thank you all for the inspiration!
You've made me feel at least a little bit more confidant about going home. The fam knows all about Atkins. Both my parents have done it before. My mom is currently on South Beach. She's generally pretty good about accomidating what I'll eat. Last year she just told me to go out and buy what I could eat so she didn't have to worry about it. On the flip side, diets are a little bit taboo in my family. They're sort of seen as caving in to low self-esteem and superficiality.
I've made a list of things I can eat at the Seders, and a lot of it shouldn't present that much of a problem. I can have the fish, the vegetables, the eggs, hopefully at least one of the meats, and the soup (sans matzo ball). I've decided that I'm not going to stress out about going overboard on green vegetables, or other low carb items, and I'm going to marshall all my willpower for staying away from dessert. And, I've come to the conclusion that vacation might be a really good thing, becuase there'll be fewer leftover sweets around, which is really what killed me last year. I'm not going to hold myself to any kind of overly rigid standard, and just try to do my best.

Hi there,

I too will be celebrating Passover in a few days and I know I will have to make some "revisions" but I don't think it will be too hard???

As we are already avoiding bread/starches that part won't be a problem - just keep eating your protein/veggies whatever they may be!

While I might make the traditional matzo ball soup for the family - I will just have clear soup..... and as for desserts? Need to be creative - e.g. whipping cream whipped w/sf flavored syrup should work (e.g. sf mousse). I have not check out the Atkins recipes yet - but I will try to make some sf charoseth if possible? I think it will be hard to avoid eating it as I love it soooo much! I will probably have the few bites of matzo at the seder and of course lots of wine?

Good luck!

Froufy

"On the flip side, diets are a little bit taboo in my family. They're sort of seen as caving in to low self-esteem and superficiality" ok. for some reason that just struck me as wrong. If a doctor had prescribed you to eat this way they'd think nothing of it. But because you choose to eat healthier it's seen as wrong? Hmm..tell them it's not a diet but a different way of eating

Brenda,
It would be an entirely different sittuation if I were on a diet as per medical advice. My parents are both doctors, and would be completely supportive if it were a health issue. But, truth be told, I'm not seriously overweight, and physically and cardiovascularly I'm in pretty decent shape. The only reason I'm on a diet is because I'd like to be happier with the way my body looks. I'm completely comfortable with the fact that I'm dieting to conform to socieity's image of beauty. Our soicety has a rough paradox in that it's both important to be thin and beautiful, and that it's important to loves one's own body. I'm admitting that I can't live within that paradox. I understand where my family is coming from, and in a perfect world I wouldn't give a damn about what I look like and devote all my mental energy to gaining a better comprehension of Lacante and solving world hunger. So in large part my worry about going home is based on the knowledge that being around my smart, un-superficial family is going to blatantly expose my own superficiality and trivialize it.

Froufy, I know you'll do good

to all you who are staying OP during the holidays.

Genghis: I can totally relate to your description. I used to want to look good because "thin was in". Now I decided I just want to be healthy for myself, and if losing weight does the trick then that's great.

Hope you enjoy your time at home and that it's not as stressful for you