I CAN RELATE!

My family loves to graze. We don't eat out, but we eat junk food ALL DAY when we get together! We have to be careful to do this only a few times a year. What makes it difficult, is that I've learned this habit, and my husband works out very hard, and he eats junk food without gaining AN OUNCE! I hate it! I gained 50 pounds since we started dating from grazing on his type of food and eating out. Now I just WATCH as he devours ice cream, cookies, chips, and pizza. ALL in one sitting! The turd has a 6-pack! ARG!

His family loves eating out, and so does he. It's got to be their favorite thing to do. There's no getting around it. But they don't graze like my family, so whatever. I've snuck in "budgeting" being the issue as opposed to the "food" being the issue in our home, because he's in miraculous health, yet eats like a pig whenever he gets the opportunity.

I've learned to just be quiet, and order a salad at the restaurant. His niece once told me that I can't eat healthy all the time (she's 7), and sadly I replied, "I can do whatever I want. You can eat pancakes and candy for lunch, and I can eat a salad." haha- I'm a freaking jerk.

Now 5 months later, and 18 pounds lighter, people are truly following suit, and they ask me where we can go out to eat that won't be a problem for my diet. :-) I like to go to cafes that have healthy salads, and I custom order my plate if there's cheese, fattening dressing, or croutons.

Occassionally though, I have the damn cheese or fatty dressing! :P But only every once in a while. I try to stay strict 100% of the time, because 5% of the time you just can't help yourself! :-)

Good luck! It sucks, but eventually being food-a-phobic to mainstream food becomes habitual, and falling off the wagon occassionally doesn't hurt you as long as it doesn't become a habit. (shhh... I ate an entire box of chocolates last week in a sitting, and lost the weight this week).