I've been trying to figure out how to manage Easter Sunday and dinner with the family. There will be plenty of protein- always is, but much of it isn't on plan (sausage, cabbage rolls, etc). Of course there will be sweets- not really a concern, oddly enough. It's more the dinner with sides that I'm trying to figure out. I can take something- usually I'm asked to bring a salad, but 99% of the food won't be OK for me.

Honestly, a part of me is saying "it's just one meal, eat what you want", but that's old thinking and I'd like to find a way to stay on plan and be satisfied. I'd love to hear what everyone else is planning to do!

I'm actually planning on taking Easter weekend off, but I also planned that before I even started IP. I needed to make a shorter term goal and for me I decided I would get to easter take the weekend "off" (I still plan on trying to eat mor protein than anything but will indulge in some festive favorites).
BUT this obviously is not everyones plan. I think that Easter shouldn't be too bad to stick OP with. You can eat turkey (or ham) and most ppl serve veggies so you can load up on those. Just steer clear of the chocolate!

We will be traveling to a family gathering 3 hours away, it will be the first time my sister and family, etc have seen me since I started IP, so there will be a built in incentive, since going way off plan would be counter productive and probably not a good example to set since at least two of the relatives have said hearing about my journey so far has been an inspiration to them to get started.

Visualizing, days ahead what I will eat at the feast, is always helpful. When I have gone to something out of my routine, or with unanticipated foods available, espically if it is close to a mealtime for me, and I know I will not be home for awhile it is always much harder.

I will have a RTD choc close at hand if dinner is delayed or I just feel like it might be harder for me than expected. Not sure if there will be celery sticks available so I will bring my own batch of veggies to share with dip I can ignore.

There will be a couple of favorite family holiday foods I am simply going to have to ignore. I've had 'em before and I will again, just not this year.

I will drink my water from a pretty wine glass and salute our Lord and Savior, and my family, also a secret smile and silent salute to what I consider my IP family on this site. It will make me feel like somehow you are all there with me.......all at your own celebrations........but together in our commitment.

Good luck and God bless to all, and to those who will be celebrating that glorious day. Carol

I plan on feigning mild illness Sat. nite so I don't eat anything and then surreptitiously head to the bedroom where my husband and I usually stay and slug down my shakes in private. When we go to the buffet on Sunday, I will put food on my plate but just push it around and "pretend" to eat. I will try to find a few low carb things so I can at least take a few bites. My inlaws think diets are ridiculous and they've seen me lose and gain weight so many times they kind of take the attitude "why bother since u will just gain it back". Or " it's only one day so what's the big deal.". It will just be easier for me if I keep it in the down low.

To be entirly honest I plan on eating what I want because I have Easter, Chistmas, Thanksgiving, anniversary, and my bday. That is only 5 days a year and my bday might be a maybe. To ensure I am eating more healthy I am bringing a few dishes of my own. My family isn't much for veggies on the holidays I think there might be corn and the oh so dreaded green bean cassarole
So I want to bring some veggie stuff I will eat a lot of that because that is what I like but added bonus is my family will have some more healthy choices too!!
I know this probably wasn't much help cause you were wanting to know what people are doing to stay on but I am just counting calories and there is just no way lol with out eating pretty much nothing.

I find everything everyone has said helpful.

I suppose I'm in the place where I have to decide whether to commit to staying OP or not- and how that all comes together. I get that it really is only one meal and I don't have any concern about losing control.

I love to hear what everyone is planning!


Tate for you because I know what it feels like to be judged for attempts at weight loss. Hang in there!

[QUOTE=thumper;3811435] We will be traveling to a family gathering 3 hours away, it will be the first time my sister and family, etc have seen me since I started IP, so there will be a built in incentive, since going way off plan would be counter productive and probably not a good example to set since at least two of the relatives have said hearing about my journey so far has been an inspiration to them to get started.

Visualizing, days ahead what I will eat at the feast, is always helpful. When I have gone to something out of my routine, or with unanticipated foods available, espically if it is close to a mealtime for me, and I know I will not be home for awhile it is always much harder.

I will have a RTD choc close at hand if dinner is delayed or I just feel like it might be harder for me than expected. Not sure if there will be celery sticks available so I will bring my own batch of veggies to share with dip I can ignore.

There will be a couple of favorite family holiday foods I am simply going to have to ignore. I've had 'em before and I will again, just not this year.

I will drink my water from a pretty wine glass and salute our Lord and Savior, and my family, also a secret smile and silent salute to what I consider my IP family on this site. It will make me feel like somehow you are all there with me.......all at your own celebrations........but together in our commitment.

Good luck and God bless to all, and to those who will be celebrating that glorious day. Carol[/QUOTE


Wow Thumper (Carol) you really have given this some thought and have a plan in place. Good you you!!!!! I find that is what works the best for me & so far it has been working.
I admire your strength & determination to succeed...it is an inspiration to all of us.

Happy Easter
Elizabeth

I plan to enjoy some turkey and my veggies....this holiday will NOT set me back at least a week and 100.00, no way. I cleaned out my closet today after trying everything I owned on to find out that 90% of it is now way too big....no better feeling than that. I'll enjoy a fuller Easter dinner next year when I'm at goal

My family all knows I'm on IP and are super supportive- I'll likely bring my own food and munch on whatever I can have (veggies, etc). I have 25 lbs until I'm at goal and I don't want to mess that up! I'll be looking forward to those ham balls and desserts next year...

Thanks much for your support!!!

Right now when it comes to any special family gatherings, I host them. It's easier for me to plan the menu around what I can have than to go somewhere where I don't know what there will be for me to eat. So instead of the usual ham and scalloped potatoes, etc. for Easter. I'm cooking a turkey, cauliflower, salad (and there will still be stuffing, potatoes, etc.) for everyone else. This time isn't potluck but if it was, I would still know what i had to eat.

I love to cook and thankfully I haven't had difficulty with wanting to eat everything I make. That craving is gone for me right now and my focus on this diet is pretty intense.

i know how you feel. my parents berated me for giving away the clothes that are too big. they told me to keep them in a box for when i'm heavy again. i said "nope, not this time." and they replied by basically saying that i would end up needing them again and be upset that i had given them away. it's very difficult when people you want to support you just don't for whatever reason...

i take it as more reason to be successful, both in the short- and long-term.

i wish you all the best.

for us, we are very lucky in that family is all far away. we will simply be having turkey and few side dishes that i control.

I am supposed to bring dessert and dinner rolls to the Easter gathering. I already warned the hostess that I am sticking to my eating plan without being too high maintenance. I am going to eat the ham and bring some mashed cauliflower instead of the cheesy hashbrown casserole and bring my own salad and for dessert I will bring cheesecake and rhubarb topping for everyone else and I will eat my IP vanilla pudding with rhubarb sauce on top. While everyone else is sipping on wine--i will have ice water with lemon in a wine glass I have found I need to plan things out before going out to eat to stay OP. Have a nice Easter everyone!

I am working on my menu, so thought I would share. I am tweaking some of the following recipes to make them IP friendly. I don't know if the links will be removed. They can all be found on myrecipes dot com. Name of recipe in quotes.

1) "Ojai Roast Turkey with Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic"-making this with a bone-in turkey breast since we will be a small crowd. Plan to sub leeks for onions and cut down on the olive oil. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/ojai...10000000600619

2) "Asparagus Amandine". Leaving out almonds, use olive oil sparingly instead of butter. Plan to crunch up some salt and vinegar ridges for the top for that crunch. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/aspa...10000000554746

3) "Braised Zucchini and Leeks". Sub olive oil for butter. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/brai...10000000226702

I will also make some potatoes or sweet potatoes for the rest of the family in addition to a fruit salad for their dessert. I will plan to have raspberry jelly as they eat fruit.

I wish I could believe that "this is REALLY it". I have gained and lost so many times, the cost of hope is just too high for me right now. I will settle for being happy that I am losing, but as my clothes get too big, I WILL be storing them, because 20 years of history is just too strong to deny. Maybe this time though, when I start re-gaining weight, I will address it right away instead of waiting til I have almost 100 pounds to lose! The last time I lost a lot of weight I kept it off for FOUR YEARS. I was sure by year #2, I would NEVER gain it back---I did, though and now I am really glad I kept my "fat clothes" because it saved me big bucks.