Happy 4th of July everyone! On this great day in history we should all be celebrating our independence with our friends and family, but I just cannot get into the spirit.

Why?

I do not feel "independent" from my food addiction. I am dreading going to a family gathering solely because of all the food that will be there. I fear that one single, unknown, trigger food will set me off and I will ruin the whole day, which will then turn into the whole week if not longer.

My question to everyone is how do you cope with events such as this where food is involved? What advice do you guys have?

Thanks!

I don't eat the foods that I know I can't limit myself (cookies, brownies, etc). At gatherings, I tend to think "If I don't eat this now, there will be NONE left, so I must eat it because I'll never have it again!!". I try to remind myself that the world is not in a cookie shortage, and if I REEEEEALLY want to eat it, I can get it on the way home. How many times have I stopped on the way home? Not once.

I just continue to eat veggies, fruits, etc. Luckily, my friends tend to have a good spread of healthy options.

I'm also planning on eating really well earlier in the day so I can have a little leeway for this afternoon and evening. This morning I had an egg white scramble and veggies. I'll eat very light (lean protein and veggies), so I can enjoy a few drinks, some BBQ, and a few snacks this evening. I'm also going to play in the pool so I can burn off a few of those calories!

Thanks for the advice I wil try to keep that in mind. I totally agree with your statement, "If I don't eat this now, there will be NONE left, so I must eat it because I'll never have it again!!" I have the same mentality, but I will try today and see how it goes

LOL