Lessons Learned

One of the biggest challenges we can face on this program is attending social functions where everyone is eating food that you are choosing to not eat right now.  That was my situation exactly yesterday!

I attended a dinner meeting for business women last night at a local restaurant.  The menu was determined by the individuals who put the meeting together and it wasn't announced in advance, but I figured there would be something I could eat.  Last month the dinner included steak and fresh vegetables, so I expected something similar again.  I was wrong.  The first course was cream of broccoli soup; I took a couple of bites and set it aside because cream-based soups are one of the foods I avoid (too high in fat and calories).  I drank water and sipped coffee and waited for the main course.  I'd had a crunch bar a couple of hours before my meeting, so I wasn't starving and had no problems skipping the soup.  Then the wait staff came out with the entree - a vegetarian lasagna in a heavy sauce, covered with cheese.  No salad, no vegetables, just the lasagna. 

It's not that I can't eat this kind of food at this point in my life - I don't
WANT to eat it, especially when there's nothing healthy to balance it out.  I knew that the entree was ridiculously high in calories, fat and carbs with very little protein or fiber, and that's not where I choose to spend my calories.  The problem was, I'd paid $25 for this dinner meeting.

I told the waitress that I don't eat pasta and asked if it would be possible to have a grilled chicken breast and some steamed vegetables instead.  One of my friends was sitting next to me and has lost over 70 pounds on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, and she asked for the same thing.  Since the meals were already plated and in the process of being served, the waitress said she wasn't sure they could accommodate our request, but she'd check.  She returned a couple of minutes later to let us know that the chef was preparing two plates just for us!

What was kind of funny was later, when dessert was served.  Trays of the dessert were brought out and mixed in with all of the desserts were two cups of fresh, cut-up fruit - for us!  The waitress whispered that the chef provided fruit for us because the dessert contained wheat.  My girlfriend and I realized that the chef probably thought we were gluten-intolerant and that's why we didn't want the pasta.  That was fine with us!

Now for the lessons I learned :-).  First of all, it really is OK to ask for what we need.  I had no idea if our request could be accommodated, but I figured it was worth asking.  Had we truly been gluten-intolerant, last night's meal would have been impossible.  Individuals with food sensitivities have to ask for what they need to avoid serious reactions, and we have the same right.  So often we hesitate because we don't want to make work for someone, but a restaurant's purpose is to please their customer (and the restaurant last night was outstanding in that regard!).

Second, had our request not been accommodated, I had a crunch bar in my purse and would have been fine.  I knew that if I couldn't eat at the restaurant, I could fix an egg white veggie omelet when I got home.  I always have a Medifast meal or two with me, just in case.  It didn't matter that I'd paid $25 for the meeting and dinner, because my health and my goals are far more important to me than eating $25 worth of food that I didn't want.

Lastly, the challenge to make wise choices continues and is a key component to successful maintenance.  Again, I could have eaten the meal served last night, but it was my CHOICE to not do so.  The lasagna smelled delicious and I knew it probably tasted as good as it smelled.  However, I also knew it would not only be way too many calories, but I'd be spending those calories without getting good nutrition in return and that I'd feel pretty sluggish following the meal.  Making the decision to eat something else was very empowering and my friend and I left the dinner meeting feeling good - physically and mentally. 

One more thing:  nobody cared that we ate something different.  Sometimes we hesitate to make the choices we need and want to make because we're concerned about what someone else will think.  People really don't care . . . really!  My friend and I didn't make a big deal out of it, and because we were OK with our choices, no one else cared, either.

I don't know when you'll face your next food challenge - it could be today or it could be this weekend - but there IS a food challenge lurking in your not-too-distant future.  Be prepared and don't lose sight of what you want.  If you're prepared and focused, you'll be ready to choose wisely :-)