Today we had another party at work. One of my co-workers (who has a side business planning parties) catered a beautiful spread of sandwiches on croissants, pasta salad, veggies and dip, pink lemonade and (the biggest stumbling-block for me) a huge fresh fruit salad.
I went into the "party room" to hang out for a little while and sip my bottled water. One co-worker (not the caterer) said, "Can't you just have some veggies? There aren't any calories."
Some of my Kaiser co-cohorters (CoCos!) have related similar stories of such things being said to them, but it had not happened to me yet. I'm out of the Optifast closet at work, so everyone knows that I don't eat regular food, and can't for four months. I am not sure what part of PRODUCT ONLY is so hard to understand; people of lesser education and intellect than this gal seem to grasp it! But she just couldn't resist saying it.
I simply answered, "No, I can't" and let it go at that.
Most people are very respectful of me and my choice. A lot of my co-workers, neighbors, and acquaintances have commented on my weight loss and have given me encouragement. Friends and family have been my cheerleaders. My brother checks in with me once a week to see how I'm doing and rally me on. My boss is probably the most supportive. The other day he said, "I'm glad you are doing this and I want to help you any way I can. I've got a selfish motive -- if you keel over with a heart attack or stroke, I'm screwed!"
It was a funny thing for him to say, but it made me feel great.
I understand that others are not on my program and "regular life" goes on. There are parties, there are dinners, there are birthdays and special occasions. There will be food everywhere and I have to make choices. What is momentary enjoyment of some food, when my long-term health and well-being is at stake? When we go into transition and then into maintenance I'll have to make these choices all the time. Right now I'm fortunate to have a plan that is set out and spelled out for me…no thinking required.
My goal for this next week, now that my bug has almost run its course, is to be more diligent about exercise. I want to aim for 9000 steps every day until the end of March.
If you are trying to lose weight, how do you handle the insensitive statements of others? And do you have a behavioral goal you would like to achieve this week?
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