Two years ago I went to an Italian Christmas Eve dinner (but not the traditional seven course fish dinner; rather 12 courses!). The event started at 4:00 and went to 11:00 PM. It was an amazing array of food; the hostesses had cooked for weeks ahead. The 14 guests ate and ate and ate. The 15th guest (me!) did not eat one thing.
Before you criticize me for being a rude and boorish guest, know that I called the hostess ahead of time and told her I was trying very hard to diet and that she should not worry about me. To her credit (a wonderful woman), she accepted what I said and never once forced food on me.
Also interesting is that - as far as I could tell - no one realized I was not eating. We all sat in the living room and the various courses came out and were enjoyed with relish. As the shrimp in puff pastry and clams casino passed by me, I would graciously say “no thanks,” quietly observing that I was pacing myself and waiting for the next offering.
This story is not about my strong willpower (okay, I will admit, I even surprised myself), but YOUR willpower.
When it comes to the temptations of the holiday season, there are a couple of truths:
- You do not need to eat every high calorie food that is placed in front of you.
- Those around you probably won’t notice your refusal to eat certain foods (although they likely will notice if your plate is so overflowing that food is dripping onto your shirt).
- If you alert the hostess ahead of time, there are less likely to be hurt feelings when you refuse a dish.
And, most important:
- By exercising your will power, you do not need to gain weight during the holidays.
In my next blog, I will write about willpower during the holiday season.
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