Waisting Time

October is the month we traditional associate with fright.  Goblins and ghouls and ghosts and … yes… the dreaded Halloween candy.  For me, this October is particularly scary – my calendar is unusually filled with travel and social eating events, much scarier to me than rattling skeleton bones or witches.  Much scarier than mere candy.

First up, a road trip.  A short one.  One that I am looking forward to eagerly because it will be fun!  Not the driving part, of course, but the time spent at my destination and the people I’ll be spending it with.  But my last road trip did me in.  Not only did I eat horribly while away from home, but before and after as well.  So, my goal for this upcoming adventure is to stay on plan with my eating during the drive and any meals that I pack and bring to eat alone.  For the few meals out with others, I’ll be careful but allow myself some leeway.  Moderation.  Eek.

Then after I’m home for barely long enough to catch up with my google reader and unpack, bam – book club.  I’ve shared in the past that book club for me is never actually about the book.  We talk about everything else and sometimes don’t even read the book!  And, there will be food.  Likely lots of food.  Surely tempting, “off plan” food.   So there will undoubtedly be debates in my mind as I think about what to eat and what not to eat.  But I think I’ll be okay this time (fingers and toes and eyes crossed) because just a few days later I have to fit into a pair of pants that will not allow for over-indulgence.

Which leads to a “creative cocktail” event with open bar and catering provided by someone who makes the most fabulous food.  The drinking part is not an issue for me; I’d much rather eat my calories.  The eating part… I’m just gonna say it now… I plan to enjoy the food and can only hope to do that with some modicum of moderation.  (There’s that scary “M” word again.)  I will not make a mad dash to the buffet table; I will not body slam the waitress to get to her serving tray; I will not run over other party goers to beat them to dessert.  I WILL keep a glass of water in one hand as much as possible.  I will enjoy myself.  I will remember that my cholesterol is high and that overdoing fatty foods will not help and that my doctor will make me get my numbers rechecked soon.

Then it’s off to LA to visit my son for Parent’s Weekend.  This time hubby and I are flying.  The good news:  less travel time means no long hours in the car to fill with nibbling.  The bad news:  no cooler filled with my healthy breakfast and snacks, and, several meals with menus that are out of my control.  (Yes, I’ll be tailgating with a taco truck and frat boys.)  I didn’t do well the last time I was in LA.  My goal is to not let history repeat itself.  I am going to college and college equals knowledge and knowledge equals power.  I am going to apply what I learned on my last trip west.  There will be no candy purchased.  There will be no visits to the fro-yo store that lies in wait on the walk between my hotel and campus.  There will be healthy, “on plan” packable snacks with me at all times.  There will be hope and optimism.

And then, home again, Halloween hits.  Which, ironically, I’m the least worried about!  We had no trick or treaters last year.  I bought candy just in case and so my teen could have the leftovers.  This year, no teen.  So, other than the care packages I will send off to both boys in college, no candy.  Last year I didn’t eat ANY.  This year I won’t either.  That’s my least scary goal:)  Now if I can just keep my husband from buying any (more).

So there you have it.  My frightful October.  My goals.

Do you have plans for Halloween?  What’s your favorite costume from years past?  Are you dressing up this year?

(Apologies to Thomas Jefferson for this little bit of plagiarism today.)

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one person to dissolve the mental and emotional bands which have controlled her and to assume among the powers she possesses, the ability to vacation at her family’s lake house with a sense of normalcy.

She holds these truths to be self-evident, that all dieters are created equal, that they are endowed by their own strength with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty from the stranglehold of food, and the pursuit of happiness.

And so on, and so forth.

And much as I’d love to send up the fireworks, I’ll be settling for some sparklers today.  To commemorate my weekend eating.  It was “okay.”  Not as great as I had hoped; but not as horrible as I had dreaded.  I did pretty well two out of three days.  The other day, the only full-day at the lake, I spent what felt like almost every waking hour thinking about the food that I didn’t want to be eating, but really WANTED to be eating, especially the darn bagels.  So instead of eating the abundant “crap,” I over-ate “on plan” food.  Call it weak-willed – or call it a compromise.  But at least you can’t call it a crazy-ass binge! (And I did, in theory at least, meet my goals that I set in my last post.  So, I’m giving myself credit for that.)  No bagels passed my lips.  No cookies either.  Or chips.  Or cinnamon rolls hot from the oven.  So, overall, I did okay.  Baby steps of progress on what is clearly still a long road.  And a huge thank you for all your kind words of support and encouragement and confidence:)

So… in my future… I hope to declare independence from crazy thinking about food!

Declare your own independence today, from whatever it is that controls you.  (And feel free to share what that is in a comment below.)  In honor of the holiday and to celebrate everyone on this journey with me, I leave you with a little inspiration from Katy Perry…