Desserts and Weight Loss
I attended a family Christmas party this past weekend, and while I didn’t eat to excess, I still felt like I did. I wasn’t bloated, I didn’t have that overly full sensation, and I’d even left food on my plate I didn’t like, but I didn’t stop when I was full.
Losing weight is hard work
I didn’t understand why until I read Diane Carbonell’s, author of 150 Pounds Gone Forever recent blog about How to Keep Going When Your Diet gets Hard. She discussed the challenges she faced when losing weight, and a point she made about desserts stood out for me.
Desserts
She talked about attending a party where there were dozens of rich desserts. As she’d lost weight, she’d become very choosy about the desserts she ate. They had to be excellent, or she didn’t 
have any. So, at this party, she talked to people while they had dessert, and she felt a little sorry for herself. After she got home, she thought about how she’d felt watching other people eat dessert and not having any herself.
“I had a light bulb moment. I realized that although I was a bit annoyed that I could not find anything I really wanted, it was also a real victory for me because I did not just eat a dessert because it was sitting there on the table. I made a conscious choice to say “no,” stuck with that hard decision, and ended up feeling in control and proud of myself. A win-win for sure,” Diane said.
After reading this, I realized this is what bothered me. I mindlessly chose dessert because everyone else was having it—not because I wanted it. And because I wasn’t mindful as Dr. Michelle May, author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat would say, I had a small piece of cake, a brownie and a peanut butter cookie. None of them were anything really I wanted.
The cake was good, but I only wanted the frosting. I did recognize that and ate part of it, which would have been fine, but then I went back for the peanut butter cookie. It was good, but not something I craved. I followed this with a brownie. It was really good, and if I’d have chosen it first, I would have been far more satisfied. As it was, I had three desserts and none of them left me satisfied.
Savor, savor, savor
My biggest mistake—I didn’t savor the desserts. I’m discovering that eating dessert when I don’t want it is disappointing. It tastes so much better when I savor each bite.
Was the party a total failure? No. I did leave food I didn’t want. I didn’t eat to discomfort, which is huge progress for me. I still ate more than I needed. But again, it was a holiday party, and considering everything, I did well. And best of all, I had a good time.
Do you have challenges at holiday parties? How do you handle them?