Posted by Racer on December 21, 2005, at 6:19:38
My first suggestion is that we all get together in a resort hotel and have our babbling holiday -- we'll all protect one another from our respective families. How's that sound? (C'mon, Poet? You'll sit next to me, won't you? You know what I say, right? "If you haven't anything nice to say, dear, come sit over here by me.")
A more serious suggestion for holiday dinners is that if it's a known menu -- my mother makes the same thing every year, so I know what there will be and can plan accordingly -- you can plan what you'll eat, and how much, and how you'll cope with either the temptation to binge, or the food conflicts that come up during all that family togetherness. I can say, "I will eat approximately half a cup of red cabbage, similar amount of pearl onions, one slice of turkey (which I dislike) with gravy (which I do like), half cup of mashed potato, half cup green beans, and about a quarter cup of stuffing. If pressed, I can get seconds of the messy things, and mash them onto my plate, so that people can't see what I've actually eaten. If things get too bad, I can just eat part of everything on my plate, and tell people that I feel sick and need to go home." That sort of thing helps me.
Another thing that's helping me, though, is the opposite: NOT planning. If I plan too much, I'll get more and more anxious -- and probably get his by insomnia and be awake at 4:20AM -- and end up not being able to eat anyway. So, some middle ground? Plan a bit, plan ways to get around the conflicts, but not enough to freak out?
It's hard for me to think of suggestions, because when I get afraid of binging, I won't eat. I don't know what would be helpful for someone who does purge, so maybe someone else will chime in with help?
And we just bought a new stove for my MomCat for Christmas, so I hope the food will be as usual and that my mother will actually cook the things I like. (Every couple of years, she says she won't make the red cabbage, the onions, etc. Just turkey, stuffing, potato, salad, green beans (maybe). She has stopped making sweet potatoes. (Mom really only made those after she read about people cooking marshmallows on top of them -- she had to try doing that, and made them two or three years. She would giggle so when putting them under the broiler -- she's so cute.)
Anyone else?
poster:Racer
thread:590931
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/eating/20051009/msgs/590931.html