First, before we delve into the weight loss field, let’s talk football. This entry is being written on the day before the Super Bowl game and I have spent the last 5 days asking our patients what team they are rooting for. Being in the neutral, non-LA, non-Cincy, Northern VA/D.C./Maryland area, you would think that 50% of the people would pull for the Rams and the other 50% for the Bengals. Nope. Well over 90% of the patients I queried are rooting for the Bengals. The major reasons? Many people root for the underdog and Cincy is favored to lose. The other major reason is that lots of people really like the Bengals’ quarterback, Joe Burroughs. This really young guy has ascended quite quickly to be one of the best QBs in the game.
Many people are gathering with others to watch the game. These get-togethers usually share many commonalities as these relate to the food and drink choices that will be available. Traditionally, there will be lots of beer and wine, chips and dips, sandwiches, desserts and essentially an array of items that are sure to derail an entire week of diligent weight control efforts.
One of the behavioral changes required for long-term weight control success is being able to attend social gatherings and not fall prey to the “herd” mentality. Pretty much everyone around us will be imbibing on the alcohol and consuming the high carb containing foods. Is it easy to be watching everyone else “enjoy” those fun drink/food sources and NOT partake? Of course not. However, we all must keep our “eye on the prize”, i.e. the long term healthier and happier conditions that weight control brings us. By doing so, we may be able to drink the sparking water or diet soda, seek the protein laden foods and avoid the high sugar/carb items.
We all must learn to separate the love and fun of being around the people we care for from the food and drink sources that accompany these gatherings. When you think this through with the intellectual part of our brains, we see that we want to stay alive longer and healthier to attend more and more of these functions. Poor weight control co-morbidities will rob us of this capability.
Much like the football coaches are going into the Superbowl with game plans, please develop your game plan as to how to attend this and other events and not destruct your weight control efforts.
