Birthdays – a mixed blessing

May 1 2014

Maureen Monaghan

I’ve never been someone who gets too worked up about birthdays or the numbers.  However, they do frequently provide a reason for friends to reconnect.  Over the years I have been blessed with many good friends who offer to take me to lunch or supper to celebrate my big day.  While I continue to love to get together with my friends I am now much more aware of all the eating out that this entails.  Last year, when I was in the midst of my weight loss efforts, I tried to manage the month by pre-selecting the restaurants and choosing meals at each one that passed muster. That worked to a degree but I still gained weight over the month.  Now that my weight has reached a plateau I get very discouraged when I gain back any of the weight that I worked so hard to take off.  So, this year, I’m trying to de-link the social aspect from the eating part.  I’m asking my friends to meet me for tea, to come for a visit, or go for a walk, instead of eating out.  That way, I can enjoy their company without worry about the price I’ll pay later for eating my way through the month.