Friend of Julie: Parties amd Protein

It's 7 am and there's a cool chill in the air here in Punta Gorda; it's must be in the mid-to-low 50's. The sky becomes lighter by the moment, as the three-quarter moon fades softly away. I've been up for about an hour, sipping coffee and waiting for the sounds of life on the canal to begin. I have my video camera and tripod set up, and I'm hoping to capture jumping fish and birds looking for breakfast. A dog barks in the background, a bird chirps a few times, a flock of birds fly by in the distance, too far for my camera lens, an airplane passes by covering all sounds of nature.

As I wait for more action than cooing birds and a howling dog, I'll fill you in on my food choices for the past few days. Since I had stocked the house with some my food preferences, I made healthy breakfasts, which we enjoyed by the pool each morning, as well as lunches. This worked well for me when we had company, as I always had good protein sources available. It was more difficult when we had dinner or cocktails at other people's homes, such was the case last night.

We went for cocktails and appetizers at a the house of the couple who used to own the home Carl and Arlene bought, which is where we stayed all week. We had a late lunch, chicken salad and fresh veggies, so I wasn't hungry when we arrived. We had a tour of their beautiful custom-built home and then sat down with cocktails and engaged in conversation. As we talked with our host and her husband, Phyllis brought us plate after plate after plate of hot appetizers. Our one hour planned visit turned into three hours. Phyllis was a wonderful hostess and I enjoyed the evening, but aside from cheese, some of which were spreadable and contained nuts, my only protein option was pigs in a blanket.

This is real life. Finding my way in these kinds of food situation is something I need to learn how to do. This week, with a social gathering every night, has provided me with an opportunity to navigate my way around socially and maintain my food standards. Unlike my friends, who have kids and lots of social gatherings to challenge them, or weekly family meal gatherings, I don't do much of this kind of socializing, so I'm mainly in controlled food environments on this weight loss journey.

I learned to take the "pigs" (tiny sausages) out of their blankets and quietly toss the blankets in the trash -- and to drink vodka on the rocks with a whole lemon; just one thank you very much. I never thought I'd drink straight vodka, but here we are. I was not the designated driver; otherwise I'd either still be there this morning or I would have refrained from drinking at all.

I focused on veggies and cheeses, knowing my meat-to-veggie balance was off and my cheese ratio was over-the-top. I ran into trouble thinking I could push a crescent aside and just eat the mushroom filling. I ate four of those, but only tossed two crescents, which were smaller than the space between my index finger and thumb.

This journey is about living and learning, and making choices to allow me to live a balanced life. I did a great job this week in keeping the balance. Nothing sweet touched my lips and there were sweets in my environment all day and every night at a party. I inhaled and appreciated the sweet aromas and presentations, and had another drink instead. That's what I did at my birthday dinner a couple of nights ago. Another troubled areas was when I told them to hold the Spanish rice, but Arlene wanted it. When my New York sirloin stake arrived, sizzling with with onions, fresh parsley, and lime juice, I immediately move the rice from my plate to her. I later found two bites of the rice hidden under my steak and because it was on my plate, I ate the two bites. Next time I will ask for the rice on a separate plate.