Marathon Birthday Party Weekend

This was such a busy weekend. My oldest daughter turned 9 yesterday and my two nephews turned 21 so I was at two different birthday parties. I had decided previously that I was going to eat some solid foods this weekend even though I am supposed to be eating soft foods through the week.

I took my daughters and their cousin to Chuck E. Cheese’s on Saturday for lunch. For financial reasons, we’d decided not to do a big party and I’m really proud of my daughter for making the most of it. Originally we were going to have a big party with 10 or 11 friends at Chuck E. Cheese’s, but my kids’ dad has been out of work since the first of the year so I told my daughter that we could take one friend or she could have a big party at our house. She chose to take her cousin, who is also her best friend.

I ordered pizza and a salad bar and they asked me if I wanted the all-you-can eat salad bar for $1 more. The regular salad comes in a bowl and the all-you-can eat comes in a plate so I opted for the plate so that I could get some cottage cheese and not have it mix in with the salad. I ate so little that I took a picture when I was done because the plate looked pretty much the same before and after. I also had a piece of pizza. In all, it was a really good lunch and I was pleased that I was completely satisfied with my small meal. I was also relieved that I didn’t have any trouble with the pizza since that is one of my favorite foods and I know lots of people with bands cannot manage it.

From there we went to my sister’s house for her sons’ 21st birthday party. She made a yummy dinner and I had about a tablespoon of everything that I wanted. It took me about 45 minutes to eat since I was taking such small bites and visiting with my family, but it was such a satisfying meal. Normally I would eat so much before the meal that I wouldn’t even be hungry when dinner is ready, but I’d eat it anyways. This was such a different experience and I am so pleased with my band (and myself).
We had my daughter’s party at our house the next day (Sunday). I decided not to prepare a meal since I’m still recovering from surgery and fighting this cold I’ve got. I put out snacks and then we all made ice cream sundaes for desert. In the middle of the party, we all walked to our neighborhood park and enjoyed the sunny day. All in all, I think I made good food choices through the party.

When I compare this weekend to how I would normally have behaved, I feel like I am comparing apples to oranges. I know I would have eaten the entire salad and snacked my way through both parties. I love my lap band and I love my life!