birthday cake advice needed

[mln2603]

Ok... my birthday is on Friday and I know they'll probably have a cake for me at work and at home... what do you do when the cake is for you????? :Bang:

[nancy]

Happy Birthday, Mary!


This is the type of challenge we'll all sometimes face with our new Way of Living. It gets easier, IMO.

You could:

-Ask someone to make & use a Phase 1-friendly dessert for everyone instead.

-You could make & bring a dessert for everyone, & let the right person know beforehand that you would like to share that with everyone as a birthday celebration.

-You could plan ahead and bring your own individual dessert for yourself. Make it special for yourself.

-Don't go into a deprivation mode...

1. Remember that this is your b-day present to yourself. To get your body healthy for life. To no longer have to live with that craving & yo-yo dieting. If they want to know, you could let other people get this message.

2. Eat really well the day before & on that day. Don't feel hungry before. You might want to have a meal or big snack shortly before cake time. Drink plenty of water. You could have some sugar-free Metamucil about 1/2 hr before to help you feel satiated.

3. Have a special sugar-free soft drink ready for yourself. One that you can't find in just any vending machine.

4. Treat yourself the day before and that day. Buy yourself a special veggie and/or protein that you usually don't buy because it's expensive. Make yourself some special recipes.

I've found that many people are interested in how cutting out processed, refined foods makes people's lives "better". And it seems like most people will say they want to lose weight too.

[mln2603]

Thanks Nancy!

Even though it's done every year, it's supposed to be a surprise, so I can't ask for anything special.

I'm not really worried about myself craving the cake because I'm not a big sweets eater and I always could walk right past cake... my concern is hurting feelings if I don't eat the first piece... they won't understand... they'll feel like they went through the trouble of getting me a cake and then I don't even eat it... I know it would cause problems... there are some touchy people in this world! I think I might have to take a small bite and then push the rest around on my plate until I can throw it away. what do you think?

[dawn-in-tahoe]

Originally Posted by mln2603

Thanks Nancy!

Even though it's done every year, it's supposed to be a surprise, so I can't ask for anything special.

I'm not really worried about myself craving the cake because I'm not a big sweets eater and I always could walk right past cake... my concern is hurting feelings if I don't eat the first piece... they won't understand... they'll feel like they went through the trouble of getting me a cake and then I don't even eat it... I know it would cause problems... there are some touchy people in this world! I think I might have to take a small bite and then push the rest around on my plate until I can throw it away. what do you think?

That's what I would do. But the questions is...can you stop after one bite? hmmmm....
How about excusing yourself to the bathroom and secretly scraping it off? Then come back and say "that was so good! Thanks!!" But then they might want you to take home the leftovers.

[mln2603]

oh... i will be sent home with the leftovers... unless I forget them... but if I do take it, it really won't bother me... I've never been a sweets eater...

I'll let you know how it goes on Friday... Thanks for your help!

[luv2bike]

In the SB book it says that you can make allowances for special occasions. They suggest taking three bites and eating them really slowly. Just watch for those possible munchie cravings afterward. Sometimes I could do that 3 bite thing and sometimes it would just lead to a full on binge. But you're lucky in that you don't care for sweets. I wish I didn't.

[mln2603]

That's a relief to know!!! I'll have 3 bites then instead of 1... :jester:

[Mindy moves on!]

I had the same thing happen to me not too long ago. What I did is pretended to eat the cake but didn't. Oh I didn't go as far as to stick my fork in my mouth with cake, but as I was talking to people, I sort of mashed the cake around on my fork. Then I would pick some up and start talking to somebody and then I'd move on to another group of people and do the same thing. At one point, I put the plate down at my desk and continued to mingle.

That worked because I realized people never really watch you eat the cake but this way I was socializing with everyone. Ok, maybe that's a bit passive-aggressive or something, but it worked just fine for me.

And when no one was looking I tossed some in the trash to make it look like I ate some. Maybe I'm just pathetic but I was fine with that:Sarcastic:

[nancy]

Originally Posted by Mindy moves on!

I had the same thing happen to me not too long ago. What I did is pretended to eat the cake but didn't. Oh I didn't go as far as to stick my fork in my mouth with cake, but as I was talking to people, I sort of mashed the cake around on my fork. Then I would pick some up and start talking to somebody and then I'd move on to another group of people and do the same thing. At one point, I put the plate down at my desk and continued to mingle.

That worked because I realized people never really watch you eat the cake but this way I was socializing with everyone. Ok, maybe that's a bit passive-aggressive or something, but it worked just fine for me.

And when no one was looking I tossed some in the trash to make it look like I ate some. Maybe I'm just pathetic but I was fine with that:Sarcastic:

I think you're brilliant, Mindy! Some people wouldn't need to do things like that, but some of us do!

[nancy]

Originally Posted by mln2603

That's a relief to know!!! I'll have 3 bites then instead of 1... :jester:

Mary, perhaps the name of that should be changed from the "3 Bite Rule" to the "1 To 3 Bite Rule" !