Category Archives: Food & Fitness

Flatlining

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:

How do I know if I am in a depression? I have been tired for so long, a
prolonged feeling of real depletion. I have seen every kind of doctor
imaginable, from alternative care providers to neurologists. Mostly, I
feel stuck. I get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, and go to bed.
My life is punctuated by the occasional movie or beer with friends, but
nothing seems to excite me. It’s not physical; I’ve seen my doctor and
had all the requisite blood work and tests. I’ve been in counseling
before and know the signs of depression. This isn’t deeply emotional at
that level. It’s just that my life feels too familiar. How can I find some
spice, even a distracting love affair?

Flatlining

 
Dear Flatlining:

Falling in love rarely happens when people are as low as you describe
yourself. Or, if it does, it could easily be a wrong choice that might
distract you in the short run and complicate your life for a long, long
time. Better to pick yourself up and get some zip going on your own,
and then present in the world as a fuller human being.

 
Take some time to think about when you last felt excited, when you
weren’t tired and lackluster. Think about what you were doing, what
hobbies interested you, who you were hanging with, what was
different about your life. Shake things up. Make a commitment to try
new things, whether that’s taking an art class or getting a friend to go
dancing with you. Focus on getting out of the house more and
worrying less. Reach out to friends you trust and ask them to include
you when they do fun things. Look at your job and see if there’s a
project you can volunteer for that would challenge you. Find an
organization whose values you care about and volunteer some time.
Don’t, by the way, discount another round of counseling. But don’t
limit yourself to it. You need more than talk; you need more play.

Over the Line

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:

Okay I know this is an annual lament, but how can I recover from all the holiday
eating. I packed on ten pounds this year, in part because I agreed to take a
cooking class this fall with my best friend that turned out to be a baking class,
and the few dishes that were considered entrees seemed to be based on heavy
cream. I loved them all and since I had promised by hubby that he could taste I
ate all of them twice, in addition to all the usual holiday meals and fressing at
various art shows, Chanukah parties, and end-of- year parties. So my scale is
accepting no excuses and even my “fat clothes” are tight. Can you motivate me
without shaming me?

Over the Line

 
Dear Over the Line:

Shame is a horrible motivator. It’s often used but rarely gets lasting results, and
usually makes people feel worse about themselves than when they begin their
diet plans and sometimes backfires completely with secret eating and added
rather than lost pounds. It&'s never worked for me and I would be loath to inflict it
on anyone else.

 
It is always tempting to jump for the quick weight loss scheme, perhaps thinking
easy on/easy off. But that logic fails because even though the pounds add on
easily, they attach like super glue. Even if you decide to do something differently
in a month, my best suggestion is to choose a plan like Weight Watchers or
another balanced diet for one month. It will recalibrate your relationship with
sugar, with portions, and reintroduce the balance of vegetables and protein over
sugar and fat. Yes it is slower than a quickie plan, but once you are down even a
handful of pounds you will become self-motivating. You’ll have lots of company in
January.

Schlepper

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:

I do a lot of erranding favors for a neighbor who has been
incapacitated by a rare disease. She has a husband but he is busy
taking care of his 98-year- old mother, and I am retired and zip around
town to the gym etc. So several days a week she asks me “If you are
going to the store would you pick me up….” And though I would not go
to the store on my own as often as she asks me, it is impossible to get
to our neighborhood without passing a large market, so I generally
accommodate. She has complained bitterly in the past about people
who judge her illness as a result of her obesity, and has said how she
doesn&'t want to be her husband’s “food police” or have anyone try and
be hers.

 

But as her health and mobility decline and her treatments do
not seem to be having any kind of turn-around impact, she more and
more often asks me to pick up foods I know are not on her official
regimen. These are cloaked with seemingly legitimate requests, such
as “Avocadoes are on sale. Can you get me four, and so are the giant
bags of chips, so please get me three of those too.” I did it last week
but I am increasingly uncomfortable continuing to enable her. Plus,
every time I go to the “bad” sections of the market, it makes me want
to eat things I am trying to avoid. How can I decline without adding to
her woes?

Schlepper

 
Dear Schlepper:

Helping the less mobile is good. So is being a good neighbor. But
enabling and violating your personal values is bad, and you shouldn&'t
be put in that situation, especially if it hurts both of you.
Next time you deliver food tell her that you are changing your
schedule and diet and want to stop at the store less frequently. Ask
her to give you one list by early Monday morning, and assume her
hubby will pick up additional items on his way home from caretaking
her mother-in- law.

 

Tell her that while you understand her views about
“the food police,” you are trying to clean up your own act. Say simply,
I do not want to go into the “bad neighborhoods” of the market
anymore. Explain that you’re happy to bring her all the produce she
wants, but that she should also ask her hubby to be the treat-bearer,
because just being around them make your own choices harder to
support. She will not be happy. But she will get over it. She will almost
certainly test you, and you’ll have to decide where to draw the line.

It’s Working!!!

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I’m on a very stringent diet. There are health reasons, vanity reasons,
and most the fact that I am tired of thinking about how to lose weight.
One of my best friends and I made a pact for three months (till
Thanksgiving) to become juicers, vegetarians, and detoxify our bodies.
We have a very clear program, have each consulted with our doctor,
and have found ways to be supportive. But almost to a person, every
other person I know, whether that’s socially, professionally, or
casually, has an opinion that boils down to: That’s nuts. Come’ on lets
go get some coffer/cake/ice cream/sugary treat. Frankly I’m tired of
explaining but don’t want to lose my life over this, just my blubber and
my meds. Do I need to issue a press release?
It’s Working!!!

 
Dear It’s Working:
Congrats to you and your friend. Research shows that a buddy is a good support
system and heightens success. Anyone who goes through the right steps, which
includes sorting through the myriad of diet options, and consulting a physician,
should be congratulated not harassed. Sometimes the people who want to woo
you off your program are exactly the folks who should develop one of their own.
Seeing someone else’s will power in action sometimes creates envy and a desire
to undercut their success.

 
Yes you should avoid those folks, but only for the duration. A press release is not
a bad idea. Think about a short bullet list of information you can hand or email
them: Yes I know what I’m doing. My doctor has Okayed my program. It’s only
between now and Thanksgiving. I’d like your support. Here’s how you can help:
Invite me only for tea, not other food. Let’s go for a walk instead of eating. Let’s
not talk about food. Let’s not complain about our illnesses, aches, and pains.
Let’s practice talking about how happy and grateful we are to be alive and happy
and able to improve our lives by our own efforts. But you should also be willing to
express those same thoughts eyeball to eyeball. Anyone you can’t be honest
with, and who’s not willing to support your progress and development, is
someone with whom you should minimize contact. Optimism breeds optimism.
Create more of that!

On Track

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I’m doing really well on my food program. I have managed to lose and
keep off 15 pounds since the beginning of the year. That’s not a lot
compared to how much my friends who are on wacko diets (like the
cabbage diet, or some scary sounding growth hormone thing) have
lost. But it’s been slow, steady, and has stayed off. I’ve done it with
assiduous attention to what I put on my mouth, and by walking up to
five miles a day. I do not attend any meetings and only intermittently
do anything as formal as writing down calories. I am sticking as much
as possible to non-processed foods and organic fruits and vegetables.
But no matter how good I do, whenever I am at parties or public
events like an oneg, I am seduced by the array of sweets. Then, and
some nights after supper when I just want something! I sometimes
give in. I have another 25 pounds to go so I know this will be a long
haul. Do you have any good tips for me?
On Track

 
Dear On Track:
The best diet tip I ever heard, other than the basic advice my mother
gave me (Eat less and move more!) is to make a mantra out of the old
Weight Watchers slogan: Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.
The tricks, of course, are: to remember your mantra before the sweets
are in your mouth; to say it to yourself often and sincerely enough
that the urge to stuff your face with goodies subsides; then to take a
few deep breaths and think over your choices. If you can find some
veggies (I know, Ugh when you want sugar), or at least some cheese
or fruit, try to appease yourself first. Or promise yourself something in
the future. It turns out that will power and delayed gratification are
learned behaviors. Like any other muscles, they need use and training.
This is all great advice but not as easy as it sounds. I’m still not very
good at it.

 
But the reality of dieting the right way, the long way, is that you’re
going to have many many chances both to get it right, and to blow it.                            Another good tip is to think of each time you eat as a choice. Don’t
give yourself permission to stay on the wrong track if you make one
wrong choice during a day. As in, I already ate something bad
today…so I’ll be better tomorrow. You have three (or more)
opportunities each day to eat the right thing. If you’re going to go off
program, then plan for it, and be especially good before and after.
You’re not going to be perfect for the whole next year or however long
the process takes. But you can be mindful. That’ll help you keep the
weight off.

On the Brink

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
My doctor is threatening me with death. Not tomorrow but twenty
years sooner than I would prefer to live. If I will live for thirty years, I
don’t want to do it in a wheelchair or without my feet. I’m diabetic and
have been coasting on oral meds. But my blood sugar numbers are
going up and I have very consistent high inflammation rates. A friend
did a very stringent diet to reduce inflammation. For six months. It
looked hard but she claimed it was worth the deprivations. I’m scared
of anything so tough but also scared of what’ll happen if I do nothing.
I want a lifestyle that lets me be social with friends, like having a drink
and going for a hike.
On the Brink

 
Dear On the Brink:
The usual disclaimers. I give lifestyle, not medical, advice. But
speaking for all people who’ve every received a “do it or else” speech
from a doctor, my response is pretty much the same as yours: Eeek.
Damn. Can I have more time? Eeek,eeek, eeek! Anger, sadness, eeek
and a search for information or options that satisfy several criteria.

 

Those criteria are: palatability (literally, I’ll put this food in my mouth
and swallow); manageability (I can adapt to the time needs of this
regimen); and sustainability (I’ll stick with it long enough for it to do
some good. The bad news: you’re going to have to do something. The
good news: working with your doctor you’ll find a program that meets
your criteria, whether it’s what your friend did or something different.
Any change will likely feel like one.

 

Lay out all options, from most radical to most minimal. Lay out the goals and                    ground rules. You have several chances every day to do right or to screw up.                  Every time you lift a fork, you’re making a choice about how long you want to                live and under what conditions. Be sensible, be committed. Practice the
simplest decisions: smaller portions, more exercise, no fad diets. It will
take at least six months, probably a year. Mostly, make the decision that you’re worth it, and that if you do it right, you can hike and toast your success with friends though and after your transition. Good luck.

Getting Ready

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I need to lose 30 pounds and have for years. My good friend and
neighbor needs to lose 150. Despite the weight gap, her health on
blood tests is better than mine, sigh. I’ll spare you the medical details.
I am supposed to eat one set of foods and she another. She has said
she’s willing to give up sugar in solidarity with me, if I will give up
coffee for her. Frankly I feel like I am already making so many
sacrifices and changes that my morning cup of coffee is going to be
one of the few pleasures left. But I don’t want to lie to her, and even
though my last thirty will take longer than her first thirty, I am
committed to supporting her, I am willing to be her ally until she
makes her goal. This is gonna be along haul. Do you have ideas for
how to make it work for both of us?
Getting Ready

 
Dear Getting Ready:
If you’re level of commitment to your own diet is reflected in your
ambivalence about supporting her, then I predict she’s going to make
more progress than you are. You need to accept the fact that you’re
undergoing a major life change, one that you say you’ve needed to do
for a while and that you want to be ready for. Clearly neither of you
got to where you are by being self-disciplined or self-denying. To make
it work you need to have clearer rules that you stick to and that you’re
willing to lose with. But they do not have to be the same or to be any
more egregiously difficult than they have to be.

 
Agree on regular meetings, say weekly, to weigh in and talk about
what’s working and what’s hard. Set a time for walking together, say a
mile or so around the local blocks, several times a eek. That’s different
form the weigh in. It’s to be friends and talk about things other than
your diets o that your whole friendship doesn’t revolve around this one
issue.

 

On the denial swap, tell her the truth: you’re ready to support
her for the long run, and that you’ll try to ready yourself to give up
coffee, but you’re not ready to do it now. Say you appreciate what’s she’s                      offered, and it might help her anyhow, but best to focus on what
you each need to do, not to add an extra layer of difficult or unease.
Most important, build in some goals and rewards for when you hit
milestone events, like 10 pounds lost. Buy a new plant for the garden
or go to a concert together. Remember how lucky you are to have one
another. Limit your lattes to one a day, and do it for the long run.

Heelllllppppp

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
Okay the new year is here. Diet time. Health and exercise time. No
more platters of treats at the office. No more parties and potlucks with
everyone’s favorite ways of packing sugar, fat, salt and everything else
that tastes good and has landed on my butt and thighs. But I am out
of the habit of saying No to myself. I have been eating freely since
before Thanksgiving and I simply don’t think I have an off switch any
longer. Do I go cold turkey, try to slow down and ease my way into
rational eating, or just bite the bullet and join a gym and go every day
after work?
Heelllllppppp

 
Dear Helllppp:
There’s many platitudes about dieting that all turn out to be true,
some from mothers of many generations, and some from places like
Weight Watchers. Here’s a few: The best diet is any one that you will
stick with. Eat less and move more. Nothing tastes as good as being
thin feels.

 
All of which said, here’s some simple tips: Focus your life around real
food, live food, whole food like vegetables and fruit. Eat a salad for
lunch and for dinner. Make dessert equal fruit. Focus on whole grains
instead of simple carbohydrates. Avoid anything processed. If there’s
more than three ingredients or if you cannot pronounce any of them,
don’t buy it or put it in your mouth. Allow yourself an occasional treat,
but agree ahead of time what and how big it is. Limit daily intake to a
reasonable number of calories. Speaking of which, count them, by
hand or with a phone or computer app. move more. Walk every day at
least 30 minutes, and make sure that you go faster/further each day.
Going gluten free may net faster results. No matter what, make sure
you commit to a solid month of withdrawing permission about what
you put in your mouth. Remember how to say No. Last and most
important, if you screw up a particular meal, don’t write off the rest of
the day; eat healthier the next meal.

 
Yes you’ve fallen, but you are redeemable. When you start to feel
better you’ll be even more enthused about staying on program.

Bleccch

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
For the last ten years my neighbor and I have done food trades. She
used to be an excellent cook, better than I am, though I have
improved a lot over the past few years. This system has worked really
well because I am single but don’t want to bother cutting recipes down
and don’t want to get sick of what I make. Her kids have moved away
so it’s just her and her husband, with a lifetime of habits of cooking for
five.

 

We generally eat the same types of food, though there are
various things we each like that the other doesn’t. But a portion or two
of soup or casserole during the week that I didn’t have to make myself
has been the perfect solution to workday lunches and dinners. Here’s
the rub: her cooking has declined so much that it’s not only below par
but sometimes just inedible. I don’t know if her husband can tell the
difference. But I can. How can I gently communicate the decline or
extract myself from the arrangement?
Bleccch

 
Dear Blecch:
You can try to remedy the situation or you can try to extract yourself
completely. It’s a little dicier to try and fix it and then to end it later,
but given that this is a neighbor with whom you clearly have a
friendship and a long-term relationship, it’s worth the try. It’s
definitely a situation where I would not lead with complete honesty or
directness.

 
Invite her for tea and tell her you want to talk recipes and plan what
you eat more consciously. You can plead health reasons or the need to
be on a new food program. But say you’d like to agree on which
recipes you’ll be using because you are trying to stick carefully to
counting [insert as many of these as are true: calories, carbs, sodium,
whatever]. If she says yes, you can hope she follows directions when
she cooks. If she says its too much work, say you want to suspend the
trade until you [lose weight, get your blood test numbers down, etc].

 

Note: I’d counsel an oblique approach, dealing only with the wife, not
the husband. Unless he approaches you directly to say she has a
serious illness, and he’s worried about her, keep conversations with
him casual and neighborly. If he does say she’s ill, say you’ll cook for
her but you want to diminish any perceived source of stress and that
she should turn off the burners.

Pious as I Can Be

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I’m diabetic. It doesn’t impact my life a lot, as it is controlled by diet
and exercise. It could be better controlled if I would diet or exercise
more, but I managed to avoid insulin for 15 years and still have hopes
(fantasies) or getting off my oral meds. I spent Yom Kippur at
synagogue almost all day. But when I got home from services at 2:30
in the afternoon my blood sugar was dangerously low. I had a cup of
chicken broth then, and right before I went back for the evening
services. One of the women from the Sisterhood was sitting next to
me, and asked in a very loud voice, “Have you been eating?!” I was so
flustered and embarrassed that I think I made things worse by saying
Sssshhh, instead of something like “Mind your own business,” or “I’m
diabetic.” Now she’s playing holier than thou with me among the other
sisterhood members. What can or should I do, or is saying nothing the
best way of letting her rudeness be clear to everyone?
Pious as I Can Be

 
Dear Pious:
First of, you’re right: she’s a rude, inconsiderate busybody. Your
health status, and for that matter, the status of your piety, are no
one’s business but your own. That may be true, but you still have a PR
problem. Though it’s not of your own making, it’s one you can solve.
While it’d be nice to stick a spike in her directly, I’ll assume you are
not friendless. Easiest is to tell your best friend what happened
(assuming she hasn’t already heard) and enlist her to be your
mouthpiece. Have her tell two other women how insensitive she thinks
the busybody is for meddling in your private medical affairs. Be sure
she stresses what good person you are, how much you contribute to
the community, and how hard you try to keep not only
commandments but also the mitzvoth. Have her remind them, and ask
them to remind her, that gossip is considered a very powerful
manifestation of not only bad social behavior but considered an “evil
inclination,” because something once heard cannot be retracted. You’ll                         know you succeeded when she apologizes. It’ll likely be insincere, but
you should smile and accept it.

Mortified

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
For the record I come from a middle class home; my 18-year- old son
is a 4.0 student athlete; we are well-respected members of the
community. My son volunteered to work at a camp for disadvantaged
kids. He just got sent home because…HE has lice!!! I am horrified. It
helps explain the itchiness I’ve had recently. Ditto the itchiness he’s
had, that he only thought now to mention. We suspect the team
batting helmet is the culprit. But because he takes so many showers
each day he’s managed to keep the little creeps in check. Now that
we’ve gone through everyone’s hair with a fine-toothed comb (where
that expression comes from!!) we’ve stopped being insulted and
admitted they’re ours. I am humiliated. I need to warn my colleagues,
my camping buddies, the people from our graduation dinner party,
etc. etc. etc.
Mortified

 
Dear Mortified:
When we were young lice was considered a major social stigma,
usually associated with being poor and unwashed. These days it’s
much more of an urban and suburban blight, often spread via sports
though sharing helmets and other equipment. You may be mortified
but you are not unique. Your son’s many showers probably saved him
for a more acute bout earlier, but masked the symptoms. Most folks
who’ve been exposed probably already realized that their scratching
urges were beyond the norm. So they might not be surprised when
you tell them asap, as you must do.

 
Try this opener: This is as painful for me to say as it will be for you to
hear. I may have unknowingly shared lice with you that my son
contracted at baseball. If you can deliver this with a wry smile and sad
shake of your head, you may get laughter instead of horror. Hand
each a list of what to do next: the fine toothed comb, washing of
bedding and clothes, medication, etc. Tell them if they need to vent                                          you’ll stand still and listen. Last line: Remember, don’t scratch that
I.T.C.H.!!!

Also Have High Blood Sugar

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I was married for twelve years to someone with whom I was
increasingly less in love. He became diabetic. Not the kind who takes
good care of himself, but the kind who would eat two bagels with
cream cheese plus a couple of Danish for breakfast. The idea of
caretaking someone who wasn’t taking care of himself made me crazy.
I have a sweet tooth too, but not like that. One day ten years ago I
heard myself imagining what to do with his life insurance money. I
knew I had to get a divorce. Today I saw him in the market. His
basket held two pounds of butter, cookies, bread, and lots of
processed foods. He told me casually about his heart and kidney
problems. I told him good luck and fled. I went home and got on the
scale, and am freaked out about my own health. I’m 30 pounds
overweight. I don’t want to become him.
Also Have High Blood Sugar

 
Dear High Blood Sugar:
Looking in the mirror of your past is a great wake up call. So listen to
what you’re being told. Immediately take an inventory of your life.
Look at your daily schedule, when you move your body, and what you
put in your mouth. Be careful to examine every aspect of your life,
from the mindless way you eat cookies at the office to what you buy in
the market. Pay attention to simple things like choosing the stairs
instead of an elevator. Don’t be in a rush. Take a week or two to really
observe and log your behavior. You don’t need to rush to change, but
pay very close attention.

 
Get your doctor to give you a checkup and support. Then decide what
changes you are willing to stick to. Don’t try to fix it all at once. But
decide on two things, one food and one exercise that you will do daily
for a month. If you screw up, do better the next day. Keep a log. If
you can commit to a plan like weight watchers, do it. But set your
baseline and watch yourself transform.

Shortie

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I am 59 and have just been diagnosed with osteopenia (the precursor
of osteoporosis). I used to be almost 5’3”. Now I am 5’11/2. Eeek I am
shrinking! I hate gyms but know that I have to do exercises to halt the
process. I am scared and feel motivated but also know that I am not
very disciplined. I know I can’t get taller, but when I saw a picture of
myself recently I looked like a short child sitting at an office
conference table with all the grown-ups. Everyone else’s head was a
foot higher off the table. How can I grow?
Shortie

 
Dear Shortie:
There’s an app for that! It’s called weight-bearing exercise. It’s
something you can do at home or at a gym. My best recommendation
is to see if there’s course designed specifically to counteract
osteoporosis at a local community college or parks/rec program. Most
communities have services specifically for seniors and this is a pretty
popular topic and problem. Start there and see if you can learn, and
sustain, a program with weights at home. There are also likely DVDs
that you could work out with, but better to learn the correct
movements in a class first so you don’t inadvertently do some damage
and not be able to follow through on your program. If you do fail to
exercise, then a gym or a personal trainer are very viable next steps.

 
The other thing you can do, to quote my dear departed mother is to
Stand up straight, Pull your shoulders back, and Look up not down.
You could also hire a posture coach, someone who might say the same
thing but also help you know how to do them. I’m not talking
schoolmistress with a ruler rapping your knuckles, but maybe a dance
teacher to act as a tutor. As one short middle-aged Jewish woman to
another, I’m proud of Elena Kagan for standing tall and representing
the rest of us as bright and competent, if short.

Changing

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I have several friends I eat out with. For years we’ve split the bill
evenly. Last year I changed my eating habits, and now often order a
few appetizers rather than a full course meal. Lately I’ve stopped
drinking wine, which virtually all my friends do on the weekend. I
haven’t said anything about changing the money rules, even though
it’s cost me at least a couple bucks each time it’s happened. Then last
night, when I ordered a dessert coffee, my friend who’d had a glass of
wine said, Your coffee was a little more but let’s just split it. I was so
stunned I kept my mouth shut. Is it too late to say something? How do
I not look cheap?
Changing

 
Dear Changing:
One of the side effects of changing any part of your life is getting to
watch how it spills over into other areas of your life. It sounds like the
changes you are making will benefit your health, as well as your
wallet. But to keep your relationships with your friends unchanged will
be a trickier act. I’d recommend a simple conversation with each,
saying in essence, For years we’ve split the tab without worrying about
who ate or drank more, assuming it would all iron out in the end. Do
you want to continue doing that? My diet is changing and I cannot
predict if what I order will cost more or less than you. I’m comfortable
with a machete level split, or for whoever’s meal cost more to ante up
more of a tip. But it seemed like a time to be sure we’re on the same
page.

 
The benefit of this kind of reality check is that each of you has a
chance to clear the air about any inequity, perceived or real. It’s
always interesting, in a dispassionate mood, to see how those line up,
assuming each is honest. Your preference for splitting does not, btw,
have to be the same for all parties. Don’t forget you too get to say,
You always drink lots more than me, and it costs more, so I’d rather
split based on what we order. That’s not cheap; it’s prudent.

Drowning

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:

I’m in holiday freefall. Food or money, you name it and I am just

flailing and grabbing, eating anything in sight and buying impulsively

just because the sale prices are just so good that it seems wrong not

to take advantage of them. I have all the usual symptoms of being out

of control: fear of getting on the scale, using plastic instead of cash,

having no idea what delayed gratification means in any dimension of

my life. I just keep telling myself that if I hold on until January I’ll be

able to get back on an even keel. Between now and then is the office

party, holiday parties with my goyische friends, and New Year’s eve

and bowl game parties, But right now I am eating anything in the

room, stockpiling things I don’t really need, and generally acting like

an out of control omnivore. Is there any hope or should I just sign off

the rest of the year?

Drowning

 

Dear Drowning:

There’s always hope. You have a chance for redemption every meal,

every time you see a plate of holiday cookies and don’t eat them, or

eat only one, or every time you bypass a sale/steep discount/almost

free sign Here’s some things can do now to help channel some of your

holiday fervor, and maybe help get your values back in proportion:

Volunteer in a soup kitchen for the homeless; serve a community

holiday meal for the elderly; donate food to your local food pantry;

give food gifts to your neighbors. You can also buy gifts for people who

need them; donate to local and other charities; help out at the local

animal shelter.

 

If those charitable and heart-opening activities don’t get you back on

track, go for a walk every day at 7am and 7pm. Make being out in

nature as much of a priority as being in stores or at parties. Every

time you start to hear yourself negotiate a boundary you set, remind

yourself what you’re really here for – to make the world a better place,

not to make yourself overstuffed and overspent.