Fatty Festivities

I love a party. Who doesn’t? Well, except people who are no fun joykills. But after July 4th, and now a wedding, the question is: how can you have fun and still be healthy? I have party rules that I use when going out.

1. Never go hungry. Eat something small and healthy. A quick snack means I don’t dive into a cake face first, or eat anything I can get my hands on covered in cheese (I’m from Wisconsin, everything comes with cheese. By law, apple pie has to be served with a wedge of cheese in Wisconsin. Look it up- no joke).

2. Find a healthy option, load up, walk away. A veggie plate is almost always an option. It’s easy, cheap, and your laziest friend who doesn’t want to cook anything, or really, look around in a store, will almost always invest in one. I fill my plate with veggies and fruit, and then have a little cake or whatever sweets I so choose. But because I ate the “good for me” stuff first, I’m not so hungry. And I can enjoy the things I love, but in a more logical portion because I’m not starving when I grab it.

3. Dance! Get that fatty fanny up and moving. Parties are a great time to get in a quick workout, plus maybe get a date out of it (not me- I am a happily married lady). But doing that stuff you did as a kid for fun, before typing your blog on a laptop became a thing, helps burn calories. It’s a workout that you enjoy, and it keeps you away from the food!

4. Gossip. Mock your cousin Al for insisting that the robot is coming back, and doing it to every song that plays at the reception (even the slow songs- slow robot= NOT awesome). Ask your grandmother for all the dirt on what a bad kid your mom was. Congratulate your Uncle Bob on his newest felony conviction- because who WOULDN’T think it’s hilarious that he stole a bunny and a tortoise from the pet store and forced them to race against each other in his backyard while taking bets from the neighborhood kids? OK, don’t do those things, all those things are terrible (which is what makes them so FUN)- BUT- catching up with family, talking, getting all the dirt- keeps you away from the food, and allows you to stick to your goals. And a little bragging about how awesome you are, how much weight you’ve lost, and how much better you are than everyone else- well, leave out that last part, you don’t want to sound conceited (no matter how true)- can liven everything up a bit.

A party is a party, and if you want cake, have cake. But it doesn’t have to derail everything you did. I may not follow the rules every time, but they help if I think I may go a bit nuts. I have a plan, and that plan will keep me on track. And if not, at least I feel better than most the morning after.