Dieting on Special Occassions

[c_wave_arts]

Hello all,

I want to set the long-term commitment of never eating junk foods/drinks ever. I'm doing good so far by eliminating candy from my diet. One potential roadblock I can see is on special occasions (e.g. birthdays, weddings, etc.) where people will literally force you to eat cake. It's really faux pas to not eat cake at your birthday or your wedding, especially if the people you have over are family members expecting to see and eat cake on these occasions. I guess it's easier to not eat any cake during someone else's birthday or wedding because you're not on the spotlight.

I guess you can say that it's harmless to eat cake on your birthdays and your wedding, but that wouldn't be true to the commitment, would it? Give someone an inch, they'll take a mile.

How have any of you resolved the issue and could you please provide solutions to my dilemma?

Thank you in advance!

[Sahil Pandit]

@c_wave_arts Maybe eat before hand so that when you are at the party, you have a small appetite and you can only stomach a spoon or two, if you must. 

[ElenaO]

You don't have to eat cakes on your birthday or wedding. Who said you must? If people around you tell you so, you have to think twice if you want to be around these people after all.

You could also just buy/make a better version of a cake, which wouldn't ruin your diet/lifestyle. There's tons of recipes nowadays which are okayish to eat once in a while.

[c_wave_arts]

On 12/22/2018 at 4:34 AM, Soulbass said:

being flexible is even harder than 100% commitment.

when you say "i want not to break the rule" it makes you a rigid person, who's afraid of loosing his/her goal.

i think it will cost you more on a social level, than what it really mean for your health to eat chocolate cake once a year.

if your diet is ok 99% of the time, that's enough right ?

i have been struggling with this topic for a while, this is where i am right now

What does being a "rigid person" mean on a deep level? If I set a meditation habit every day without skipping any days ever, would I still be "rigid?"

Leo mentioned the 100% commitment rule on his content several times, meaning no wiggle room. So you're saying examples like this would be exceptions? It still wouldn't be a commitment though, right?

I agree that being flexible is good in certain situations and it will cost me socially if I'm not. I am aware of that. However, we need to make these sacrifices for the higher self. It takes emotional labor, but also intuition. Maybe being flexible means creating healthier versions of traditional treats, but would that be giving ourselves wiggle room?

It's counter-intuitive that self-development makes us rigid and vulnerable. Can that also be a source of strength? Maybe I am afraid of losing my goal (baby steps). That's a good comment, and something worth reflecting on.

Dieting in western society comes with these social pressures, so I was surprised that no one touched upon this topic yet. I felt that a lot of other people are struggling with this, so I decided to post it, especially during the holidays.

You're not alone, and what you said is the same point that I am at. I feel we can do better though.