Maintaining Willpower - or Lack Thereof

We spoke a few weeks ago of my success with sugar-free while travelling. It has become apparent to me that this success does not translate to staying with family or friends!

On the way down to Napier this weekend, our first stop was at McDonalds. I haven’t had McDonalds once this year but Courts wanted it and he was only an hour into a 5 hour ride, so that is where we went. It turned out that the burger I chose (Chicken Bacon Deluxe) was only 2.9% sugar, so I had a minor success to start off the weekend. I still felt like rubbish afterwards though. Damn you McDonalds.

We stopped again in Cambridge and then in Taupo but at each stop I didn’t have anything to eat or drink. We got to Napier chilled to the bone and I warmed up with hot milk. So far, success.

It all went down hill on Saturday. First things first, breakfast. Last time we were in Napier, Courtney’s mum fed us up on muesli, fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, and I had been thinking about it all week in the lead up to our trip. At a restaurant or café, I’ll choose the cooked breakfast every time, but that’s because it’s the one I’m least likely to have at home. Put a bowl of muesli with yoghurt and fruit next to it though and I’ll find it hard to resist the latter, which is one of my favourite breakfasts ever. So Saturday morning I had Light n Tasty Plum and Almond muesli (19.7%) with Natural Sweetened Yoghurt (I think it was Meadowfresh, 10.7%) and fresh nectarines, apple, banana and blueberries. It was so good, the best possible start to any day, ever. But it was sugar.

For lunch we had multigrain bread with mashed egg, pastrami and beetroot relish. The relish of course, had sugar. It was homemade by Courtney’s Aunty, so I don’t know the percentage, but it was delicious. We ended up bring home a couple of jars of it. But again, sugar.

Dinner time and we are served up a feast. Beef Schnitzel, Chicken Kebabs, roast potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, garlic bread and cheese sauce. I had none of the hickory or tomato sauce that was on the table, and we checked that the seasoning on the kebabs was within the 3% threshold too. Not the best impression to make on your family-in-law – “Hi, I’m Penny, Remember me? The girl that’s super fussy and makes your life difficult” – Erm. Despite all this the dinner was again, amazing. I felt so spoilt by all of this delicious food. Plus it was sugar-free! Other than the very small glass of Moscato I had before the meal.

Then came dessert. Court’s mum had made his favourite – German Apple Tart. I promised I would try it and I did. I had a pie slice that was only about 2cm at the thickest end and I was proud of myself that I indulged without going over the top. It was only half an hour though before I could no longer resist the chocolate brownies that were also on the table. Again, I had a very small serving; my slice of brownie would have only been 1.5cm by 4cm or so. While I felt good that I had kept my portions down, the number of servings was adding up and I didn’t feel good about it.

The next day we went out for breakfast and I had the big cooked breakfast – hash brown, tomato, mushrooms, toast, poached eggs, sausages and hollandaise sauce. The sausages would have had sugar in them, but nothing else and I stuck to drinking water as I had done most of the night before. We returned to Courtney’s Uncles house for coffees after breakfast and I introduced them to the concept of my hot milk and water drinks. That is to say, I asked for one instead of tea or coffee and accepted their bewilderment. It’s not that weird!

We started our drive home to Auckland around 2pm and Natalie and I (driving home her first ever car!) stopped at a fruit stall for plums and apples. I also got a sugar-free V energy drink which I shouldn’t have, because the ‘sugar-free’ status is achieved mostly by chemical definition rather than the actual absence of any sugar products. Heading into dusk we stopped for food in Cambridge – at KFC. Again, I hadn’t been there all year. I got chips and a chicken burger; hold the sugar-laden mayo. I made the effort to reduce the sugar content, but I’d bet a dollar sugar is one of the 11 herbs and spices.

To top it off, when we got home at 9.30pm, I had a normal-sized serving of left over German Apple Tart.

So, I know I ate a lot less sugar than I would have ‘Before’. I had a very small wine rather than a bottle, and a small dessert rather than… three. I had no coke with my burgers and no pancakes at brunch. But I could have done better.

I started out telling myself “Well you don’t want to be a pain and cause your hosts to go to more effort” but that’s a load of crap. I was offered cheese toasties instead of muesli, and some people had them so it wouldn’t have been harder to make one for me. I chose to add the relish. I chose to eat the dessert. I chose to have the sausage, and the V, and the KFC. I had options and I chose not to use them. I’m back on track now, having absolutely no sugar since the great German Apple Tart Fail of Sunday night, and I even managed to drink 2 litres of water yesterday for the first time I can remember! I just have to keep myself in check.

Any tips for doing so? Do you take a diet-holiday when you go away, or are you able to maintain your willpower?

One of the Family

As you know, we were in Napier for the weekend with Courtney's family. His Dad and Stepmum are up here in Auckland so we see them frequently, and while I've met his Mum on many occasions, I've only met her side of the family once, the last time we went down to visit. Let me just say, these people are some of the nicest people you could ever meet.

We got completely and utterly spoiled with amazing food and company. This makes complete sense for Courts and Nats as family, but you would never have known I had only met these people once prior. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, I felt like I was part of the family, and it meant the world to me.

One of my favourite things was something very simple. Court's Gramps calls me Tuppence and I love it. For those that don't get the reference, Tuppence is slang for two pence, or pennies. When I was at school I hated people making jokes about my name, but this makes me feel so included and welcome. Gramps is everything a good Grandpa should be - strong and protective and loving and kind, basically a big teddy bear. He's also an ex-All Black which is pretty much the coolest thing a Gramps can be.

On Saturday night the family gathered at one of Courtney's Uncles houses for dinner. They made sure there was chicken for me for dinner, because they know I don't eat red meat. Now I'm completely used to just eating more of everything else, I don't mind at all when a meal includes something I don't eat, I'll just make do. So I felt a little bit bad that they had gone to so much effort but at the same time it was so nice of them to think of me. I wish I could mention how awesome and kind each and every person in Courtney's family has been to me but you would get sick of me gushing, so I won't!

I feel like I'm extremely lucky to have such a great family-in-law. I've been out with boys whose parents didn't care enough to talk to them let alone me, and others whose parents were so over protective the son could do no wrong - and so all blame was on me. I have friends with amazing families-in-law and others with not so great. I find it really interesting how degrees in separation can mean two people loved equally by a common person, can be so incredibly different and either mesh or clash.

With all the anonymity that this lovely bloggy world affords you, which category do you fall into? Who has been the best? Maybe you've seen the worst!

Blisstacular!

I have made a marginal improvement on last weeks Bliss Fail. I don't know what's going on, but I totally need to step up my game.

http://www.absolute-motleycrue.

Monday: Glam Rock.

Oh how I love thee. In order to drown out some of the voices around me on Monday, I set all my rock music on shuffle. I came to the conclusion that Janes Addiction, Motley Crue and Skid Row, although not all technically Glam Rock, would make the perfect love child. Such a band would no doubt have super powers, do only good (except when causing trouble, which I also love) and take over the world. I often wonder why I'm drawn to this music more than any other genre, or Courts is drawn to Power Metal or Soul Buddy loves Pop. I think I need my music to have an edge - with the exception of Bubblegum Pop with cheesy lyrics and zero edges, but that's just for fun. But as a sometime-singer I also need it to have melody and a really good hook. Anyway, who doesn't love a man in platform heels and eyeliner? Erm.
Tuesday: Nail Art Inner Circle

 I was going to do my nails up all fancy but then we ended up going to see the photos we had taken the other week. Again, Mum, my sister and her boyfriend, Courtney and I all piled into the room with the poor lady from You Photography and eliminated the last of the photos. They're damn expensive but they did turn out amazing. The lady said she wishes she had families like us in for photos all the time but I think that was just a way to keep us on her side. We're pretty much the Osbournes without the dogs and drugs - unfiltered, honest, quick-witted and insync.

All dolled up



Wednesday: Cold Beer

So I thought since I haven't really had a drink since I've been sugar free, that to cross 'Cold Beer' off the list I'd take my Long Haired Boy on a dinner date to the pub. Instead, I did three sets of nails that booked in that day. At least I love my nail girls! The pub will wait.

Thursday: Band Paraphernalia

So as much as I continually profess to hate clutter, I also love knick knacks. More than anything I love being surrounded by things I love. If I can't have the bands, I shall have pretty things with their faces on them. My favourite piece of band paraphernalia is the custom portrait of Slash I had painted. His set list is on my wall. I have t-shirts, handbags (OK, one, a Nirvana one, but I'm just not a handbag girl), skirts, books, posters... bliss. Except that I was going to spend some time surfing Etsy for new cute things and instead we worked from 8.30am right through until 10pm. This will all be worth it when I buy European band paraphernalia.

Friday: Singing in the Car

So we were on the bike but I still sang. It's not quite the same as being on my own and singing at the top of my voice because I'm conscious that Courtney can hear me! It's not like he hasn't heard me sing before, but you kind of feel like you're in your own little world inside your helmet and it's weird when people interrupt.

http://www.kobrandwineandspirits.com/

Saturday: Moscato

The big ride on Friday was a trip down to Napier for the weekend to visit Courts family. As I said, I haven't really had anything alcoholic to drink this year, ever since going sugar free, but I love Moscato. It's the best wine ever made and if you haven't had it, start with the Brown Brothers or Jacobs Creek versions first. So in Napier, I bought a bottle and had a glass of it's sugary goodness. This glass constituted my one cheat for the week and it was so worth it.

On a side note, everyone got given personalised coffee cups on Friday at work and although I don't drink coffee, they had fancy hot chocolate mix if you wanted it. I made one up using only half the recommended amount of powder, intending to treat myself since I miss out on so many donut-shaped treats at work. 2 or 3 sips later I tipped it out, because I just didn't want it anymore. So weird for me but so successful for sugar-free! Later in the day there was a giant mudcake in the lunch room and I didn't touch it. I don't even know myself anymore.

Sunday: Long Drives

Today we head back to Auckland and this time I'm driving up with Natalie in her brand new car. She has her Learners License so we are going to take turns, I'm so excited for her! There's nothing better than that first taste of freedom.

So, what's the best thing you did this week?