Summer Temptations

Today brought yet another temptation of summer. You know, the best time for me to go on a diet has always been winter. I don't know why. You'd think with all the holiday celebrations it would be the opposite. I never have been one to gain during that stretch of time. But come summer - it's a whole new ballgame.

Picnics, barbecues and impromptu meals are the norm. And let's face it - summer food is not all that healthy. Oh sure, there are lots of fresh fruits and veggies ripe for the picking but look at the rest of it! Hot dogs, hamburgers, Italian sausage, macaroni salad, potato salad, pasta salad, three bean salad, coleslaw, pork and beans....the list goes on! I have a real hard time turning that stuff down when it's all set out before me smorgasbord style.

So, I'm sitting in my classroom all by my lonesome today grading exams and one of my colleagues walks in and tells me that our wing is meeting at noon for a cookout. Every year during exam week, they roll out a big grill into the center courtyard and a group of teachers bring something to pass and we have a picnic. I was caught off guard because I had planned on grabbing a salad for lunch and eating alone. (The cafeteria is closed for the summer now.) So I said "Uhmm...okay...I'll run to the market and get something." I got some fresh strawberries and some lo-fat yogurt dip. I figured that was somewhat healthy.

So I ate a strawberry and had a burger and a little side of spaghetti that the Home-Ec teacher brought. Her students had made some sauce in their last class and she said we just must try it. (It was good!) And I had a brownie.

Gheesh. Have I no backbone? I just don't want to be one of those people who sit there and eat like a bird and make everyone else feel dumb. (Like the one teacher who read the back of the yogurt dip and freaked out because it had 9 grams of sugar.) There were no saturated or trans fats and it was 70 calories for 2 TBS. I wasn't asking her to spoon feed herself out of the container. Just dip a freaking berry for gosh sakes. Or don't But don't make everyone else feel bad!

But - on a good note - I didn't eat anything else...and my spaghetti serving was really small...and I passed on the garlic bread and the chips and everything else. This staff picnic thing will be going on throughout next Wednesday. I'm already planning my excuses. Meeting someone for lunch (myself).....have to enter grades in the computer...cleaning my classroom...

But it's going to be a tough summer. I'm hoping that if I can keep to my sane eating most of the time - I'll be okay. Maybe I need to go try my bathing suit on. That might help motivate me!