Of food and family

I nearly posted yesterday – but I thought I’d wait for today for my official WI.  Had I posted yesterday, I’d have been 1lb lighter!  But as it is, I lost 2lbs last week which is a pretty solid loss.  Monday and Tuesday I was an additional lb down – so not quite sure why that suddenly went up this morning.  Hopefully it’s just a random blip.

I was feeling confident about the outlook right up to the bank holiday weekend – no social plans to trip me up.  So much for that!  Tomorrow I’m going out to dinner with both brothers, both sisters-in-law (one awful, one lovely), my mum and all three nieces (just my nephew missing).  Reader: I am dreading it.  I find large groups very daunting and difficult in any case (I was reading about social anxiety and…TICK).  And evil sister-in-law has to be the centre of attention at all times (and I am absolutely certain she suffers from narcissism which is a mental health illness so I do try to bear this in mind).  My brothers, whilst okay by themselves, revert to their teenage selves and just banter back and forth/insult each other for the whole time.  I am trying to focus on my lovely SIL, who my other brother and evil SIL are not very kind to, and my nieces, one of whom I don’t see very often as she lives in Cheshire.

It doesn’t help that it’s miles from me, deep into Kent (okay, not really that deep) – and I have to get back from there which will take a bit under two hours and involve most forms of public transport.  And a £20 taxi for part of it.

I remember the first time P met my family – and we were not so numerous then (although my father was present).  He couldn’t believe that neither my mum nor me had any presence at all. It’s like we weren’t there.  I think my dad said something bitchy about my mother and that was it.  I am not looking forward to tomorrow and it’s particularly annoying that it’s likely to scupper my diet, given how much I really don’t want to go.  I said I would though – and having had a go at getting out of it yesterday, now need to accept my fate.

And, we have P’s son and his girlfriend coming for dinner on Saturday.  P is cooking Thai/Malaysian (this is incredibly delicious).  As it happens, he’s made the beef rendang ahead of time – and has made it painfully spicy (4 tsp of chilli flakes!) so I won’t be able to eat that anyway!  There is also coconut rice, squash and onion curry and Singapore noodles (and the pork char sui in this is particularly tasty).  He usually makes enough to feed a football team, so we could be eating it for several days thereafter!  Although I can help myself to a small portion, I cannot begin to think how I calorie count this.  Luckily, P’s son (T) can probably eat as much as a football team.  When I had my fill, the nurse said to give myself the same size portion as you would an 8 year-old.   I am most familiar with T as an 8 year-old - and he could put away an astonishing amount of food.  He could eat an adult’s portion and a lot of my food too (he’d happily put away 8 roast potatoes, for example).  I don’t think this is what the nurse meant. 

And I’m making strawberry and Pimms trifle for dessert.  Additionally, this is usually a very boozy evening when we meet up with them.  I have only had a glass of wine twice since the op.  I don’t want to drink a load of calories, either.  But nor do I want to be a party pooper.  I think a strategy of sneakiness is required.