Eating with others

Last night, after carefully working out my diet plan, I went to a friend's house to watch a movie.  Great company, my women friends, and we saw Patricia Clarkson (she is so thin and fit!) vehicle called Cairo Time.  Clarkson romances an handsome coffee shop owner (what more could one want?) Snacks were served and I was observant (small wine and just a bite of everything, 2nd glass of water. I'd had a good dinner before hand.)  I did not realized ice cream cake was coming, to top off  the evening.  Consumed while we trashed Clarkson a bit (she is just too beautiful in the film for the group, I think, and it wasn't a great film.)  I don't think I met my diet goals yesterday, but I didn't binge either.  I enjoyed food in convivial company.

And that, actually,  is part of the Mediterranean diet. Part of the plan is to eat with others, enjoying the full pleasures of the table, a la the big family eating on a breezy terrace, everyone welcome, feel good.  This part of the med diet might be my stumbling block.  I live alone, and so I often eat alone.  Eating alone can lead to eating quickly, to get it over with and on to the next thing.  Or,  munching in front of the t.v., also mindlessly,  which leads to eating too much at once (I think of that as binging, might be misusing the term.)  Overall, I think I'd rather eat with others, but where do I get them?

One possibility is my mother, who lives in town, nearby and needs the company.  We'd need to adapt our menu planning.  She still cooks for me as if I were a growing girl, though she is spare about her own eating. But, I think that would be a good thing to work on for both of us, probably one, or two,  evenings a week and we have a standing Saturday lunch date.

Another plan is to invite friends over for a meal.  A bit daunting but I really have a good house for it, good friends for it, many excellent cooks and all good eaters! And, regularly inviting others over expands my repertoire of dishes, I can't serve always the same.

Yesterday, before the snacks and ice cream I ate pretty well: granola/yogurt/fruit for breakfast, walnuts for snack, held off for lunch/dinner at 3pm of fish, potatoes (fried in olive oil), bread and asparagus for lunch, filling, good.

I did some gardening, a bit of yoga and meditated before lunch, all made me feel good and gave moderate exercise.

This morning I read the labels of the yogurt, cream I use in my coffee and nut bar that I eat as a mid morning snack at work, all had saturated fat, keeping that below 7% will be a challenge, both in food choice and doing the math!