So today I decided to face a social situation involving alcohol, unhealthy food, and peer pressure. And not just any social situation - an NFL playoff tailgate. The challenge isn't in turning down Miller Lites, Wawa hoagies, and wings. It's telling everyone "no thanks" when they offer you a beer and explaining why you're not drinking on a perfectly good Saturday afternoon. And then explaining why you're on Whole30 in the first place. I've been in this similar situation before when I've given up drinking for a few weeks here and there so I was prepared, but it's still not always easy.
The other challenge is making sure you don't get hungry while you're there, since bottled water and the limes for the Coronas are about the only things that are Whole30 approved. To prepare, I ate a filling lunch before (salad with tuna, avocado, asparagus, and a banana), brought some almonds in my pocket, and prepared a tasty chicken tortilla soup-like dinner in the crockpot just waiting for me when I got home.
The other challenge is making sure you don't get hungry while you're there, since bottled water and the limes for the Coronas are about the only things that are Whole30 approved. To prepare, I ate a filling lunch before (salad with tuna, avocado, asparagus, and a banana), brought some almonds in my pocket, and prepared a tasty chicken tortilla soup-like dinner in the crockpot just waiting for me when I got home.
Crockpot Shot - Before
And so for the tailgate...
So much fun! And not as much to worry about as I had anticipated. I got a few "Where's your beer?", but for the most part either no one noticed, or my friends are used to me showing up to tailgates/parties/etc. and not drinking occasionally. Usually it's because tailgates are on Sundays and I'm not a fan of drinking a lot on a work night and am likely hungover from the night before. So other than turning down a couple shots of Crown and avoiding the hot chocolate pusher, all in all it was pretty easy.
Parking lot shenanigans. Notice the "football" is imaginary here.
And turning down the food was equally easy. I don't normally eat a lot of unhealthy tailgate fare, and it's not hard to go 5 hours without eating. The pocket almonds helped though. And of course when I got home... crockpot time! Disclaimer: I make this meal and pull this trick a lot - prepare chicken and veggies in the slow cooker before going out, and it's easy to turn down cold hotdogs when I know I'll have this waiting when I get home.
RSS Feed
