Losing weight has always been a tough task for most of us. But we have made it hard on ourselves because almost every month there is an excuse to eat more than we should.
Let us start with the upcoming months that are some of the hardest not to eat and when we tend to eat a lot.
November is the month for Thanksgiving. Everyone loves that turkey day dinner with all the trimmings: dressing, ham, sweet potatoes with brown sugar, mashed potatoes smothered with butter, varieties of casseroles and hot rolls or cornbread. Then there are desserts like pumpkin and pecan pie and different kinds of cakes like chocolate, red velvet and carrot.
Then there is December, which is the month of Christmas. Here we have office and work holiday parties with all kinds of deli trays and other foods – not to mention all our friends and family holiday dinners. This is when many make delicious Christmas candy like peanut butter balls, magic squares, cookies and much more. We buy boxes of chocolates for gifts but help those relatives eat that candy.
February is the month for Valentine’s Day. What is that “love” holiday like if you don’t purchase a large box of sweet, heart-shaped chocolates for your wife or girlfriend? So another reason to devour more candy. Then you have to go out for that special sweetheart dinner.
Not much happens in March other than St. Patrick’s Day. But many will fix corned beef and cabbage for that Irish holiday. There is also March Madness when many of us sit for hours in front of the television to watch the college basketball tourneys. We must have chips, dip and other foods while indulging in one of our favorite times of the year.
April is Easter and we know this holiday’s true meaning. But over the years it has been commercialized into the Easter Bunny and the huge basket filled with chocolates shaped like bunnies, eggs and whatever else they can come up with.
May is Mother’s Day and Memorial Day and we have to treat those moms to a big dinner on their special day. Memorial Day is usually the first “summer” grilling holiday where we make burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken or a big, thick steak.
In June we have Father’s Day and high school graduations, giving us more parties and dinners for families to have an excuse to indulge in their favorite foods.
When early July rolls around we are in full grilling faze. The Fourth of July – or Independence Day – is another excuse to cook out and stuff ourselves with burgers, hot dogs and watermelon.
August is back-to-school time, but there are still late vacations where we try to find places to eat. There is usually more grilling because it is time for football tailgates to start. Whether it is high school, college or professional, tailgaters usually have some of the best, most clogging-of-the-arteries types of food around. Did we mention more desserts?
When September rolls around, we have the last summer holiday: Labor Day. So it is usually one more big cookout before the weather starts getting colder. But in my house, when the first cool days hit, I make a huge kettle of chili beans. It is also a good time for soups. More tailgating is usually happening. It seems to be a time when people start eating more pizza and barbecue chicken wings.
Remember the many fairs and festivals in late summer and early fall. We love those homemade jellies, jams and apple butter. So there are those food vendors just waiting for you to stop by and purchase more sweets.
October is one of those months that we all looked forward to as kids. Halloween or Trick or Treat is a chance to dress up and roam the neighborhoods for free candy. Going door to door and getting treats was and is still a fun time for children and even adults. I have noticed the Halloween candy is out in the stores in early September. But if you buy it in September, it is gone by mid-October, and you have to buy more.
That brings us back around to November.
Oh yes, a word about January. It is the one month we do not have an excuse to eat for some special holiday. Except for those who want to start their year with juicy, yummy cabbage rolls and black-eyed peas. In fact, January is when we make that New Year’s resolution to lose weight and start exercising again. How long do those resolutions last? Well, for many of us, it is not too long.
Americans always find an excuse to eat and stuff themselves with food for most of the year. We usually don’t need an excuse, although we have plenty of them.
Now there are “days” deemed with titles like National Donut Day or National Chocolate Cake Day and about anything else you can dream up.
The advertisers and marketing companies have a field day with Americans. How many fast-food commercials do you see when watching TV at night – especially during a sporting event?
We might as well enjoy ourselves and try moderation. We are prone to eat and that is all there is to it. Just enjoy it and try to stay healthy, as hard as it might be.
Good luck.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)