Disaster! Okay. Here's the deal. I am very involved in State and local politics, and this is municipal election season, as well as preseason for a number of federal candidates who are going to be seeking endorsements in 2012. In short, this is fundraiser season, and I have 2-3 functions per week to attend for the next month and a half. It is causing problems, y'all.
Just last week, I whined about being so close to my milestone of 200 pounds. Three social events later, and my weight this morning was up to 207.5 pounds. At least half of that 6 pound weight gain is water and other stuff that will be passed. The rest of it is comprised of something a bit more insidious, I fear!
Let's identify the culprits, shall we?
Wine (social lubrication really IS necessary at some of these parties), crackers, crab puffs and other delectable bites that are so hard to pass up (just one DOES hurt, believe me!), and the most dangerous of all food items - homemade treats presented to you on a crystal dish by a dear friend and sweet lady who would be mortally wounded if you didn't try just the tiniest little bit of her glorious [refined grain and sugar loaded] lemon chiffon cake with mascarpone mousse (I am not joking, here).
What's the problem?
All of the food at these parties, with the exception of the occasional crudite or cheese and cured meat platter, involves lots of grain and sugar. Everything is wrapped in puff pasty, stuffed into filo, served on a toast point, etc.
Wine and other lower-carb alcohol, which can be fine to drink a couple of times per week, becomes problematic when you have 6 or more glasses per week, spread out over 7-8 hours of social event. The problem with wine is not just that it contains some carbohydrate. The alcohol in wine must be metabolized by the liver because it is a toxin. Your body processes alcohol first, before fat, protein, or carbs. While the liver is busy metabolizing the alcohol, it just isn't able to perform the metabolic miracles that make LCHF work, i.e., fat burning (ketolysis). Also, studies have shown that alcohol consumption increases leptin secretion , which may well cause you to overeat at said fundraiser, which is a real problem when there are few good snack options.
What to do about it?
From now on, I'm coming to parties with my own food and drink, and the excuse will be that I didn't want to come empty handed (believe me, extra food is never turned down). Thursday, my next fundraiser night, I'm going to bring a bottle of seltzer water to stash at the bar, which I will either drink alone or use to dilute the wine that is served (and I will only have 1 glass, thus cutting down wine consumption). I am going to bring either a veggie platter, or some stuffed mushrooms (stuffed with the spiced meat filling from my Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant recipe). Then, it will be easier to avoid the other stuff.
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