Cheers!

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by Kaye Bailey 

It is very common this time of year, in our WLS communities, to feel both a sense of joy in celebrating the holidays while also feeling frustrated by the constant distraction of holiday food and food-centered events. Of course we are frustrated! Here we are trying to use our surgical tool for weight management in the very world where we became obese. Nothing in our environment after surgery changes, in fact, food centered events seem polarized as if taunting us back to the eating behavior we now understand is so detrimental to our health. I have joined the conversation often where we collectively complain that the constant focus on food takes away from the greater meaning of our celebrations. "It gets worse every year," we moan to one another.

But recently a more historical perspective was offered to me when a friend made a compelling argument that gathering to partake of food is a custom as old as mankind and is universal across continent and culture. In fact, she noted, gathering to share food is a complex community-building exercise and traditions can be traced back to ancient harvest festivals. Gathering to share and partake of food and drink is not a trend of our the times: it is the very essence of humanity. Of course, different cultures evolve different traditions, such as the American Thanksgiving originating in 1621.

That gathering in Plymouth, Massachusetts took its cues from the English tradition of giving thanks and offering prayers at an autumnal harvest festival. The English tradition took hold during the Protestant Reformation where it began as a religious observation. It is interesting to note that almost all religions and cultures mark the conclusion of harvest with some form of religious gathering to offer thanks to a higher power and share food and drink with neighbors, families, and friends. While cultures have seen traditions come and go, the custom of gathering to break bread and partake of drink endures.

John Sherry, a University of Notre Dame cultural anthropologist, said, "The reason all the people come together is because there's something about building a tradition; a sense of home and comfort." He notes that within religions, geographic regions, and even families smaller traditions evolve as part of the whole. "Gathering is more about sharing. The individual traditions that are created add to the larger tradition. There is a feeling of participation in the greater human experience."

Understanding that the tradition of gathering for food and drink is greater than the individual is one step in reconciling our WLS-lifestyle with the traditions and customs that are familiar to our world and sanctify our relationships and heritage.

In other words, the 2,000 calorie plate of Thanksgiving food is not about us, about our weight, or an effort to sink our ship when we are struggling mightily to follow the rules that seemingly go against the tide. That plate is a declaration of custom, heritage, and abundance. The plate is a symbol of the community, a symbol of the greater human experience. The plate is not about the individual.  When we understand that, we can eat from the plate as we chose, participating in the custom of gathering for food and drink. Eating smaller, carefully selected meals does not take from the collective experience of giving thanks and celebrating tradition. Eating a smaller meal simply honors the individual while participating as part of the group.

While we understand our smaller plate honors tradition just as well as a heaping plate, it may not be so easy for others to accept this. Navigating among food pushers certainly becomes a new, and perhaps frustrating,  tradition for those with WLS. Because food gatherings are founded upon the inclusion of individuals into community we are well-served to  participate by practicing acceptance, gratitude and kindness respecting our self, and those with whom we are gathered.
 
For strategies in coping with food pushers and food police take a look in our newsletter archive at the August 13, 2012 bulletin:
Weekly Digest Archive: Food Pushers and Food Police
 

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2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar or 1/3 cup Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking

3/4 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup dark molasses

1 cup raisins

Directions: Preheat oven to 350�F. Coat 3 baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, brown sugar (or Splenda), pumpkin, oil and molasses in a second bowl until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients and raisins into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Drop the batter by level tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.

5 Day Pouch Test Soup Recipes    |    LivingAfterWLS Soup Recipes

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LivingAfterWLS, LLC
Kaye Bailey, Founder
Evanston, Wyoming 82931