The Easter Weight

We spent a great weekend at my parents. Even managed to slip in a date on Saturday night. What tends to happen though when we go to my parents is we gain weight, even my super metabolismicly blessed husband. This is partially due to the fact that my mom has the gift of hospitality and she is also a fantastic cook. Eating is a requirement at their house. I also tend to give myself a bit of a free pass for those times since it's usually both a time of celebration and I pretty much know it's going to happen so I roll with it.

I know some of you might be thinking, "Sure, she might be a good cook but come on, how great can she be?" I would like to inform you that she is actually pretty renowned for her cooking. If people find they can't make it to an event where there will be food provided by my mom they become sullen and regretful. Some may even find ways of canceling their other plans. What is funny about this is that she seems to have no idea that what she makes is in any way different to any of the slop you would find elsewhere. For example, last weekend her church had a chili cook off. That day she started her batch of chili far later than she had intended and was irritated that she would not be able to impart as much flavour. She began to add ingredients (she never works on a recipe for anything and it will never turn out exactly the same again) and began to complain that this batch had no flavour. She continued to add spices and sauces, beans and onions but couldn't seem to find this miraculous "flavour" she was searching for. I decided to taste this chili and really how bad it was. Upon tasting I suggested a dash of sugar and asked if there was another can of beans to add but asked "What do you want it to taste like? Do you and Dad normally eat chili with some sort of unbelievable flavour punch?" She just continued to search for items to add and never did reach the elusive level of flavour she was hoping for. As she left for the cook off I told her, "I bet you will go and everyone will devour it. You'll win first prize and not a spoonful will be left." At 10:00 that night I got a phone call from my mother telling me how funny it was that she had actually won first prize.

So back to my point, it's hard to avoid the quality of food my mom prepares. It is also hard to avoid the quantity. If there are 10 people expected she will plan for 20. She also begins the afternoon by putting out a selection of chips, veggies and dips, nuts, crackers, cheese, chocolates and whatever else she can find. Once you sit down to eat your meal you are already full from the meal of snacks you have been munching on for hours already. You can't sit at the table though and just not eat your supper because A) that would be rude and B) it's too good. Don't forget there is also desert afterwards and it will be something else that is to fantastic to pass up on. If the meal you ate was actually a lunch then you can also expect another selection of snacks and munchies in the afternoon but as soon as the dinner hour hits it's back into the fridge again to pull out another smorgasbord of finger foods to make up another meal. I didn't even mention the flavoured creamers my mom always gets for occasions as well as the glass of wine or two that have recently been added to family get togethers.

It is not uncommon for me to gain 7 lbs in a weekend. This being the celebration of Easter there was 2 full days of food with mom plus the half day we arrived and on our date night we indulged in french fries and calamari (it was really, really good and I don't regret it). This trip it seems I gained 4 lbs and my husband actually seems to have put on about 7. Maybe I really don't feed him enough. lol This is one of the few times that I have put on less than he has and I believe it is a good indication that my metabolism has, in fact, begun to speed up some. It might seem strange that I am actually happy about putting on 4 lbs but believe me, it's been much worse. I also know from the experience of the last few trips as well that these holiday pounds tend to fall off very quickly and soon I'll be back on track. It might not be the best timing with a wedding to attend next weekend but I think a pair of spanks might just be in order.

All in all, I had a wonderful Easter and I enjoyed every ounce of those 4 celebration pounds.

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