Celebrate!

Celebrations.  I love them.  Who doesn’t?  Hors d’oeuvres, food, booze, usually a cake.  What’s not to like?

In our house we celebrate everything.  Everything.  Pets’ birthdays, first day of school, last day of school, anything we can think of.  I admit that we may have gone a bit overboard when a few years ago my daughter Olivia ran up to my husband Wil on the 3^rd Saturday in June and said, “Happy Father’s Day Eve!”

Zelda's Fish Cake

Like most people, we celebrate with food.  Last year for our cat Zelda’s birthday we made a fish shaped cake for the humans (the cats lavished in wet food).  For Olivia’s Harry Potter themed birthday last year we made golden snitch cupcakes (which were chocolate, not golden.  Olivia LOVES chocolate.  That’s one apple that did not fall very far from its tree).

But as we all know, celebrating with food can get you into trouble.  At least it always got me into trouble.  I agree, we should all enjoy a nice hunk of cake on our birthday (to which all 45 of mine have been chocolate.  As I said: apple, tree).  I’m talking about the celebrations that aren’t really ours: family birthdays, co-workers’ retirement parties, Flag Day parties (I’m telling you, we celebrate everything.  For that one I’d make a sheet cake and decorate with whipped cream and strawberry stripes and blueberry stars.  Yum).

About 15 years ago I had decided to go on a diet.  I followed the diet written by a celebrity (and I’m not embarrassing myself by saying who the celebrity was, but let’s just say he enjoys Sweatin’ to the Oldies).  And the diet worked.  I lost about 40 pounds.  I don’t remember the exact amount, and I think I know why.  The day I hit my goal weight, I celebrated – with a bag of Cheese Doodles.  An entire bag of Cheese Doodles.  I kept the weight off just long enough to give away all my bigger sized clothes and then have nothing to wear once I gained all the weight back (plus a few more pounds just for good measure).

Six years ago I set out to lose weight again.  This time, though, I didn’t want to diet.  I wanted to change my lifestyle.  So of course I ate less, but I ate a lot healthier and I also started working out.  After 14 months I had lost 70 pounds.  This time I celebrated hitting my goal weight by signing up for my first running race, a 4 miler in Central Park.

I live a lot differently now.  I haven’t been to a McDonald’s or Wendy’s since 2008, and honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I had a Cheese Doodle.  I ate a doughnut last November but it was immediately after finishing my second full Marathon in 2 weeks. 

This past Thursday I had cause to celebrate.  It was the 5^th anniversary of being at my goal weight.  And again, I celebrated.  This time it was a 20 minute walk at lunch time.  During the walk I thought about how I’ve kept 70 pounds off my body for the last 5 years.  I look at food differently.  Yes, I still have cake on my birthday (and it’s still chocolate).  But at most celebrations now, I celebrate the person or the occasion and I do it without food, or at least with healthy choices.

Celebrations.  I love them. Spending time with the honored person, hanging out with a bunch of happy people, getting to be a part of someone's special occasion.  What’s not to like?

Olivia's Golden Snitch Cupcakes