Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Mardi Gras. That bitch.

So it's Carnival season here in the South, aka Lasseiz les bon temps rouler ("let the good times roll").  And boy, did I ever...


It seems all of us girls here at Different Paths, Same Destination have been struggling on the path to healthier, lighter selves lately.  I know I have.  With psycho in-laws, school, husband and kids to deal with, it's all I can do to refrain from comfort-eating my way through every bag of Doritos in my local Dollar Store.  With sour cream.  (Just so y'all know, I haven't done that.  Yet.)


During Carnival, or Mardi Gras for the non-Cajun folk, there is a period of three weeks consisting of a continuous flow of parades, Mardi Gras balls, good food  and all around immoral behavior.  Most of the debauchery takes place on Bourbon Street, but it does occur elsewhere should the mood strike. 
Yes, it really gets that packed.  Oogie. Grab hands everywhere.
So, whilst parading and enjoying the frivolous joys of the holiday, I hit the big red PAUSE button on the food regulation and just ate every.frickin.thing.  King cake (with cream cheese), stuffed crab, stuffed shrimp, fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried catfish, crawfish etouffee, french fries and poboys.  Not all in one day, but over about five.  Still.  That's a ton of bad (but OH SO GOOD) food. 


I haven't stepped on my scale in over a week.  I don't even acknowledge it when I walk through my bathroom.  Nope.  Giving her the cold shoulder right now.  Partially I'm afraid to see how much damage this Catholic excuse for a holiday has caused.  Mostly, though, I just feel like procrastinating with it for another day.  Or two.  


Maybe I can treat it like lent, and after today, Fat Tuesday (how appropriate, right?), start anew on my goals tomorrow, on Ash Wednesday.  Like I'm giving up fat for lent.  HAHA.  I'm not even Catholic, but that sounds fantastic.  


Who's with me?

11 comments:

  1. I soo want to go to Mardi Gras some year. I've sometimes toyed with the idea of giving up something for Lent, then I remember I'm an atheist.

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  2. I can completely understand how rough it must be to resist all those yummy foods, especially during a hoiday. Maybe you could try picking your favorite two "unhealthy" foods to indulge.

    Either way, it's best to avoid the scale. I feel that obsessing over the scale just makes everyone more depressed. I would say maybe a week weigh in or such?

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  3. I absolutely love the fact that we're all onboard the fail boat. Well, almost all of us anyway. It's better to paddle together, isn't it?!

    I'll have some fried shrimp. Oh wait, I did that yesterday. Whoops.

    I'm with Jax. Stay away from the scale. Focus on feeling good and not beating yourself up with negativity when you don't tow the line. Our bodies crave things for a reason, right?

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  4. I baked. I baked delicious red velvet cupcakes. They were for my bff's bday yesterday. But I ate one last night. There's even a photo of a half eaten cupcake on my most recent post and, that's right... I'm the one the ate the other half (I also ate the remaining half) and it had globs of cream cheese frosting on it. I love cream cheese more than most things in my life.

    I avoid the scale at all costs. I go by the how I feel/how my clothes fit guidebook. The scale is just a bitch. I'll be sailing along on a diet and feel great about it then the moment I step on a scale and see how high the # is I freak out, figure it's all for nothing, and tumble off the wagon. So I rarely ever weigh myself.

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  5. I'm on my 9th box of Thin Mints this season and just stepped on the scale this morning. BAD MOVE!!!!! I haven't seen numbers that large in a LONG time. Even worse is that I bought 4 more boxes today. I resolved that I would just eat the hell out of them and be done, completely done, and then get over my addiction and get back on the healthy track. Hopefully by Easter I will see some improvement.

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  6. I am SO with you girls. I took a nosedive off of the weight loss wagon this weekend that ended facedown in a Whopper value meal at the BK. I think my rock bottom would be filled with crumpled fry containers and empty ketchup packets.

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  7. Next time, I will go in your stead since I'm not on a path to weight loss! I've been wanting to try me some authentic southern cuisine!

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  8. Dude!! I so badly want to go to Mardi Gras after reading your post. It sounds delicious, damn you! *skulks off to eat a fat free yoghurt and weep silently* Good luck with "lent" though! Xx

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  9. I know how you feel. Being from the same part of the world, I love me some Mardi Gras. Bourbon Street? Not so much. It's a little too crammed together for me. The food? Heavenly. I miss it terribly.

    I don't blame you one bit for indulging. It's tradition! We'll get back up on that huge horse again!

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  10. I have to go to Mardi Gras before I die...it always looks such a laugh.
    Like every year I'll be giving up chocolate for lent - or at least trying

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  11. I've never been to Mardi Gras. But, New Orleans is a crazy enough place without it. I seriously think I would die if I went there just before Lent. And, if I did, I'd sure have some 'splainin' to do to Saint Peter.
    "Beads? What beads?"

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