One of my dearest friends got engaged this year, and she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. This was something my friend and I had absolutely dreamed about since we were young (like most girls obsessed with Disney and rom-coms) so she was basically prepared with a bridal dream book the moment her boyfriend proposed. Recently my friend Kiara, and her fiancé (Angus) organized a weekend away for the bridal party, for all to get to know one another and to bond before the upcoming wedding. The plans were set in place – half the bridal party would go with Kiara, and the rest were either with Angus or coming from their respective workplaces.
So we had a two hour drive, with a full car and our adventure began at the place where all road trips begin…
*IMPORTANT PAUSE*
I WOULD love to say that this weekend consisted of long walks/ runs at the local beach, with salad and tuna for lunch and a plate of vegetables and legumes for dinner, whilst consuming a minimum of 2L of water, evenly sipped throughout the day.
The thing about being a dietitian (I can’t speak for other health professionals – so any other allied health/nursing etc, please let me know) is that there is a pressure to project the “perfect” lifestyle and diet. The type of person who goes to the gym 5 days a week, doesn’t drink alcohol, and consumes a diet that has no hint of added sugar or fats.
This is a feeling that I have spoken about with many dietetic colleagues over my course. People feeling like they can’t be a “good dietitian” because they are above a size 14, so how would clients perceive them?
Now, obviously – that has NOTHING to do with the person you are or your capability as a health professional, but it is a very real and valid feeling.
I didn’t bring anything but salad, fruit and a bottle of water in my first few weeks of dietetics because I thought the other students, and lecturers (all dietitians) would judge me if I brought anything else. The only thing that made me change was:
a) I was perpetually hungry all day (we had 9 – 5 classes most days of the week)
b) That is not enough food for the day and
c) I saw that other students would buy their lunch from the on campus facilities and it was balanced. Sometimes cookies, sometimes pasta, sometimes toasted sandwiches or salad – all yummy things!
As usual – I’m going off track
NOW – Back to the road trip and our first stop: MACCAS
Of course – what Aussie road trip down the coast would be complete without a Maccas run?
We went shopping for other food during the afternoon, which involved a lot of digs at me the “nutritionist” (by a doctor, the guy I’m partnered up with in the bridal party) and people asking me about nutritional quality of multiple foods. For example – multigrain bread is great for getting some extra fibre in and on top of that, consuming wholegrain foods is actually preventative against cardiovascular disease compared with the alternative of your average white bread.
I have given you a brief idea/ diary of what I ate through the day to give context;
FRIDAY
Breakfast:
Chia Wholemeal Toast, Lite Nuttelex, & Tasty Cheese melted,
Tea (with skim lactose free milk).
Lunch:
Spicy Grilled Chicken Maccas Wrap, mandarin, iced water
Afternoon Snack:
Cut up raw vegetables (celery, carrot, capsicum, cucumber) & dip
Tea (skim lactose free milk)
So if you’re reading this, you’ll be thinking aside from the wrap from the golden arches, the rest is pretty straight forward and well,
Boring and expected from a dietitian
I feel like this is where it all took a turn – The sun went down, a house full of 20-somethings celebrating… and more than a fridge full of leftover alcohol from the engagement party. It was at this point in the night, around 5.30pm where I drank;
A BOTTLE OF MOSCATO in an hour – Maybe I was thirsty..?
I also very quickly became the most intoxicated person there, because other adults know how to pace themselves apparently, and I’m a two can Tessie.
Then was dinner: Homemade pizza (which I ate half of because I was actually sobering up and I was too tired to physically eat more).
After dinner of course the drinking games began so I had
– A horrible Canadian club and coke (made by myself)
– A horrible vodka soda (made by yours truly again – just a note: don’t ever let me make you a drink).
Saturday morning came and I managed to escape with no hangover (Thanks to the water and the multivitamin I consumed before bed).
We had a day of travelling in the car and stopping off at various locations. This is reflected in my diet for the day – (shown below) as there was no proper lunch consumed, which meant we had foods that were energy dense rather than nutrient dense (a common hurdle for those with a lack of perceived time to sit down for meals).
SATURDAY
Breakfast:
Multigrain Toast, Butter, English breakfast Tea
Morning Tea/Lunch:
A mandarin and a hot chocolate
Afternoon Tea:
Handful of wedges
Dinner:
Vegie burger and beer
Followed by many shots, vodka lemonades, and miscellaneous snacks.
We enjoyed burgers and beers at the golf range, and the party continued back at the house where I downed way too many shots and vodka lemonades. The night got pretty fuzzy so I probably ate MnM’s and munched on some savoury snacks, as you do when you’re drinking!
Probably to soak up the alcohol…
And it didn’t work because I felt ROUGH the next morning
SUNDAY:
Breakfast:
Following a seedy walk to the kitchen, running to the bathroom twice…Multigrain Toast, Butter, English breakfast Tea
Lunch:
A seedy ride to the location for lunch and potential wedding venue for the lovebirds
Pizza and ginger beer (Ginger is great for nausea – hence the ginger beer).
Afternoon Snack:
Mandarin
Wild berry flavoured water (replacing my hydration lost from the previous night)
Dinner:
After <4 hours sleep from the previous night, and still feeling seedy
Went out for dumplings – have no idea what amount was consumed.
Basically the aim of this blog post was to show you that there is great joy in being mentally free to eat, drink and celebrate with friends, and as a qualified dietitian I ate exactly what I wanted all weekend – guilt free. The weeks following I DID NOT change any parts of my normal diet to make up for the weekend, I just ate as normal. Even dietitians do not consume the “perfect” diet. Now I am definitely not promoting consuming high amounts of alcohol, but just remember to enjoy all the small moments in life, because if you are worrying about what you are eating and how it is going to negatively affect your body size – you will miss out on all the fun parts and special memories.
Until next time,
Big Sis x
