Hi Sherry01,

Well first of all well done for getting straight back on plan. That's something that some people don't manage to do but you did so good for you.

You've had some good advice from many of the others in the forum already and now you've experienced what it is like to fall off the wagon albeit temporarily.

Perhaps the best advice I can give you is how to avoid that problem in the first place.

The first thing to do is tell your host about what you eat as that way they can at least accommodate much of your preferred way of eating. Whilst that may be a little bit of a challenge with Italian food, it is certainly not impossible.

I have Italian friends that love cooking for me simply because it is a challenge for them to produce food that isn't high in carbohydrates, doesn't rely on pasta as its main ingredient and still has that authentic Italian flavor. It's got to the point now where there is almost a competition between three of them as to who can remain the most authentically Italian yet still deliver something nutritious and tasty that's not high on carbs. You might understand I am doing nothing to dissuade them from this quest and enjoying the fruits of their labors one hundred percent.

If you are invited to a restaurant on the other hand, again one of the easiest things to do is to find out which one ahead of time and try and get hold of their menu so that you can look through it and see what is suitable.

I've also found a call-through to the manager saying that you are invited to eat there with friends but you have this dietary restriction and simply ask them if there's anything they can do to help. Again you will often find that people are too willing to do so.

Hope that helps,

Mark