Although, strictly speaking, this isn’t a religion blog, two important dates in the Catholic liturgical calendar are coming up this week: Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) and Ash Wednesday. And Ash Wednesday kicks off the Lenten liturgical season. Both days have implications for Catholics on a weight-loss program, especially if you’re from a more traditional parish or community that observes the pre-Vatican II practice of fasting all 40 days. For non-Latin Rite Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant communions that observe Lent consult with your priest, deacon, or minister on the rules pertaining to your church. (Once you find out, let me know!)
If you celebrate Mardi Gras, it falls under the “diet holiday” rule, especially since the next day you’re gonna pay for it. On the “holiday rule”, you try to eat as you normally do during the day so that, when the party comes, you’re not overly hungry. But when the party comes, don’t worry about tracking the numbers for one night — just enjoy yourself. If you don’t normally do Mardi Gras, you can still give yourself a night off. After all, you’re saying “farewell to meat” for the next 40 days!
Fun Fact: The last time I successfully dieted, in 2009, I started on Ash Wednesday. Although I went to bed very hungry, I felt good about keeping myself honest. It was a good start.