The After-Party

When pro-clubbers don't want the fun to end at 2am on a Saturday night when the bars close, they take things into their own hands and head to the "After-Party"…a place where the cool kids go in a secret location to keep things a-bumpin 'til the break of dawn. At the After-Party, you can keep on doing the things you probably shouldn't have in the first place: massive boozing, drugs, maybe even a little sex on the dance floor if you're tricky...possibly even a combo of all three.

After throwing my own little party over the weekend, I am discovering the dangers of the After-Party from a Weight Watchers perspective. Similar to the self-indulgences listed above, this party, as most are, was a major Points minefield. Cheese, butter crackers, nuts, salami, chips, candy, cake….and in true Wino fashion: tons of champagne! Everyone had a great time at the party and, while enjoyed themselves, didn't completely overdo it. But now, as the hostess, I find myself an unwitting attendee of the After-Party.

Because I shopped for the party at Costco, there are leftovers. And I'm not talkin a bite here, a nibble there. There is a 1/2 pound gorgonzola wedge sitting in my fridge, calling my name….mocking me. "Erikaaaa…….I'm in here…..you know you want me…..just a smidge. Come on, it'll be fun! No one has to know. You spent good money on me. You don't want me to start growing mold, do you? Better start eating." Also hangin around at the After-Party is leftover Italian meats marbled with chunks of fat, and a restaurant-portion slab of homemade cake. (The champagne....well, we drank all that!)

To combat the After-Party, I have a plan of attack. So that all the cheese and crackers don't go to waste, I am saving them to take to a bar on Saturday afternoon when we go watch the World Cup games. You can bring your own food into this bar and I know there will be plenty of hungry friends there to chomp it up, effectively getting it away from myself. The cake I am displaying front-and-center on the kitchen counter so my fiancé will encounter it one night after dinner when he feels his sweet-tooth coming on. As for the salami and coppa….well, I might just have to pop a couple slices of those. Hey, nobody's perfect! But I'm not going to sit down and make an oozing, toasted Italian sub sandwich out of it. Though that does sound good.

Morale of the story: Parties are dangerous in and of themselves, but we've got to have a little fun once in a while. It's the After-Party that is the completely unneeded overindulgence. Have a plan for the leftovers -- even if it means dumping it into the trash. Better that than dumping it onto your thighs. Hey, did I mention there as a delicious fruit salad at the party? I am having an After-Party with it right now, as I type! Woot! This might be the only party I ever attend that doesn't leave me with a hangover.

After Party by Koffee Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcRd3Ifzhtg