Food is a four-lettered word!

A week ago, I was invited to participate in a FAM trip. FAM is short for familiarization. Because I plan conferences and meetings as part of my job, I was invited by Niagara Tourism to take part in this weekend for Conference and Event Planners. All paid. So, why not? Okay, THIS is why I should and shouldn't have gone! (I went, by the way!)

Friday, January 15th. Pick up at Toronto City Center Terminal. I was the only Toronto participant, the other 11 came from Ottawa and Montreal, thus the pick up at the City air Terminal. Shuttled from there to the Niagara Hilton Hotel & Suites where my suite, yes, was on the 45th floor overlooking the falls. It was an amazing room. I knew I was in for a great time the minute I got to my room. Waiting for me was a plate of fruit, but not your average apples, banana, grapes, etc. This was papaya, star fruit, guava, and mango. Delicious. Also the Hilton had a beautiful memory box waiting, with a note welcoming the FAM group.

Just enough time to freshen up (my bag had not yet been delivered to my room)... and back down to the mezzanine level for the walk over to the Niagara Casino , which was attached to the hotel via a bridge. The Casino had prepared a welcome reception/luncheon for the group...all the food you could possibly imagine and drinks.. anything you wanted and as much as you wanted! Dessert... don't get me started. Cheesecake on a stick! I was in heaven, and scared to death at the same time! ALL THAT FOOD & DRINK! We then participated in speed meetings. I met with 12 different hotels/AV companies/convention centre/wineries/parks commission, etc. to get an idea of what each venue had to offer a program such as the one I manage. The afternoon was long, and at 4:30 I was happy to be finished.

Again, just enough time to go back to my room, unpack, find and steam my dress for the "Ice Wine Gala" - at $175 a ticket, I was happy I wasn't paying for it! Thank you Niagara Tourism. We walked in the door, through a 'security' curtain and immediately handed a vodka/ice wine martini! It was scrumptious. Then into the main event. The first stop - cheese! Oh how decadent these cheeses were! A sampling on each plate of 4 artisanal cheeses and tasting notes to go with them. I was in heaven (and trying hard not to think of the fat content). Over 2 dozen wineries were represented and served complimentary (or included in the cost of your ticket!) wines - reds, whites, and of course the jewel - ICE WINE. The food was out of this world. I never had such delicious treats! Beef, duck (although I didn't like the fact that the duck was smiling at me through its crispy well done head!) lamb, sushi, more cheese, more beef, desserts and more wine! I was happy to be tasting some delicious wines and happy to learn that some of the wines that I thought would be good were actually awful! (Really didn't like Dan Akroyd's wines.. the slogan says they are made from "snob free grapes". I'm thinking he should have used the snobby grapes!) My favourite winery of the evening was Fielding Estates. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality! However by 11:30 p.m. I was exhausted and my feet were killing me. I headed back to my room at the Hilton.

To my utter delight, waiting for me in side my room, gift wrapped, was a copy of Fresh by Anna Olson. It was personalized too! To Heather, best wishes and fresh dishes. Anna Olson. [Side note, this past weekend I prepared the baked pears from this cookbook and they were fantastic!] After a nice hot bath, in my luxury suite, (sigh) I went to bed.

Saturday began early - pick up and shuttled over to Sheraton on the Falls, for breakfast and a site tour of that hotel and their sister property next door, the Crowne Plaza. Breakfast began with the waiter circulating in the room making sure everyone had a mimosa. yummy way to start breakfast. It was a buffet, of course, and it had everything that the Sheraton offers for breakfast. I had Eggs Benedict. Why not? Fail. I sat down at my table and in front of me was a huge bar of yummy chocolate. Guilt began to settle in as I imagined my friends back home at Weight Watchers, who would be weighing in at that very moment. Guilt lasted until I had my first bite of my Eggs Benedict. S0 wonderful! Guilt returned after I finished. Stupid guilt!
Oh well.

After our site visit, we were then picked up by the Niagara Parks Commission who had promised helicopter tours for us. Cloud ceiling too low, had to settle for the Butterfly Conservatory, which, strangely enough, was pretty cool, in a tropical sort of way. From there to Table Rock for... lunch. The group was now referring to food as "that four-lettered "F" word." Decadent lunch of beef - in portions that were way too large, but cooked to absolute perfection, and more wine, and desserts... we got our walkers out to help us move our now fat and food/wine bloated bodies out of table rock, and shuffled our way back to the shuttle. I forced myself into my seat on the shuttle and thought, hmm, I may never get out of here!

Off to Chateau des Charmes winery. Tour, tasting and reception. And when I say 'reception' I mean more food and wine!

Then to Peller Estates for a tour and custom Ice Wine Seminar... with food pairings. Yes... MORE food! Our 'seminar' included such delights as chicken liver mousse in a puffed pastry with a glass of Vidal Ice wine, Blue Ice cheese (blue cheese infused with ice wine) with a glass of Oak aged Vidal Ice wine, Fresh oysters with ice wine jelly and a glass of Riesling Ice wine, and finally a Flour-less chocolate cake with a Cabernet Franc Ice wine. Ice wine/sugar overload! We were taken outside to the ice wine bar - you know, in case the sugar levels in our blood were not quite high enough - and served ice wine infused hot chocolate, and handmade ice wine marshmallows which we roasted over an open fire outside. The marshmallows were the highlight of the day! Seriously, never had anything so delicious ever! Or maybe I was just getting drunk! Not sure.

Back to the hotel to freshen up. Off to the Sheraton Fallsview (not to be confused with Sheraton on the Falls) for yet another reception - and TONS of food, I won't bother to list it all, it's not weight watchers friendly... but oh so delicious, and of course more wine or whatever else you wanted. Then - we had to sound intelligent while touring that hotel. There was way too much giddy giggling happening by that time. I wished the men could have controlled themselves more! :o) A quick nip across the street to the Marriott Fallsview. Apparently everything has the name "fallsview". Another quick tour of that hotel, and then dinner... yes more "F" stuff. Diner was late, however, and I remember looking at my watch when my main entree arrived (after drinks, appetizers, salad first). 10:30 p.m. Of course, new wine with each course. Dessert was a sampling of their five most popular, and decadent, desserts. I was feeling rather ill by the end of the evening - way too much rich food.

A few of us decided to walk back to our hotel, about 5 minutes away, but got sidelined by the casino door. In we went. I decided to bet just $5... and I ended up winning $126.50. I cashed out and went to bed. All in all, a profitable evening for me!

The final day was breakfast at the Watermark Restaurant, within the Hilton hotel. We had a private room for the 12 meeting planners, our Niagara Tourism host and the reps from the Hilton. THANKFULLY, we were given menus to choose from. Here's the kicker - of the 12 meeting planners 8 chose the same breakfast - plain unsweetened yogurt and a side of fresh berries, with juice and coffee. I was one of those 8. I felt for the first time all weekend I had something healthy! It felt good. It felt so good.

Our final tour, this time of the Hilton, and then check out. We were each handed a boxed lunch for our trip back to Toronto (and the airport for the other 11). It, too, was decadently delicious. I gave my 'cookie' to the shuttle driver. Okay, no I didn't. I ate it. It was the best chocolate cookie I've ever had. So moist, so delicious... so laced in fat no doubt.

Arriving home Sunday evening... I decided not to have dinner. I know... how brave of me! I did have some fruit and a cup of tea. I really wasn't hungry.

Monday - back to reality, and a shocking step on the scale at home. I already knew that the number I got on my scale was the same as the number I got at Weight Watcher weigh-ins. So, I stepped on. I stepped off. I stepped on and looked again. I stepped off. I stepped on, cried, and stepped off. I gained over 5 lbs over the weekend!!!!!

I knew I was already at an all time high for my body weight. So, this was indeed disappointing but not unexpected. I worked 'the program' all week and thankfully when I weighed in on Saturday (Jan 23) I was only up 0.4 lbs. I felt like I had another casino win!!! I was able to drop much of what I had gained the previous weekend.

So now... I MUST keep at it. I must focus, I must decide that health is what I want... I must decide that no matter what, I will be back in good shape again. I must decide..... that that cookie tasted delicious and if that was all I had it wouldn't have been such a big deal.

Now it's Monday again, and I'm determined. I'm set. I'm ready. I'm.... going through food withdrawal. I wonder when I can get on another FAM tour?