BUT...it is NO TIME to give in, either. Now is the time to buckle down and get serious. I'm serious...time to get serious. I have decided that even though getting totally serious and continuing to lose 2 lbs per week would be GOOD, it is actually BETTER for ME to cut the loss back to maybe 1 pound per week and ENJOY the season.
That's right...I'm going to ENJOY the season.
Now, let me state right here and now (before some of you run out and grab a pint of Ben and Jerry's) that when I say ENJOY I don't mean GO INSANE.
I can enjoy an occasional dessert...I can enjoy some of the kids Halloween candy...I can enjoy a few glasses of wine at a party. But I'm not going to go insane and eat every thing within my reach and drink the liquor cabinet dry.
There is an easy medium between total denial and total free-for-all consumption.
You just have to find YOUR easy medium.
Here's what's working for me:
- Halloween candy: Yep, I ate some, and I continue to eat some! Today, however, I set my absolute LIMIT at 2 pieces. I enjoyed those 2 pieces and will not eat any more. I ate some on Halloween night...I even "helped" the kids demolish the scary gingerbread house. I didn't DENY myself, but I did enjoy SOME, but just not ALL.
- Pumpkin anything: I'm a sucker for fall flavors. Pumpkin bars, pumpkin soup, pumpkin spice latte, etc....etc....etc. I LOVE it. So, I will enjoy a bit here and there...again, not total denial, but I'm not going to eat the whole plate either.
- Thanksgiving: I host Thanksgiving at our home. My sister-in-law actually called me to make sure I wasn't going to be serving a "Tofu Turkey and/or all diet food". Ha ha! No, my Thanksgiving menu will be the same...the same stuff my Mom always fixed, and the same stuff I've fixed since taking it over 9 years ago. But, you can bet your sweet bippy that after enjoying all of that stuff I'm going to be making darned sure I burn a LOT of calories that day, the day after, and after that, and probably even after that. You've gotta off-set the extra consumption by extra burn!
- Christmas: Sorry...no wise words of wisdom here. I honestly have to get through Thanksgiving before I can wrap my head around Christmas. I wish the stores wouldn't put a single Christmas thing out until at least 11/15. But, I am sure inspiration will strike, and when it does, you'll be the first to know!
So, there you have it...my holiday plan is to scale back on the intense weight loss and expect a bit less from the scale. I still expect movement DOWN in the digits, but not as quickly as I've experienced at other times during this journey. I will enjoy all things, but in moderation. For me that is the only way to make this a sustainable life long commitment.
Good luck to you during the holidays and if you have a great "surviving the holidays" tip, please share in the comments below!
Lori
2 comments:
I follow your the mantra of 80/20" 80 good and 20 not so much! My fam has totally joined on band wagon so we are trying to modify slighty this year turkey day but still full fat pumpkin pie and whip cream will be had! and tons of walking! we are starting flag football this year too!
Funny- I limit my kids to 2 pieces of Halloween candy each day (maybe a smidge more on weekends). It's also become part of our parenting- bribery at its finest.
Pumpkin is actually really good for you so don't avoid it too much! Find new and interesting ways to enjoy it this year instead!
And I go for a pass at family holidays- I could try the whole "holiday is about being with loved ones" thing while I eat my plate from home of healthy stuff but it would be a load of BS that would backfire and result in me binging on the couch that night. So I will go ahead and indulge for a day- without guilt!
Post a Comment