Monday, November 29

Three and a Half Weeks

Ho boy, Thanksgiving is over!  I had great intentions of posting regularly though the holiday, but Seattle was hit with a crazy snow storm (yes, it probably wasn’t even an inch of snow) and then vacation just sounded too good.  But here I am again, and not too worse for the wear.
Since this is actually my first holiday season since losing 95 pounds, it’s been a time of learning!  I haven’t quite known what to expect of both my decisions and reactions to food this season.  I started off Halloween with a plan, but I lost track of the plan quickly.  There were literally moments when I had food in my hand and didn’t know where it came from.  It’s not that the food leaped into my mouth of its own accord, but more that I would be chewing something delicious and realize “I never made the choice to eat that.”  It was like my brain was on auto pilot (with what I know of how brain chemistry and food works, I can understand how it happens).  I wasn’t making decisions—whether bad or good—to eat or not eat food.  I was just going on instinct.  And my instincts notoriously cannot be trusted.
So, what’s my strategy?  There are three and a half weeks until Christmas, and I’ll be in weight-lost mode during that time.  I’m several pounds over my ceiling weight—that number that is supposed to be my “stop in your tracks and do a U turn” weight.  I’m determined to at least get back into my normal weight range before Christmas, and I think that’s doable.  However, I’m going to need to come up with some solid strategies and plans for Christmas.  I’ll be traveling on top of all the holiday traditions.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll have tips and strategies on surviving the holidays (as well as hopefully a few guest bloggers).  In the meantime, any tips you want to share?  What’s worked for you?  What hasn’t worked?

5 comments:

Raegun said...

That sounds like a great approach. I'm using the same strategy! Three weeks is enough time to see some good results. Let's do this!
Rae
xo

katieharris said...

Here's my helpful tips:
1. Always start the day with a healthy breakfast, because it's inevitable that your eating will get less healthy throughout the day, especially during the holidays.
2. Aim to get in some exercise during the morning, otherwise you'll find some activity or gathering gets in the way as the day goes on.
3. Enjoy foods that are special to this time of year, stuff you can't find during the rest of the year. Don't fill up on boring snacks or store-bought goodies, save your splurges for homemade treats instead.

Becky said...

Oooo, good advice, Miss Katie!

My counselor always recommends committing to eating two meals well if you know one of them won't be so "well." I find it makes me feel less guilty if I know I did my best for at least half of the day, too! :D

And good recommendation on the treats! That means, I'll skip the chips that I could have any time and save my calories for your fantastic sugar cookies. ;)

Mum said...

New Years resolutions to overcome the inevitable damage!

Anonymous said...

I don't buy the junk food, so stuff like chips and oreos and other stuff stay away, so I don't end up snacking on that. I don't feel so bad then, about grabbing homemade cookies or other treats that make it into the office. I also write down what I had. Even if I just caught myself snacking on something and am unsure of what it was, I write it down. Then when I want to grab something I can look and see what crap I've been eating that day.



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