Thanksgiving is quickly followed by Christmas. That is the "big Kahuna" of Holidays. Christmas is not a one day deal like Thanksgiving. Christmas lasts FOREVER! First there is all of the shopping . . . at the mall . . . with that terrible food court and those pesky Auntie Anne pretzels. I mean REALLY - you might as well just go to the supermarket and eat a stick of butter with a slice of bread and chase it with some lemon water. You would save about $5 too! And I never have any time during the "Holiday Season" because I am running around, shopping and baking (yes - I bake cookies which I then wrap up in pretty cellophane and ribbons and hand out to teachers, instructors, coaches, etc.). Time becomes a rare commodity. Of course when this happens, I usually give up my healthy options such as exercising, sleeping and eating healthy. All of this adds up to a very grumpy me and the eventual holiday weight gain.
So here I am, January 2nd, fat and depressed and looking at my "New Year's Resolution" list (I don't kid myself with January 1st because that is the tail of the Christmas Holiday). Let me tell you, if Halloween was any indication of how the rest of the Holiday season is going to go . . . OUCH! I don't remember eating so much candy in years. It was ugly.
So, how do I deal with this? How do I put myself first and the rest of the world last? How do I make sure that I get on that scale on January 2nd lighter than I am right now??? And how do I do all of this without fighting or stressing. How do I do this with love and acceptance not only of who I am but acceptance and love of everyone around me. (BIG SIGH)
Maybe I should write a letter to Santa . . . .
If you decide to start eating healthy every day (starting right now), the holidays such as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas day should not cause you stress. Afterall, it is not over-indulging one "day" that causes weight gain. It is the days leading up to the "holiday" that have to remain in control. If we bake many batches of cookies or cakes in preparation of the holidays, we have to refrain from indulging and "testing" all our baked goods. It is entirely possible to bake a batch of cookies and only have 1/2 a cookie! And, exercising regularly throughout the whole season can keep us all on track! Afterall, if we work out at the gym for an hour and kill ourselves, suddenly that cookie does not taste so good! You did hit the nail on the head when you said " I have to put myself first."
ReplyDeleteTo the comment above I say easier said than done. If we could all refrain from eating the batches of goodies in front of us than we'd all be thin. It may be necessary to not have the temptation there, staring us down, day after day. Why make it difficult? Of course it's possible to bake batches of cookies and have only 1/2 a cookie but to a person struggling with weight issues it can become extremely difficult and in turn highly improbable.
ReplyDeleteThe logic of working out in the gym for an hour making that cookie taste bad is replaced with the distorted logic of having burned enough calories at the gym to justify a cookie or two.
Great comments from both readers. I suffer from an eating disorder so having the goodies in the house becomes very difficult for me. That is why I probably will not be baking this holiday season. If I do, the goodies will go out to whoever I'm baking for immediately. Last year, I kept on baking cookies to replace the ones my hubby and I were eating - bad bad cycle. Going to the gym every day (actually about 5-6 days out of 7), results in a few outcomes. If I do indulge, I have done some damage control in working off the extra calories. What usually happens when I go to the gym is that I don't overeat as much because I have spent the morning looking at myself in a mirror which eliminates the "fantasy" of what I think I look like versus what I actually look like. Working out also makes me feel better so I am less likely to fall into that "I'm tired and depressed because _____" and then I drown my sorrows in a batch of cookies. One more really important point is that I sleep better when I exercise. I'm beginning to believe that being well rested is a very very important piece of the puzzle. Sounds like I have to write another blog! This stuff is not easy. To quote Skrek - I'm like an onion - I have a lot of layers. Thanks again for your comments and please keep reading and commenting!!!
ReplyDeleteI have been so busy and not exercising and I can hear chocolate calling to me at night. (I need to get rid of the evil stuff.) I keep thinking that I'll get to exercise and eating right - LATER. Well, later is now for me. Keep posting Christina
ReplyDelete