Holiday Weight Gain

Holiday weight gain

Been there, done that. I’m there, I’m doing it. If you’ve gained a few pounds from Halloween to Christmas say “aye.” AYE!!!

You are not alone. Trust me. Stop beating yourself up over gaining a few pounds. It is okay to be human. I’m human.

What have I done over the last several weeks?

Pizza, Check
Cookies, Check, Check
Wine, Check, Check, Check
Dark Chocolate M & M’s, Check infinity
Working out, Check

I gave myself permission to eat and drink. I gave myself permission to indulge in things. I gave myself permission to gain weight. Yes, I said it. I gave myself permission to gain weight without beating myself up about it. The positive thing is that I’m still drinking my Shakeology daily and working out and keeping activity in my life and not just giving up completely. Instead of a 10 to 20 pound weight gain it may only be 2 to 5 pounds.

The old me would have said “I’ve blown it. I might as well just have everything I want and start over New Years Day.” The old me would have sat under a blanket while stuffing food in my face and watched movies until I decided to go to bed and watch more TV. The improved me may still sit under a blanket and watch TV but this time I snack on cucumbers, or drink tons of water. Occasionally I zip into the kitchen for an amazing chocolate chip cookie. I only bake them 2 times a year so why not? They turned out fantastic this year. I shouldn’t have made them so awesome. They seem to call to me from the kitchen. Heather, I’m waiting for you. Heather, come and get me. Only a half. It won’t kill you. It is okay. I know it won’t kill me. I know that I’m staying close to the track and that I’ll be back on full steam ahead soon.

What I’ve learned:

1) I feel much better when I’m working out. My mood is better, my clothes fit better. I’m better.
2) I feel much better when I’m putting good food into my body. I’m not as tired, I’m not as lazy, I’m more willing to get up and go.

Knowing these 2 things about myself makes me realize that I will never fall off the wagon the way I used to. I used to fall off for years and be depressed. Now that I know how great I feel when I exercise and eat well then it makes me miss it. You may ask, why are you punishing your body then if you already know this? Because habits can be difficult to break. I have the habit of baking cookies at Christmas, attending tons of holiday parties, watching movies etc. We are working on making new holiday habits that don’t involved food and lethargy. I can not change the people around me. I can only change myself and my immediate environment. I’m working on it all the time. I’m a work in progress.

My words of advice:
Allow yourself certain things and enjoy them. Guilt sucks. Figure out your plan for success and tell everyone about it. Sure you may have tried to lose weight and failed in the past. So what! Every day is an opportunity to start over. Every meal is an opportunity to start over. Over time you will see the progress of your choices. Time is either your advocate or your enemy. If you choose to join my challenge January 2nd then by the end of March you will see your level of effort or lack of effort.

I have some big goals for 2012. I hear that abs are not made in the gym, they are made in the kitchen. It is my goal in 2012 to make some abs in the kitchen. I’m not going to talk about this anymore. I’m announcing my goal and going for it. I would love for you to hold me accountable and ask me for pictures.

What can I do for you to help you with your goals?