seasons eatings

Let’s talk about holidays and diets, shall we?

My weight shot up with the extra fluid from the pleurisy. It was discouraging but I knew what was happening. No panic. Not much anyways.

The holidays have brought a few extra treats… homemade banana nut bread… homemade apple butter… chocolate covered pretzels… the candy for the stockings that has been in my closet for the past week. I’ll admit… I had a few fun sized butterfingers.

I took Austin out for dinner last night. Our tradition has been to have a nice dinner on Christmas Eve. For the first time since I’ve been a mommy… I won’t be with any of my babies on Christmas Eve. Our office Christmas Party is tonight so last night was the last chance for a “Christmas Eve” meal. We had Chinese. I haven’t had Chinese in months… I ate a whole order of potstickers… dipped in that oily sauce… and 1/3 of an order of Mongolian beef. Ok. And a bite of Austin’s crab Rangoon.

Tonight our party is at a diner type place… burgers, chicken tenders, that sort of thing. I’m going to look for a grilled chicken type thing… do the best I can.

Tomorrow is our family Christmas brunch… ham and biscuits, sausage balls, breakfast casserole… all kinds of goodies and special treats. I’m going to eat.

Tomorrow night Angie’s making chili – frito pie, actually. I will eat.

And on Christmas morning… I will have my full fat eggnog with nutmeg.

It’s a lot of food. Guess what? I’ve tracked every bite. I’m not out of points for the week. (not yet, anyways – my tracking runs from Saturday to Friday) I’ve used a lot more of my extras than normal. I may even run out of points this week for the first time EV-UH. (ok, maybe I would have on Thanksgiving if I tracked it all).
I even went to the trouble of calculating the points for a sausage ball (about one point each, using the heart healthy bisquick, the lower fat cheese and sausage)

I’m just not allowing myself to buy into the mindset that *just because I’m eating a few extra seasonal things… that I might as well throw caution to the wind and completely pig out* that’s a dangerous place for a girl like me who really, really loves to eat and who is a pretty durn good cook (if I do say so myself).

If I bite it… I’m gonna write it. I may not like the way it looks on paper… but I’m not going to drop the habit of paying attention to what I eat. It’s too easy to slip back into old habits. It’s too easy to let one day of not tracking turn into two (like it did over Thanksgiving).

And… I have a plan.

Because my meetings are on Saturdays, I won’t weigh in again (officially) until January 8th. Whatever damage I do over this festive season… I’ll be back on track and one hundred percent hardcore on plan starting on December 26th. That will give me two full weeks to reverse the damage.

My New Year’s Resolution is activity. Every day. That's the only way it can truly be a habit for me is every day. The tool that’s missing in my arsenal is exercise. I’ve got to tone up, strengthen my lungs, build up my strength… and that starts ASAP.

I’ve talked with my friend Melissa in Minnesota who is a running FIEND… she has run all the way up until her delivery date with her last two babies. She used to me soft like me… now she’s toned, fit, fabulous… and she’s my goal. I want to run like Melissa.

Also… whenever I can go to NYC again… and I hope it’s in the next few months… I have to run in Central Park with my sister in law.

So… once I’m off the meds (finishing the antibiotic today)… and back on plan… and moving my lazy game-playing butt… these few extra Christmas treats will disappear!

My philosophy is to make this a lifestyle. Everyone eats more at Christmas. Even those with the strongest willpower will have some indulgences. My lifestyle includes me tracking every bite I eat – and for me to be healthy- I will probably ALWAYS have to. I’m being realistic, enjoying myself and not getting out of control. I’m also not freaking out over every bite making everyone around me miserable.

I’m also realistic enough to know that eating more means losing less and I know I have to have a plan to balance the scales. Literally.

I’m excited about what the new year has in store for me… I plan to reach my goal weight in 2011 so it’s going to be a VERY. GOOD. Year!