The eating season has officially begun. Whether you made it through Halloween sans candy or awoke on Sunday in a chocolate-smeared haze, how you go about the next couple months can really make an impact on your mental and physical health for the rest of this year.
Many times, people sort of give up now and have the date of January 1st already in their mind as the next time to really get on track. The problem with that is that it is so easy to give in every single day (60 of them) to the “Oh, I’ll make it my New Year’s Resolution to diet”, or “I’m too busy to take care of myself right now”. There are a lot of treats out there between gingerbread lattes, pumpkin scones, office candy, office parties, etc… If you eat a treat every day and consume an extra 400 calories (2 cookies, not hard to imagine), but slack off on the exercise – that is an extra 24,000 calories over the 2 months, or an equivalent of about a 6.5 pound weight gain. And then we all know how hard it is to try to put that machine into 180 degree reverse right on January 1st, and then how everybody is so miserable at having to “diet” again.
How about doing it different this year and planning ahead a little bit? For me, I love eggnog lattes. Heck, I just love eggnog. (One thing about me, when I love something, it’s always one of the most calorie dense items out there 😯 )
My plan is to let myself have 2 of them in a coffeeshop this season. That’s what I did last year and it worked really well. What that does is make the eggnog latte really mean something instead of just having one (or 2 or 10!) on a whim. The rest of the time will be my standard lattes.
I also am going to make sure that I keep my exercise schedule. Don’t ever be afraid or feel guilty about putting yourself first. In order to get through one of the most hectic and stressful times of the year, you need to be at the top of your game, and that means doing for yourself what makes you strong and healthy. Happy you = happy family.
Let yourself have some indulgences, but keep them in control. It’s okay to have some treats, but really ask yourself if you need them every day (or multiple times a day). Is that the definition of a treat? Treats or indulgences are supposed to be special, not common place.
You can also think about treating yourself in nonfood ways. How about some ‘me’ time with a manicure or pedicure? Or a quiet couple of hours at the library, or just some meditation?
So instead of freaking out about the rest of the year, take some time today and make a plan for yourself and how you are going to handle the situations that come up through the holidays. You don’t have to be 100% perfect to be successful.
Do you have a plan set up for the holidays?
Amen to everything you said, Lori – and thanks for the reminder that I really DO need to get a game plan set up for the next two months! Off to ponder…
.-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Mmmmm, Maui Munchies! =-.
Thankfully, we don’t usually have any candies or Christmas goodies around the house. My problem will be at work where everyone automatically brings you a couple of chocolates or a Christmas cookie. Maybe this year I can put them aside and bring them home to the kids.
I noticed that the commentluv doesn’t seem to work with my comments here even though I have the box checked.
I think if it in terms of “days” and not a “season.” In my mind, three days require full-out celebration – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve. Otherwise, it’s business as usual. That’s what I did last year and it more or less worked 🙂
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Run With Me & Goals for November =-.
Great post!! I haven’t really nailed down the eating part for the holidays. The exercise, i’ve got, but I need to think about the food part! Thanks for helping me think outside the box 🙂
Great post Lori and so true!!! For me it really has always been about planning.
.-= Dawn´s last blog ..Sunday over all ready =-.
I’m planning to maintain my weight through the holidays. I’ll have treats but not too many!
Amen to eggnog stuff. I love it! I make eggnog cheesecake, bunt cake, milkshakes, ect…I can usually avoid the lattes because our Starbucks always scorches them. Always!
.-= Ang´s last blog ..Eggnog pancakes…my two favorite things collide at IHOP! =-.
I cannot thank you enough for this post today! I have had the “I am too busy and will be for a while to fool with doing anything for myself” mentality for over a month already, and saw no end in sight. Maybe reading (and re-reading) your post will slap me around back to where I need to be and where I deserve to be! Thanks : )
.-= Pam´s last blog ..Randall’s Turn! =-.
I’m a little nervous about the upcoming holiday season. I’ve done pretty well with not going overboard, but the last few weeks I’ve struggled a lot. And I’m really hoping that I’m not going to lose it!
I struggle with my birthday which is at the end of the month.
A lot of people want to take me out and feed me…I have already let a few know that it is not necessary this year.
I will have a special dinner with BF and one with my family (if I combine them it would be even better, just less romantic).
I will have a team lunch at Christmas and that is about it. I don’t celebrate Christmas and don’t go anywhere on the day so no worries for me.
I will not hesitate to indulge in some good dark chocolate if it happens to be around.
Great post Lori!
.-= Kimberley´s last blog ..Weigh In #5 =-.
The holidays are always a challenge, but Thanksgiving is the worst one of all. My wife’s family, as well as my own, really enjoy cooking, and boy can they cook great. I don’t have a plan yet, but it is time to be making one.
.-= South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Motivation for Monday – Just for You! =-.
This is a great idea, Lori. Just hard to do! My birthday is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And as Juice calls it, it is my ‘birthday season.’ I don’t have too much trouble going overboard, but to plan for specific treats…I’ll have to think about that!
.-= debby´s last blog ..Personal Best =-.
This is a great post. I am doing the Hot 100 Challenge offered at Steve’s blog (www.logmyloss.com)to help me stay on track these last two months. It’s not easy, but doable.
I love your idea of having only a few specialty coffee drinks in the cafe to make them more memorable. I might have to make myself do that this season.
Also, love the idea of pumpkin in Cream of Wheat!!
It’s delicious- you must try it!
A plan is a great idea. I have an exercise plan between now and the end of the year, but thanks to this post I realize I need to work on a food plan. I survived halloween without any halloween candy and feel good about that.
I stick to my plan which I heard at WW a few years ago: eat what you like on the Holiday’s but all the other days in between stick to your healthy lifestyle.
I will keep on exercising from now on till December 31th. I’m having a vacation from December 24th till January 3th and I’m looking forward to exercising in the morning.
I have a run planned on December 31th, nice way to end this year!
We can do it!
.-= Fran´s last blog ..A day in my life: Wednesday November 4 2009 =-.