Holiday Eating

This coming weekend is Thanksgiving for us Canadians. While I can think of many things that I am extremely appreciative of this year, I am still having some apprehension about the food that will be served at the two holiday dinners I am scheduled to attend.

This is definitely the season that puts people trying to lose weight to the ultimate test. I keep on running through my head about what is coming up and attempting to figure out a plan of attack that will not leave me overly bloated, feeling deprived, nor suffering the shame of a ten pound weekend gain.

Halloween and Christmas are also fast approaching and that makes me nervous too. Christmas especially sends me into a mental fetal position when I consider just how many get-togethers, outings, and special events happen during the month of December as a prelude to the twenty-fifth. Why, oh, why do all festivities have to be so closely tied to the overindulgence in food?

So, I am planning… I will have more control over my food choices at one of the dinners that will happen this weekend than at the other. This means that on Monday I can opt for healthier items, without appearing too picky, and probably stay mostly on course. Sunday will be a little trickier since I know the hosts generally provide a lot of cheesy, buttery options at these types of gatherings, but I will do my best to choose wisely there and I can always aim for mostly vegetables throughout the rest of the day prior to arriving for supper that evening.

Halloween is a little easier - at least it is in theory, although whether or not I will be successful moving my plan into the realm of practice remains to be seen. I am not going to be buying Halloween candy ahead of time this year. I will either bring it into the house for the trick-or-treaters on the actual day (with the intention of sending leftovers to work with my husband) or figure out a complete alternative to sweets. However, I do have one tiny indulgence that I have already arranged. In the spirit of not feeling deprived, I have asked my husband to purchase no more than a quarter cup of candy corn for me to have on the thirty-first. There is just something about that treat that screams Halloween to me and I don’t think I would feel right if I did not get at least a little taste. I knew that if I didn’t delegate that task to him that I would end up doing it myself, but that I would ultimately buy closer to double or ever quadruple the amount that I have asked him to buy. It’s all about thinking ahead!

Christmas – or more accurately, the Christmas season – is the time that leads me to feel the most anxious. I don’t have more than a loose plan in place for this yet. I will work at filling my plate with healthy options when I can and will try to eat prior to arriving at events so that I have control over my hunger and, thus, my cravings. I will approach any dinners that I am invited to with the same consideration that I am giving this upcoming weekend. I will watch my portions when I do indulge and remember that if I pass on the chance to try something that I can always have it another time. I will also revisit this particular issue on this blog as the holiday get closer so that I can reevaluate and refocus on getting through it without too much difficulty.

I don’t think that I have ever, even once, made it through the holiday season without putting on weight. That is the challenge that I would like to meet this year. I would love to see the number on the scale continue to go downwards even as the days grow shorter and colder and the festivities blend together into one long string of celebrations. That would truly make me happy. That would be the best Christmas gift that I could ever receive.