Waging War With Winter Weight

I have been reading quite a few posts about how holiday eating is right on the horizon and it is wise to think ahead. A lot of the bloggers whose pages I frequent are recommending putting a plan in place now before the first tempting cookies are put out and the crackers and cheese are offered at every house. It is not a call to panic, but rather a sensible alternative to the countless times I have found myself overindulging during this festive season.

So tonight I spoke with my husband about exactly that. We talked about how I was feeling confident, but that those types of emotions don’t necessarily last in the face of Christmas baking. We discussed what his own challenges would be – which mostly consist of remembering that a special occasion doesn’t extend to include all thirty-one days in December.

We also went over our strategies for getting through the coming weeks with minimal damage to our new healthier lifestyle. I asked him to keep me in check when out at the homes of friends and family, and I promised to do the same for him. I even went so far as to suggest he type a kind message on his phone and show it to me in a subtle manner if he saw me eating too many treats. The logic here is that it ensures there are no awkward situations, as wells as avoidance of the topic, when speaking privately is not an option.

Exercise was even touched upon this evening as we chatted. We devised a simple plan to have him encourage me to complete my workouts early in the day – and for me to try and remember to do so myself – rather than waiting for it to be too late due to nighttime commitments and last minute arrangements. The holiday season will quickly become extremely busy, and I do not want to feel guilty about not exercising enough nor stressed about having to find the time to be active when I should be sleeping.

What it boils down to is that I have no intention of letting the losses I have fought for become regrettable regains over the course of the next month and a half. However, we all know how helpful good intentions are apt to be. So I am making a plan. I thought that this was important enough to take the time to agree on some pre-determined actions between my husband and myself so we can further guarantee our continued success at living healthier. I want to ensure that I have provided myself with the best chances of coming out of this holiday season unscathed.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 9 glasses of water throughout the day
- 1 banana
- 1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with light peanut butter
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/3 cup mashed potato
- 1 1/2 cup steamed cauliflower with margarine
- 2 small slices pot roast with gravy
- 1 Smartie
- 5 whole wheat crackers
- 3/4 cup low fat piña colada yogurt with 1 cup Life Multigrains cereal

EXERCISE:
- 25 minutes of running in place
- 2 sets of 50 stomach crunches