One of the joys of writing this blog over the last few months has been the number of friends I’ve made, including lots from across the pond – it’s been a big holiday over there this week, and most of the Stateside blogs I check in with on my daily mooch around the blogosphere have referenced Thanksgiving in one way or another.
As my thoughts turn to the upcoming holiday season that we all share, I’ve been interested to see how different people have coped with what is an equally challenging holiday in terms of the food and drink temptations. All tips and tools welcome, right? I’ve read about cheat days where anything’s been allowed over the holiday. Some people carried on counting but with an extra allowance granted ahead of time, and then there were the hardcore ‘it’s like every other day and I’m not relaxing the rules’ people, who are made of very stern stuff!
So, as a general rule of thumb, do you fall into the ‘seek permission’ or ‘seek forgiveness’ camp? I’ve got to be honest and say that mostly I’ve been an ‘act on the spur of the moment and seek forgiveness later’ kind of girl, in most aspects of my life so that’s the approach I’m more familiar with. I’d go so far as to say in the past I’ve described routine or planning of any kind as anathema to me, given my incredibly low boredom threshold and hatred of feeling hemmed in by something I’ve signed up to in a moment of madness.
Mind you, this time, on this journey I’m doing all kinds of stuff that I’ve never done before…you know, like some really deep thinking, planning, making considered choices, poring over the route map ahead of time so I can avoid obstacles. Don’t get me wrong, those things have been in my kit-bag for donkey’s years, and I’ve applied them throughout my working life – they’ve even been centre stage of advice I’ve dispensed to other folk. Strangely, it appears they’ve been notable by their absence in regard to decisions I make about myself. Weirdo.
So I’m thinking maybe this time I decide up ahead of time exactly how it’s going to go, and then stick to the plan. I know, get me, I can’t quite believe it either. However…saying it, and doing it are two completely different things. I have to expect the odd ambush from the asshole in my mind who, if we were keeping a tally must be way ahead of me on aggregate.
Normally he manages to negotiate his own position way ahead of time – the conversation usually goes along the lines of why don’t you stop dieting for the holiday season and start again in the New Year? To which my response is usually well…I guess I could take my foot off a bit as long as I don’t go mad. He’ll nod in agreement at this, knowing that in the moment – in multiple moments across the holiday season – all he’ll have to do to make it a slam dunk is to whisper go on, it won’t hurt just this once and by the New Year I’ll be back to square one. Having agreed the dieting hiatus somewhere around mid-November it’s hardly surprising.
You know what keeps coming into my mind this time though..? I went to Las Vegas for five days, and lost a pound. I came home from the most amazing five days ever one pound lighter than when I went, and not once whilst I was away did I feel deprived, or as though I was missing out…I just planned how I was going to spend my budget.
Is it going to be easy..? No of course it isn’t. Is it going to be harder than some of the monumental battles I have fought in the last three months…? No. It’s not. I’m thinking about the double cheese and spring onion sandwich…the cheesy bugle…the chocolate-dipped sour cherries…the five day holiday in food mecca…I mean come on, I am a warrior!!
That’s what I’m going to be focusing on as I sashay into the holiday season…every single victory and that amazing feeling I get when I’ve stared down the asshole in my mind and watched him slope off with his head bent and bloody after he’s lost a bit more of the battle ground.
Bring it on I say…come on December, let’s see what you’ve got 🙂
Thanksgiving! Well, sorta compromised. Had more dishes that were things like green beans and squash, took it WAY easy on the butter and gravy. I actually decided that one or 2 days for TG and Christmas are fine off of the rails as this is a way of life now and NOT a diet. If I eat all I want for a day or two, it is back on track after that. I am NOT giving myself 8 weeks of unfettered and utter abandon :). I did decide ahead of time how many days and which ones. It has, so far, made it easier because I know I have free days coming and when it is not one of them, I stay on track. Thankfully the fried cheese dipped in cheese was on a free day. 🙂
Oh my LORD fried cheese dipped in cheese..? That would definitely be my nemesis! I admire your ability to get right back on track after a free day…I know myself well enough now to be able to say with a high degree of accuracy that I wouldn’t be able to, so well done you 🙂
Yep, truly that was what I ordered. Along with soft pretzels and dipping sauce. DID NOT EVEN NOTICE the salad section on the menu. 🙂
Thanksgiving was a real eye opener for me. I totally blew it and I mean blew it. It wasn’t just one day of blowing it either. I took ate way too many calories on Wednesday AND Thursday and then Friday was a complete debacle. And I mean horrifying. So… in looking forward, I decided to really anticipate how I will deal with Christmas and all of its festivities. First, I get to plan dinner because it’s at my house. So we are having salad and vegetables and only one casserole. I will have all the fattening desserts, but I am going to get some Bryer’s coffee ice cream and make an ice cream pie out of it. Maybe with some protein powder blended in and some low fat Oreos in between. I mean, make it tasty, but healthy without people noticing. And whatever I put out for Hors D’euvres – I am NOT eating. That pushed me over the top.
Christmas Even we have dinner at my sister-in-law’s and I’ll just eat light for the day. I can handle that. New Years will be a lot of drinking, so lots of water an lots of veggies to help bring the calories down. I figure that will be it. I have one day with multiple Christmas parties, so snack here and there and move on. We can do this!
Course we can…look upon your temporary blip as a tool to keep you hitting it straight over the Christmas season – with the memory of how much you’re smarting right now fresh in your mind it might help you navigate the minefield! We’ve SO got this!
Hi, Dee, Too right, we’ve got this. All us-guys have fairly varied obstacle courses to face. Cherie, your ‘map’ is quite diff from the month i am foreseeing. And, as Dee is in the Land of Dickens where Traditional Christmas is like compulsory national service… that version of December is probably a minefield as well, so it is a dam good thing to be anticipating, formulating a plan, selecting a route. Dee, wow, truly a veteran campaigner, the year you’ve had thus far.
What i most want out of the Holidays, is to wake up January First with peace of mind. * I can SO do this.
*uh, & to wear something smokin’ hot at a Holiday gathering ?.
Fleury
Ach Fleury obviously you’re going to look SMOKIN! 🙂 I set my mini milestone goal at getting into a size 22 by New Year’s day didn’t I…that’s going to keep me on the rails…even an extra sprout at Christmas lunch could make the difference between hitting that milestone or not because right now nothing in a 22 is buttoning or zipping! YET!!!
Great post – it’s such a tough time of year. And with my (not so little) guy off from school it’s being out of the routine that’s almost the hardest. With the help of a buddy I kept up with tracking throughout Thanksgiving week – that’s a first for that I think! But for the next 6 weeks it’s always something. I don’t even celebrate Christmas and it’s still always something. This weekend it’s the company holiday party. Next weekend it’s out with friends. Next weekend it’s away for winter break. Then New Years. Then 2 January birthdays. STOP THE MADNESS! Even tonight – I’ve got a pizza dinner then ice cream social. What’s a girl to do I happen to have lots of points left for the day (15 to be exact) so I think I’ll have a few pieces of pizza just the cheese and lots of salad. For me – I think staying away from carbs is keeping calories generally lower. Especially on the special occasions. I like my Saturday night wine quite a bit so I’m not giving that up 🙂
You can do this we’re all in it together!
You’re right, we are…POSSE TAKE ON DECEMBER, I can see the headlines now! D x
You can do this! One day, one meal, at a time.
Yes! Yes I can Mimi – we all can, we are warriors! GGGGRRRRRRrrrrr!!!!
Well I got through Thanksgiving without too much damage. I have a wedding to go to Jan 17th so I’m trying to behave. I’m going home to England Dec. 20th and I know I will want Hobnobs, anything Cadbury, mince pies, Yorkshire pudding etc…… stuff I can’t get here. The wedding is keeping me somewhat on track but all bets are off once I land in the U.K.
As for what to do at Christmas – extra calories or cheat days ? I had lost 40lbs and had kept the weight off by dieting during the week and indulging over the weekend for over a year. The 2nd Christmas of living this way I decided not to get back on track for the week between Christmas and New Years. What a mistake. For the life of me I couldn’t flip the switch back. I gained about 20lbs. I’m still struggling with 12 of them, grrrh. So I would advise caution. It’s so easy to lose that sweet spot. I’m hoping that knowing I have a wedding 3 weeks after I get back from England will help me not devour all the hobnobs!
I know you will make the right choice for you.
Jo.
Hey Jo, great to hear from you…see that’s what I’m afraid of, getting locked out of the sweet spot if I do the dieting equivalent of trying to tiptoe home after midnight, you know the walk of shame in yesterday’s clothes! I just daren’t, because that’s how easily I’ve lost the plot in times past. You keep focusing on that wedding!!
Definitely an appropriate time for this conversation as I’m back on track after a problematic [ahem] thanksgiving weekend [so four days plus of course the cooking day etc – sigh]
Anyway – I’m ready to rock and roll
One thing I think is an issue for me is that I am much better at controlling myself if I’m not the one in the kitchen. Because then I’ll just make one more thing I love – or make too much of it leaving me room to overindulge. The only two real issues I have for the holidays are the holiday itself and our caroling party [at this point mostly teens].
My plan for the party is not to do anything homemade LOL – because that’s safer – and they’re kids so they don’t care as long as there’s plenty – and *I* don’t feel tempted by something picked up at costco. That will leave me space to sample whatever treats folks bring that look the most worth the points!
Christmas Eve I cook lasagna – but if I budget I should be alright – and I’ll make the appropriate amount rather than go insane as I have in the past – because seven people don’t need a pound of lasagna per . . .
Christmas day is easy enough as long as I avoid cinnamon rolls in the morning LOL! I will make a batch but freeze half for another morning’s treat over the kids’ break. That will limit me to only the one I’m alloted instead of picking over the remains! Again – I can budget. I hate my in laws cooking and we have dinner there – easy enough 🙂
And your recent post about being prepared is an important one for this time too – as the kids have off more than a week and I tend to get lax with meal planning – I will make sure I’m well planned so that I don’t keep ordering in or eating out for lack of options – that’s a better choice!
Thanks for encouraging me to think about it – key to success!
Let’s show this month who’s boss, that’s what I say…come on posse we’ve totally got this!
Amen Sister!
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂