Day 2: How are you Planning on Staying on track during the Holidays?

     This will be the first year ever, in my 35 year existence that I will be on a "diet" (for lack of a better word) during the Holidays. In my adventures with yoyo dieting, I many times attempted to crash diet right before the Holidays so that I could "eat to my hearts desire". My so called logic with this was that I could lose a few pounds then just eat and not worry because I had lost intending to gain. Now not only was this unhealthy but the 2-3 pounds I could have lost did in no way make any difference because : a) I was +100 pounds overweight anyway so what was this 2-3 pound loss going to do for me? and b) Losing 2-3 pounds but gaining 8 -10 during the holidays did in no way balance out. Dumb Dumb "logic".

     My first strategy to stay on track this Holiday Season is to start with a positive attitude.Simple enough, right? A positive mind will do wonders for you. You have to tell yourself that You Got this! You can do what you are setting out to do! Your attitude sets the tone for so many things in your life. Choose it wisely!

     You know, I have seen people write about how if you truly just indulged on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's the damage would not be that bad. The problem is that people who have food issues, like me, not only overindulge during those days but also the days/weeks/months leading to them and past them. There are some of us who can be the "just one bite" kind of person but there are some of us that just can't. This leads me to my second strategy: Recognizing your triggers.
When so much around the Holidays ( at least for me) has revolved around the foods we prepare and share, if one had practiced self control it wouldn't be an issue. Not everyone gains weight during the Holidays. But when you are addicted to food, the Holidays seem to give you "carte blanche" to overeat without as much guilt than during other times of the year. At least, it felt that way to me.

     This year, I plan to enjoy Thanksgiving and some of the foods that I have loved but also use self control in avoiding those that will trigger my issues and most likely derail me. These types of foods are different for everyone. For me, I find that sweets make me crave more sweets. When I have more sweets, then I need some savory. After the savory, I crave some sweets again..Do you see the pattern here? It is a vicious cycle that triggers my overeating and eventually my binges. I am not going to allow it to get the best of me. Not anymore. Recognizing it, is one of the ways I can stay on track this Holiday Season.

     Another way to stay on track is to continue to follow your routine or at least maintain parts of it. I never knew how much I depended on routine to stay on track. Heck, I used to say routine was the devil (Is anyone keeping tabs on how many times I have eaten my words so far?? )but I have learned now that routine can be my friend. Routine can be a Health Weapon.So even if my day is not the usual day, some parts of my routine I have to make non negotiable. I am ok with that.Things that at first seemed like such a hassle ( like logging my food or measuring out my portions) are now just a thing I do without second thought. Therefore, whether it is a weekday, weekend, holiday or whatever that part of  my routine will stay the same. Portion control is something that is so key to my journey because of my portion distortion. I am no longer ashamed or embarrassed to take off my plate, leave half off or ask for a measuring cup depending on the location. I do not care how many people shake their heads because its incongruent that a big person is eating a "small" portion ( I am sure they're thinking if she really ate this way, she would not be this big lol).You have to do what you have to do.
Along with portion control and healthy eating, exercise is also another way to stay on track. You may be on Holiday from work, school or whatever else you do but you shall not be on Holiday from exercising. It is something that you have to squeeze in, Move Move Move. Whether you have to power walk at the mall, take a class at the Y or just get on the darn elliptical. You must continue to move. Exercise and Diet changes, have to work together. I do not think that you can have one but not the other, in order to truly accomplish balance and improve your quality of life,
Last but not least, I am planning on staying on track during the Holidays by continuing to blog. I have mentioned the Scale Accountability Club many times, this is one of the things that will help keep me on track. Another one that is also blog world related is seeing my writing challenge through. By committing to writing daily, I will always be reminded of the importance of my journey. Anything that holds you accountable is a good thing in my book. Holding myself accountable makes me Happy. Staying and Being Happy is my final strategy.
I think that by following these strategies, I create a Happy Cycle rather than a vicious cycle. This Happy Cycle can help me not only only through the Holiday but year round. Maybe after Thanksgiving, I will come up with another writing challenge to take me through Christmas Stay tuned, until next time!!
How are YOU planning on staying on track during the Holidays??