Agnes Z's Journal, 09 October 2023

Looks like things are going good!!! Yes👍🏽  

Thanks, FoodyDuty! Indeed, things are going well so far this fall! Let’s see how it’s going to be with all the holidays coming up, but I’m not going to worry too much about it just yet. 

Yay, you! 😀 Holidays are a challenge, definitely. They are for me, anyway. Laying down healthy habits and keeping perspective helps. The temptation is to eat all the things because they're there. It's a celebration, not an all I can eat contest! 🤪🤣 

So true, writingwyo! Here is a holiday tradition in my family: the table needs to display 12 different things (counting all the main dishes, sides, drinks, desserts etc)—one for each month of the upcoming New Year. You “must” try everything or you will be missing out on something in the new year, lol. I’ve been getting less strict with this and stopped counting the dishes I serve my family in recent years, but still cooking up a storm. Pretty crazy, right? I need to come at that table with a tablespoon measure and literally take just the 10-12 tablespoons of what’s there, and no more! 

@Agnes @Writing…you hit the nail on the head…it’s what happens around my holiday celebrations too.🦃🎄 thanks for a bit of truthful humor. I’ve been mentally preparing for the upcoming holidays food challenges… (it’s a bit sad that I just admitted that)  

I've now made it thru several years of Holiday meals in maintenance. All of our gatherings include many selections because everyone attending brings a dish....or more. I have at least a spoon of everything that looks appetizing. Usually, by the time I've sampled all on my plate, I'm too full to eat much more. If something really appeals to me, I may have a bit more. At one time, I would have had a second plate, but I can no longer eat that much. I do have dessert, but may bring it home for later if I'm too full. 

FoodyDuty, mental prep is the key, though I agree that it’s a bit sad we have to steel ourselves a bit for the holidays than just relax and enjoy. But there will be joy afterwards if they don’t wreck the hard-earned weight loss, right? (My revised idea of holiday joy, lol). Thank you, SherryeB, for sharing your holiday strategies. Not having any seconds—that’s going to be hard, but the way to go! 

Last year i told myself it was just another day with way better food. Portion control and counting calories still prevailed. One day is not worth the possible derailment and all that food will still be there when at a healthy weight. That’s what i told myself and will tell myself again next month. My auntie whom i was working with both nutritionally and coaching her on workouts over the phone (she’s in another state) decided last thanksgiving that she was not going to adhere to our schedule. She had lost 35 pounds and was working out with me 5x a week. Well guess what happened….you got it…she never got back on track. Her mobility has declined significantly and she’s put back on over 10 of those hard fought pounds. She started over 180 and was 150 when she derailed. I have been unable to get her re-motivated and now she is becoming wheelchair dependent and always walker dependent. It’s a big lesson to me what can happen as she is only a little over 15 years older than myself. It makes me very sad. And it started because she wanted to “enjoy” the holidays. 

Where dieters fall down during the holidays is that they overeat not just on the holiday but on all the days afterwards from the leftovers. It’s T-giving, X-mas (or whatever), and New Year’s Eve. That’s 3 days, not 4 weeks. Thin people make it through the holidays—so we should probably take note of their consumption and methods. 

JB, if we balance out the actual Holiday meals, parties, family cookie baking, etc. with days of moderation & restraint, we don't have to totally go off the rails. Just like I may have a special meal out & indulge a little, then moderate it with lower calorie choices for a few days. If the Holiday season is managed that way, you don't throw away the progress you've made.  

YOH, what happened with your auntie is so unfortunate and I’m afraid quite common. I have such bad history with this time of year with regards to weight control. I wish I could think of it as just 3 festive days, as JB suggests. The worst years started early with Halloween candy binges (ugh!), and the eating went on and on. My birthday also falls during the season, and a couple of friends take me out regularly to celebrate. Plus the most stressful time at work is just before the Christmas break. With visiting relatives and even my kids (who are old enough to bake and cook), the holiday season brings out more cookies, pancakes, French toasts, etc., stuff I don’t deny them but have to avoid. SherryeB, “managing” the holidays (as in managing a cafeteria without eating in it!) is indeed how I need to start thinking about it. Will try to have as many normal eating days as possible. 

@Agnes, Sherry's way is eating all of the goodies, but smaller portions or just a couple of bites. In a room full of thin & fit people, this method works fine because of peer pressure to not eat (or drink) excessively. Unfortunately, with over 30% of Americans overweight and 42% obese, 3/4 of the room has no interest in eating normal sized portions during the upcoming season. My biggest weight loss suggestion is to not eat holiday food except on the actual holiday. 

Also Agnes may i suggest that you view the holidays as rewards that are not food-centric? Like reward yourself with a manicure or a facial or a visit to a dear friend? Unfortunately we are all indoctrinated into celebrating literally anything with food, alcohol or both. It is okay to be the one who promotes the change in celebrating. A healthy weight generally goes hand in hand with improved health which is a celebration in and of itself. I also obsess on food but have to push those thoughts away and replace with something else. Playing with my dogs, going for a walk, talking to a friend. It’s a process and no one said it is easy. God bless you Agnes in your journey. 

Thank you YOH, JB, and SherryeB. I have a lot of mental work to do with regards to the holiday eating, and all your suggestions are very helpful. They also made me realize how I look at the holidays too much through the prism of what was possible and impossible in the past. I know I can do things differently now.