This week I was surprised to find that almost all of my
clients sat down and told me the exact same story I’m about to tell you
regarding my last weekend. If you are among those who have experienced this or
will experience it in the next few days because of the holiday, I hope you will
find it helpful:
I have been steadily losing body fat and consistently been
doing well with my plan. I have gone without breaks or ‘cheat days’, including
Thanksgiving Day. I’ve been rocking it thanks to the wonderful support I have
been given by family, friends, and all of you readers. Thank you!
Unfortunately last weekend, I had something inside my brain
snap. It has happened before and I’m fairly sure it will happen again: I was
making cookies for my husband’s holiday work party. I decided to try the dough
because it is the law when baking cookies to eat the dough. I tried a little…
then a little more… then I decided that I had ruined my perfectly planned day
and I might as well do whatever I wanted. Two bags of chips, three Cosmic
Brownies, and a piece of Razzleberry Pie a la mode later, I lay on the couch in
a food coma wondering how and why I did that. I logged it all when I came back
to myself and found that I ate a 1500-calorie SURPLUS!
I was disappointed in myself to say the least. I was tempted
to quit until the New Year. It was then that a bunch of my own quotes from this
blog, from my conversations with my clients and even a quote I heard in church
popped into my head:
·
“There is not magical time when weight loss/
health will suddenly be easier.”
·
“One bad day will not affect your program that
much as long as you move right along. Plus, if you logged it, you know how to
fix it.”
·
“If you don’t feel like praying, pray until you
do” – I applied this one to fitness and told myself, “If you don’t feel like
logging/ working out, log/workout until you do.”
That last one was extremely helpful in getting me to suck it
up and get back on track. On Thursday I was at work doing my very best to stall
getting to my leg day (which is my least favorite day) when my workout partner
popped her head into the trainer’s office to keep me accountable. I grudgingly
told her that I was going to go out and do my workout right then. About five
minutes after she left, I finally dragged myself out of my chair and into the
weight room. I picked up a couple of 25 lb weights and began the only effective
leg workout I could possibly think to do in only 25 minutes; the lunge/ squat
combo. In that short workout something special happened: Whatever it was that
had snapped suddenly snapped back into place as the sweat began to pour down my
cheek. I could feel the fire sparking again and, by the end of my workout, I
was back (and I have been back ever since). It took six days to get that fire back but it came eventually
and only through continuing what I had started. After doing the math and
looking back at the Friday Fiasco I realized that, because I had done what I
was supposed to do the rest of the week, I still ended up with a deficit. I
only lost about half a pound but I was still moving in the right direction.
So the main message I would like to leave with you all as
the year comes to a close, you are with your families is that food will likely
be a huge part of your celebrations. Can you really look me in the eye and say
that Christmas is still Christmas without your great-great grandma’s homemade
fudge? Mine won’t be. I feel a special warmth in my heart (and in my belly)
when I eat certain holiday comfort foods. That is just the way it is so I am
going to have to give myself a break and enjoy them as they are offered. That
doesn’t mean I have to take a break from my progress though. I suggest you all
enjoy your holiday however you enjoy it most. But here are some tips to stay on
track:
·
Have a timeline for your celebrating – if
Christmas Eve is your big celebration dinner with family. Enjoy it. But if the
celebration starts Christmas Eve and ends New Year’s morning (food-wise) you
will end up moving backwards. Decide how long you will be letting yourself eat
what you want. Set an alarm if you must to remind you that it is time to get
back on track.
·
Log it – at least you will know what the damage
was. You can decide how long it will take to rectify any splurges. Knowing the
damage might affect decisions you make the rest of the holidays.
·
Give yourself a break – enjoy yourself and don’t
worry too much. If you have an unanticipated surplus just get back on it the
moment the splurge is done. I promise damage will be minimal as long as you
keep going. “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”!
·
Don’t take a break now – taking a break means
you stop trying until you think things will be easier. If you do this now I
promise you will begin to slide backwards.
Well I am going to go to bed. I am going to my favorite
restaurant with my family tomorrow morning for brunch and I am ordering
whatever the heck I want. I am going to have a fairly normal day until our big
Christmas Eve feast at around 4:00. I will also have whatever the heck I want
including dessert. Christmas day might also be a lot of food but I’m not
worried. I am not taking a break, just giving myself one.
