Giving yourself a Break (without Taking a Break)

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.