Good news! Though I was annoyed to have weighed in at 186 on Sunday, it must have been water weight becuase I weighed in at 180 this morning. YAY!!
My goal for year-end was to get to 179, the weight I've been claiming for months - I weighed in at that number in September and refused to face the fact that I bumped back up almost immediately.
At this time of year there are tasty treats and toasting opportunities everywhere. What's your strategy for starting 2012 right?
My approach is simple: get out and hike 5-6 miles Saturday and Sunday. That way I can enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner without worrying too much about gaining.
A critical mistake I've made in past years is to say "I'll eat what I want until New Year's, then I can start fresh." Then there was the New Year's Day party, and it would be rude not to taste everything... Then it's gearing up for the Superbowl, and no point in cutting calories.
So this year I started fresh after Thanksgiving, and joined a "lose weight over the Holidays" challenge with friends. That helped tremendously. We'd check in each day, sharing triumphs, temptations, and frustrations. It's helpful to know other people have the same struggles.
The jist of my holiday plan is that of course I enjoy holiday treats and festive meals -- but that should be restricted to the holiday itself. Other days in the holiday season I should keep to my normal eating and exercise habits. I have no license to overeat for a month or more because it's the holidays. (I really don't have a license to overeat at all, but that's another struggle.)
So the past week I've eaten my planned meals and snacks. I biked to work two days and walked two days. I did Zumba for the wii every evening.* I plan to enjoy my meals this weekend, then go back to sensible meals on Monday.
I think this will make the transition to the usual New Year's resolution of "get fit, get healthy, and lose weight" a lot easier because I won't have weeks of sloppy habits leading up to a drastic change. Instead, I'll be continuing an effective strategy.
It's awful how easy it is to backslide and overeat. I can still eat a large pizza by myself (I did it a month and a half ago). I can still mindlessly snack on crackers and convince myself it's better than chips. I baked a pie today and although it's for Sunday, I still have to face the very real temptation not to dig in. I think that temptation will always be with me.
I think a big part of why I only lost 20 pounds in 2011 is that I got sloppy. I didn't log every single thing I ate. I only logged the part that I was supposed to eat, and then allowed myself to sneak a bit extra. Reality is, when I honestly log every single thing I eat, I lose weight.
I'm also focusing on mindful eating. Thich Naht Hanh wrote a wonderful book "Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life." I am a mindless eater - I eat at my desk at work, in front of the tv at home. I'm trying to change this, and really pay attention when I eat. I'll do a diary on this another day when I've put it into practice for a while.
I'm looking forward to 2012. I'm confident I have the tools and support to reach my goal and start the maintainance process.
*This is FUN. If you've never done Latin dance or Zumba it's hard to jump right in. But if you have a little experience, it's a sensational dance workout. I burn about 450 calories in an hour workout, and really feel it in my butt and legs.