TheBanyanTree: 'Tis the Season to Eat Too Much

[Margaret R. Kramer]

We are entering the most dangerous time of year for a Weight Watcher – the
holiday season when food is much more abundant than usual.  It kind of
starts with Halloween when we buy small candy bars for the trick or treaters
and use the excuse “it won’t matter if I have just one,” which turns into 6
or 7 or the whole bag.

Then it’s Thanksgiving, which is easier to deal with, because it’s usually
just one day.  I’ll go to workout before I start cooking, because we have a
dinner time Thanksgiving.  My body will feel good and that will help me keep
food in perspective.  I’ll eat the turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, pumpkin
pie, and all that and not feel guilty about it.  I’ll send the leftovers
home with my son and throw out, yes, throw out the excess food.  I don’t
think the starving children in Africa will really want half eaten pumpkin
pie anyway.   And Ray’s not a leftover guy.  I’m sure he thinks of starving
children in Africa, too, when he sees me shove half a pot roast down the
garbage disposal, but he rarely eats the leftover food, so it gets thrown
out when he’s not looking.

Thanksgiving is just one day of gluttony and I’ll go to the club on Friday
and work some of it off.  Then it’s back to my Weight Watchers plan.  I’ll
stay within my points, work out, and go to my Monday meeting, which is like
a half hour pep talk.

This plan has worked well for me.  I’ve cut out the crackers, chips, dips,
and the excess sweets that were making my weight shoot back up after I lost
so much.  I’ve  been able to switch over to eating vegetables and fruits and
low fat popcorn when I need that crunch, crunch, crunch.  I was hungry at
first, but that has stopped.  Actually, I’m finding being a little hungry
keeps me mentally sharp and more active.  Looking back, high carb, high fat,
and processed food was as much of a drain on me physically as smoking was.
I have much more energy now that I’m eating better food.

I’ve lost 19 pounds, very, very slowly.  Sometimes I lose less than half a
pound a week.  My body is becoming muscular again.  I don’t worry about what
clothes to wear anymore.  All my clothes look good on me now.  I never gave
up working out, even when I was gaining weight again, but the fact I’m
eating lower fat foods and more protein, I think, has contributed to my body
looking more lean.

But the calendar marches on and it will soon turn over to December.  Then
all hell breaks loose.  Our office will have treats.  They’ll be treats at
various other functions.  I have this compulsion to bake Christmas cookies
and have chocolate around the house, because that’s what I grew up with.

And this is not just one day; it’s Hanukah, it’s Christmas Eve, Christmas
Day, and the day after Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’
s Day.  It just goes on and on and on . . .

My body will barely have enough time to digest Thanksgiving dinner and
wonder about all those excess calories before it starts in on Christmas.
But I have a strategy.  I’ll keep to my work out schedule.  I enjoy working
out, so that’s not a problem.  I’m not going to have chocolate laying around
prior to Christmas.  I’ll buy some for Christmas, but then it’s out of the
house.  I use my work place for a chocolate repository when I have excess
chocolate.  I’ll bake cookies, but not hundreds of them.  Again, I’ll use
work and my grandsons for cookie dumping.  I’ll keep to my Weight Watchers
plan for all of December except for Christmas and New Year’s.  That will
only be four days of excess eating, not 31 or 32 days!

Then I’ll fight all the January resolution people at the club for the right
to exercise.  And I’ll fight the big crowd at Weight Watchers wanting to
lose the holiday weight.  It’s a vicious cycle.  We eat and drink too much,
feel bad about it, and then try to get back on track.  I’m hoping I can stay
on track most of this holiday season.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.polarispublications.com
Be a star!

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be
careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.
~E.P. Powell