It’s difficult for me to get through December and the New Year without overindulging. Mid-December is when I usually start baking lots of cookies, fudge, and other treats to have through the holidays and it’s my contribution to family parties. My sister and I usually get together and do tons of baking and it’s become a tradition. I also end up drinking more this time of year, and there’s just more food around in general.
And to be honest, I’ve never made it on a weight loss journey through December so losing weight over the holidays will be a first for me. It’s going to be difficult, but I think I can do it. I’ve got over 100 lbs to lose, and I’m not going to let this time of year get in my way and use it as an excuse to pause until after the New Year. Not this year!
For me, I have a handful of days over the holidays that will involve celebrating and probably be difficult to stay completely on track. But out of the next few weeks that’s it – just a couple of days. A day or two isn’t going to ruin my weight loss.
So my plan is this – don’t stress about every little thing, just enjoy the day, practic moderation and get right back on track the next day.
I know that seems pretty simple, but I believe in the 80/20 rule. As long as I’m on track 80% of the time, enjoying a few days here and there isn’t going to ruin my efforts. Part of my journey is learning to handle normal life events without going completely off track – it is a lifestyle change after all.
So here are my four major rules I’m going to follow to get through this year and still (hopefully) lose weight over Christmas
#1. Limit holiday treats and extras to certain days
The Christmas get-togethers are only a couple days out of the entire season, so I’m going to limit the extra stuff to those days only. My sister and I will get together the Saturday before Christmas and order take out and drink alcohol – so I’m going to just let myself enjoy that day and when Sunday comes around, I’ll go right back to eating normally and tracking.
On Christmas Eve, instead of doing a formal meal, we usually make a bunch of appetizer type foods and eat them throughout the evening as we enjoy some drinks and games. Again, I will let myself enjoy this day without worrying so much about what I’m eating (but also not going overboard).
Christmas day won’t be a problem for me because we don’t usually have much going on. I will enjoy the food, but I will also still track like normal.
The Saturday after Christmas we have a big family party, but that also shouldn’t be a huge deal since my family get togethers have never really been an issue for me in terms of overeating. I’ve been to other people’s family gatherings where I can see how it would be, but in my family, people bring a lot of healthier dishes.
And that’s it. So really, there’s only 2 days out of the entire season I’m going to let myself enjoy and not track. The rest of the time I will go about my normal schedule and eating habits.
#2. Skip out on holiday baking this year
I’m going to do away with baking all the extra treats this year. This will help me stay on track each day and avoid the temptation having tons of extra stuff in the house might bring.
Instead, I’ll bake a dessert specifically for our Christmas party to have that day, so it can be enjoyed by everyone and I won’t have to worry about leftovers sitting around.
This isn’t to say I’ll never bake stuff again, but this year I think it’s crucial I avoid it. Having all the extra stuff around the house might lead to disaster. Maybe next year I’ll be more mentally prepared to handle it and use moderation.
#3. Lighten up the alcoholic drinks
Honestly I think I can count on one hand the times I’ve drank in the past year. But when this time of year comes around, I do enjoy drinking a bit on the days we celebrate. The problem is, I love mixed drinks, especially the super sweet kind! But those are absolutely loaded with calories so I’m not going to be drinking anything like that. Instead, I’ll do something very simple and low calorie.
Yes, I know alcohol has calories and is not good for you, but doing it a few days out of the year is fine. I’m going to figure out what I’m drinking and I’ll come back with some recipes for low calorie cocktails 🙂
#4. Keep up with my exersice
I will still make it a goal to get my 11,000 steps each day even throughout all the choas!
Hopefully doing these things will allow me to still lose weight through the season…
So that’s basically it. I won’t try and starve myself all week to make up for the days I don’t track – I’m just going to enjoy the holidays with moderation in mind. I will report back after the New Year on this and let you know how much weight I was able to lose over Christmas and New Years following this plan!
Leave a Reply