Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Ten Pounds of Christmas - Week Two


It’s ten days before Thanksgiving, the Halloween candy is gone, and my good jeans are already snug. Yikes! I even have pre-holiday expansion! I need a plan if I’m going to avoid the “Ten Pounds of Christmas” this year.
            I’m going to be the one cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Does that mean I control the menu? Hilarious. No, you know how it goes. The cook is always obligated to produce everyone’s favorites, including at least two different kinds of pie for dessert.
            And before I even get to the holiday hurdle, I have a trip to Iowa this week—which means eating out, eating on the road, and a long boring drive. Why is it I can never stop at a convenience store for gas without leaving with a bag of chips in my hand or a doughnut or two to go with my coffee?
            I’ve developed a strategy: I’ll pack a cooler with sensible snacks, like yogurt and granola bars. No guarantee with this method of subterfuge, but sometimes it works! If I can stick to it it’ll allow me to indulge when I go out to dinner. And why is it, when we dine out, we ingest every morsel, even when the food we’re served isn’t something we are truly enjoying? I vow right now, that I’ll only eat the things I’m served that are excellent. I’ve never bought into the whole theory of leaving a bite of everything on your plate. But leaving half or more of something that is so-so? Should be doable.
            It’s really all about awareness, choices, and stopping when I’m comfortably full, instead of gasping for air!



Tip #2
Pre-Thanksgiving. Don’t try to program yourself to eat less on the big day—it won’t work. Your subconscious will rebel and you’ll stuff yourself every day leading up to Turkey Day.
Instead, tell yourself you’ll enjoy eating whatever you want that day, but will pass up anything on the buffet that doesn’t appeal to you. The hostess can enjoy the leftovers. Once you give yourself that mental green light, you’ll be able to eat lightly (not fasting or dieting) the week before the holiday.
Be gentle with yourself.

7 comments:

  1. Hi Marla, saw your link on Linked In. I enjoyed your Thanksgiving post and I'm now following you. This blog post was torture for me! I am on the third day of a planned 10-day fast. The sight, smell or talk of food is tough right now. :-) My blog- The Symbiosis of Writing and Running is at www.michaelselmer.wordpress.com I'd love to have you follow and link to my blog, which is brand new. I in turn will link to yours on the links page I am working on right now.

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  2. Michael,
    It's so good to hear from you. I read about your book and it sounds very exciting. Will it be an ebook?
    We write in the same genre and both of us fight the battle of the bulge. We must have been friends in another life! :)
    Thanks for reading the blog, I'm using it to motivate myself and others. I hope you continue to follow. I'd love to hear how you're doing. I've tried fasts, but when the time is up, things get ugly. (I won't mention the "f" word.)
    Good luck, stay healthy and keep in touch.
    Marla

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  3. Marla, you can do it! (especially on your trip to Iowa) Yogurt & granola bars are excellent choices. (don't forget to throw in some 2% cheese sticks too for more protein) Can't wait for your next post!

    Jan Romes

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  4. Thank you for your encouragementm Jan. I forgot about cheesesticks, good idea.
    I live in a small town that still has a wonderful little bakery. Another hurdle will be driving past it on my way out of town without stopping for sweet treats!

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  5. Gene asked me to define gentle. It was asked with a smile, but it is worth talking about.

    An old cliche comes to mind. Don't Should on Yourself. If you go off a diet, have an eating binge, go shopping and load your cart with goodies, or just plain overeat, don't beat up on yourself.

    It's important because otherwise you carry it over to the next day, perpetuating the cycle.It is difficult, I know, but worth the effort.

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