Christmas: The Mt. Everest of Dieters

I want to create a new definition for Christmas. The collective belief about the holidays is that it's the time we're all bound to fall off the wagon, and then berate ourselves with guilt for days afterward. WHY would we consciously engage in this nonsense...it's like knowingly and willingly setting ourselves up for a mental beating. How masochistic!
This year I want to do something different... My new HOT trainer says that we go to the gym SO THAT we can treat ourselves and not feel guilty. Yesterday, as he's kicking my ass on the weight machines, we're chatting about how much fun it is to sneak yummy food into the movie theater in my big grandma purse.

Dave and I make a huge event out of going to the theater. We hate the gross, over-priced concession-stand food, so we pack a little tupperware of "gourmet" treats....like dark organic chocolate, dried fruit, gluten-free peanut butter cookies...whatever looks good in the "candy" aisle at Whole Foods... and we stuff it into my purse with two expertly made water bottles concealing our favorite cocktail, or Irish Coffee. Vince was just laughing his ass off at how excited I was by the ritual, but then as soon as I started to berate myself for all the calories, he said "No, Eryn...that's why you come into the gym, so you can do stuff like that. It's great bonding for you and your fiance...you can act like kids, sneaking food into the movies, necking in the back of the theatre..."

And I thought...."Heck, yeah! I don't always have to be a food Nazi if I'm consciously choosing to balance my choices with work-outs, etc."  It's true...when I've had a particularly acidic meal, like too many carbs or meat, I usually always balance it out at the next meal with extra vegetables...  And we can enjoy Christmas the same way.   We can have dessert, we can savor the home-cooked meals and Christmas Cookies and we can do it all with guilt-free enjoyment, IF we know that we're consciously choosing to eat lighter at the next meal and go for a longer workout, or sneak in an extra jog around the neighborhood. 

So anyway....that's my new outlook for the holidays. HAVE FUN, but trade the fun with some discipline the day before or the day after.

Vince scheduled an extra training session for me on the 24th, so I'll lift weights three times this week even though Friday is a holiday. The extra day makes me feel excited for Christmas, rather than dreading the temptation. :)

Oh, and I think it's time to start recording my weight the way Shoshanna does. Now that I'm on a regular regimen, I've got to be accountable to the readers: So here goes.
This morning, December 22. I weighed in at 186 pounds. My BMI is 30.5% Terrible, I know. Horrible, unhealthy....but heck, I'm not going to dwell on that. I'm just going to get my ass to the gym this afternoon and put one foot in front of the other. My short term goal is 26% BMI and my long-term goal (wedding in May) is 18%. Vince says it's do-able, so I believe him.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!