The part of the Holiday season this Fit Gal dreads....... The Holiday FOOD!

When you think of the holidays, what comes to mind?

Let's be honest..... Food is a big part of it.  I know it is for me.  I come from a family of GREAT cooks and bakers.  Add to that I work in the Health Care industry and every Tom, Dick and Vendor sends food to the office.  And my coworkers love to bake.

Let's look at the  risky spots.....

1. The food pushers seem to target you.  Seriously- we all know them.  The people who seem so sweet but you almost think they are on a secret mission to destroy the self-control you are so desperately trying to cling to.
2. Any horizontal surface at the office---  Loving coworkers and their spouses bake.  It makes them feel good.  It ends up in the office kitchen, at desks, at times it seems like every horizontal surface in sight.
3. Office meetings and gatherings..... MORE food.  There are gatherings and meetings and each comes with treats.
4. The office holiday parties.  Enough said- food you have no control over, at times alcohol and MORE BAKED GOODS
5. Vendor food at the office......  the send cookies, candy, seemingly harmless popcorn tins.
6. Holiday get togethers with family and friends.  We celebrate holidays with our friends, our family and food. (And sometimes booze.......  sometimes lots of booze.)

Depending on what article you read, the average American gains between 1 and 5 pounds over the holiday season.  Looking back over my life..... I think it is at times closer to 10.

SO.......  Need to make a plan.

Am I going to skip everything festive and fun. NO!  And I going to be that person who does not eat anything and sits there eating a protien bar and drinking something from a blender bottle.  Haha, I don't think that is reasonable either.

What are my plans to stave off the dreaded holiday gain? (And actually try to even lose a little.  I am just over 10 pounds away from a big milestone)

I am going to eat at clean and healthy as I can at every chance.  This means at home and non-party situations keeping it within counts and focusing on my Protien/Carb/Fat ratios.

I am going to log more workout time.  In November I logged a total of 17 hours over 19 workouts.  Need to up the time, number AND intensity.  If I know I have a risky food day coming up, making sure the day before, day of and day after I push water and work out HARD.

Remind myself each time I sit down that while people may feel slighted if I don't fill my plate and gorge myself to a food coma, most of my family and friends are very understanding of how hard I am working and don't judge.  Most have healthy options.  

And if I slip/indulge/overindulge- I won't use it as an excuse to keep sliding.  Each morning I get up and remind myself why I do this, why I WANT this.  This is not about self-sacrifice, being the "perfect" eater/exerciser.  It is about working to be a healthier, fitter me.  I am human, I am a work in progress.  I will slip.  I am allowed to have cheat days.  So long as they don't become cheat weeks.  As long as my cheat days are not 5,000 calorie free-for-alls.  

AND-- Never, EVER wear loose/fat pants to a place where there will be too much food.  I need to wear a pair of pants that fit well, shirts that are not too big.  Not just because if my pants fit that it hurts to eat too much.  More because it shows off my hard work.  Every time I go into a bathroom or pass a mirror, I see the hard work literally reflected back at me.  Nothing like a reminder of the WHY.

So  today, for the first time, I am posting my actual weight, waist, hip and thigh measurements for the world to see.  This is hard for me as I still am a ashamed of the numbers.  BUT- when I look at what they were a year ago..... I am a proud.  I will be posting the post-season numbers on January 2nd, 2014.

Weight: 210.2

Waist:35.5

Hips 43.5

Right Thigh:25.5