Dec. 24: Holiday Guilt Edition

This year, what I want for Christmas is for women to let go of the holiday guilt.  Everywhere I turn, another great woman is running around like a maniac, stressing herself out to make cookies, buy presents, clean the house, prep dinner for 20 people, including 3 with different food allergies, all while holding down a full-time job.

Here is my little holiday list of things NOT to feel guilty about this year:

1.) Don't feel guilty about eating during the holidays.  It's a holiday.  You aren't going to eat hors dourves and a huge meal and dessert every day.  Let go and enjoy it.  You truly cannot eat enough during that one day to undo more than a week of progress - and that is a stretch.

2.) Don't worry about having a perfectly spotless house.  In the aftermath of the present-unwrapping frenzy, any vacuuming and carpet-deep-cleaning you have done will all be for naught anyway.  Try to content yourself with sanitary and generally tidy.

3.) Don't freak out about buying the "perfect" gift for everyone.  My kids, even at 10 and 15, are just happy to have stuff under the tree to unwrap.  If there is something they truly, desperately want, I try to make it happen.  If their wishes are general, they seem to be happy with just about anything.  The same goes for extended family as well.  Unless you have a snobby, ungrateful jerk in your family, they will be touched by the effort that you made.  And if you do have a snobby, ungrateful jerk in your family, don't worry about their opinion - it's tainted.

4.)  Every bite from your kitchen doesn't have to be "from scratch".  Gasp.  The heresy!!!  Well, here it is - I have frozen green beans for tomorrows meal and bought premade cheesecake for dessert.  Take that, Martha Stewart!  To top things off, my appetizers for Christmas Eve came straight from the freezer section of Costco.  Everyone loved the food and I only had to stick it in the oven and take it out on time.

And since this is a weight loss blog, I want to reiterate one point: let's talk food.

Christmas and Christmas Eve come but once a year.  If you have established healthy eating habits throughout the rest of the year, you won't be able to gorge yourself to the same extent as usual.  Furthermore, your taste buds will have changed and you may find the foods you crave are different than the ones you craved before.  But if every year, you eat Aunt Mae's homemade pierogies with bacon and sour cream, don't deprive yourself.  Eat what you want tomorrow and enjoy it.  The day after Christmas is soon enough to get back on plan.

Treat yourself kindly at Christmas.  You've worked hard and you deserve it.

Thank you for reading my blog - it rambles, it rants, and it sometimes whines but this outlet has helped me in so many ways over the past year.

My prayer for you all this Christmas is that you may find peace and contentment.  Have a wonderful holiday with those you care about.

Dec. 24 - Food

Well, the house is clean, the groceries are purchased and the presents are wrapped. Just a quick note of my food today and then it is off for another busy crazy day at the store. Then I am off for 5 days!!!!

m1: WW toast, natural pb, banana
m2: Pear and nuts
M3: Chicken breast, mixed greens, hm dressing, tomatoes, ww wrap
M4: Trail mix
M5: Soft tacos, guacamole
M6: Cheese and crackers, cookies (after church service)

Today's schedule is work, dinner, church, snacks and Christmas movies with my kids. I can't think of a more wonderful Christmas Eve!

I just checked all my recipes and thankfully I don't have to brave the store today for any last minute ingredients!

Have a good one, everybody.

Dec. 22

Monday went well. I followed my meal plan and ate healthfully. I had no cheats at all and the cookies are all packed up. I even managed to get some delivered today! I have a few that we kept for Christmas Eve and Christmas day, as well as some that I froze for our New Year's Eve party. Apparently I can resist temptation when I am not emotional!

I went to a new grocery yesterday and before I knew it I spent $100. That is part of the reason my eats are so good! The produce was mostly local, and so fresh and incredible. The meat was all local free range,and reasonably priced. They also have their own bakery so I was able to get clean buns and bread. SO NICE to not have to try and find time to make it!

I think I may be a little bit heavy on the fruit, but considering the season and all the temptation around me, I am just going with it for the next few days until things go back to normal.

Today's food:
M1: ww toast w/ natural pb, pear
M2: extra lean beef burger (grilled) on 1/2 ww bun, orange
M3: apple, nuts
M4: Big salad with spinach, mixed greens, grilled chicken, carrots, steamed cauliflower (leftover) tomatoes,onion, and hm honey balsamic dressing
M5: Yogurt and berries or popcorn

The one thing I am very disappointed about this week: workouts are on hold. This may sound like an excuse but I am just not finding time to fit it in. DD14 sleeps right under the family room. My leaping like a gazelle above her would NOT go over well! It's way to cold to take my Southern bred self outside and I decided to take a 4 day hiatus. My schedule is insane this week at work too. On Christmas once the kids leave to go with their dad to his family celebration I am claiming the guest room. By boxing day it will be my workout room and no excuse will be good enough to miss a workout! I can't wait. This is my Christmas present to me: the gift of health.