It isn’t 1/1, Start Now

What did your Thanksgiving plate(s) and holiday meals, parties and your kitchen look like?  Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, pecan pie and pumpkin pie with the other trimmings can be the normal.  Okay, Thanksgiving and the holidays are history.  In 2009, what will your plate look like?

You know it was the holidays but your body doesn’t.  The holiday treats and temptations you ate can temporarily reverse the successes you’ve made throughout the year.  Yes, it was the holidays but to your body the calories, carbs and fats you eat during the holidays still register the same as they did in April, May and October.

The average American gains an average of 3-5 pounds each year and many of us gain as much as 7 with the majority gained between Halloween and New Year’s.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases confirmed this trend. The participants in their study that were not obese gained an average of .8 of a pound during the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Those who were obese gained much more weight in that short period and most of the participants never shed the extra weight.

Although a pound or two a year doesn’t sound alarming, multiply that by a few years and all of sudden you’re buying new larger clothes and donating your smaller ones to your favorite charity. The pretty special dress you’ve worn during the holidays will be a thing of the past.

To make sure you can rock that dress year after year, avoid the pitfall of continuing to indulge after the holidays.  The holidays have become a time to splurge on excesses of calories and finances.  This is not the time for splurging and excess but a time to focus on family and friends.  There are more holidays to come.  Put a period on the holidays and start again.  It is January 5th but it can be YOUR own New Years.  New Years can be anyday.  There’s no magic that happens between 12:01 a.m. January 1st.  Start today or continue what you’ve created since January 1st.

For the upcoming holidays yet to come this year, create a new tradition that is contrary to excess food and inactivity.  As a family, take a walk or participate in an activity in the morning.  You’ll have more energy and vitality, plus consume less calories.  Eat a healthy small breakfast rather than save up for the BIG Holiday Meal.  Setting yourself up for activity and a small breakfast will help you throughout the day to not indulge in overeating.

When it comes time for another Easter, 4th of July, birthday, anniversary, or any celebration, visually divide your plate into four sections before you reach for the serving spoon. Fill one section with protein, one section with starch and the remaining two sections with vegetables or a green salad.  Focus in on your favorite foods and resist the urge to sample everything.

Resist the mentality of indulging at any time to start getting back on track on Monday or the first of next month or even at the first of the year.  You can make every day your own personal New Year.  There’s no magic that comes along on January 1st – start now.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, CLC
Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator