Holiday Weight Challenge

[Guest guest]

Talking about weight gain and the holidays got me thinking... I used this challenge in my meetings last year and I think I'll issue it again this week or next because Thanksgiving here is coming up soon. I'm issuing it right now to all my EV friends who struggle with or are concerned in anyway about their weight (all others are still my friends but can certainly ignore this)!

I know when I was heavy I ALWAYS had an excuse for why I couldn't lose weight. In January it was my birthday, February was Valentine's Day, March, April and May are one birthday after another in our family and so the list goes on until you get to October, November and December where we have "the holidays" starting with Halloween and what do you know, right after those it's my birthday again just after New Year's!! So, of course, I never even had a chance to lose weight or so my sorry thinking went.

Nowadays, I don't believe any of that nonsense. Every day, every bite even, is a new opportunity to make good choices but October through January are still really challenging times for me. So here's the challenge for anyone who wants to take me up on it. What do you want the scale to say on January 1st or whenever in January you'll first weigh-in? Just like in many yoga videos you hear "set your intention" (for the practice), I want you to set your intention for the holidays. Do you want to lose weight? If so, how much do you REASONABLY expect to lose with all the distractions? It is very possible. I lost 3 or 4 pounds between October and December a few years ago! Do you want to maintain your current weight and don't care if you lose or not? Do you mind gaining? If so, how much would be a tolerable gain? Be specific! Is more than 2 pounds too much? Is 5 okay? Your intentions will help you plan and between the two you will find yourself more deliberate about food choices these next 2 months and moving toward whatever goal you set for yourself. My personal goal is to maintain where I am now. I weighed in at 109.2 this morning. I prefer being closer to 108 or even 107 but really, this is absolutely fine and like the trainer told me, I really shouldn't lose any more weight at this point. I just don't like the numbers going over 110 or 111 (because in my mind they are a slippery slope leading back to 117 and 123 and 133 and 147... other weights I've been at for months or years) so that's why I prefer being a little bit lower, just to give myself more wiggle room between me and 110! (I know it is silly but we all have our hang-ups, this is one of mine.) If I weigh in January 3rd (my first weigh-in after New Year's) right around this weight, within about 1/2 pound, that will be just right. I did it last year, I know I can do it this year too, it just takes some intention... what's your's?