11/4/09

It's Christmas @ Starbucks!!

Its official: The holiday season has begun. How do I know you ask? Well the Christmas machine has infected my local Starbucks and for the next 2 months my daily Grande Bold will be served in the seasonal cup that all us caffeine fiends have come to know and love.



I love Christmas time! The fresh snow and crisp air, Jingle Bells and beautifully wrapped gifts. There is just something about the magic of Christmas that brings a happy little tear to my eye.

There is also something about the food-fest of Christmas that brings a few extra pounds to my hips. That part is not so magical. (If it were magical holiday calories wouldn't count!)

I need a plan to get through the onslaught of cookies and appetizers and high cal beverages that are about to surround me everywhere I go. Can I honestly enjoy the season while forsaking gingerbread men and steaming hot chocolate? Will it really be the same?

On the other hand, can I really enjoy the new year feeling bloated and heavier then I need to be?

I think I need to find some balance. A few less cookies, a salad or small meal before the party, a few more minutes on the treadmill. Small choices that will hopefully keep any weight gains small too. Sounds simple enough to me. I think I can do that!!

So here we go...may the holiday bring you happiness with those that you love and may the scale be kind to you when its time to take down the tree!

Tell me, how do you plan to get through the temptations that are brought on during the holidays??

9 comments:

  1. Thanks for commenting on my blog, I'm reading through your archive loving it. I plan on getting through the holiday temptations by:
    -hiding in my room OR
    -taking the simple route and only allowing myself to kinda sorta indulge with my extra 30 points, not dipping into my daily allowance at all

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  2. my way to get through temptation is to start my year end goal RIGHT NOW! I started November 1 to make sure that I can indulge a little later on!
    I had an reduced fat egg nog latte today, it was yummy!!!!

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  3. I really want to work on maintaining this holiday season, too! Almost every holiday season I stuff myself silly the whole month, this time around I will allow myself a few little treats but for the most part keep it business as usual.

    At least that's my plan..

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  4. I think you hit the nail on the head... BALANCE. A few cookies here and there won't pile on the pounds. But 5 cookies... every single night... plus the hot chocolate, plus the eggnog, plus the pumpkin pie will do some damage. One of the best tips I can give you is to keep apples on hand. Drink a glass of water, and eat an apple before you head out to a big dinner with friends. They are fresh and juicy, and the fiber will help keep you feeling full longer. And by eating about 80 calories of an apple will help you avoid about 200 or 300 ++ calories of junk. When you do that math over the course of two months, it adds up! So you can still enjoy the treats, but having a little something in your stomach will keep you from being inhaling the first thing you see at parties. :)
    I love Amber's perspective of "business as usual!" :)

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  5. YAY the red cups are here! I actually posted on the mugs as well today. As far as holiday weight gain. Yikes. I plan to keep counting and limiting. Fingers crossed!

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  6. Oh, man, I need some strategies too! Pass them my way!!!

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  7. You have all great suggestions here. With all the extra temptations out there I try to remember that I can't change the environment, I can just change my reaction to it.

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  8. Oh, how I love the holiday season! I think that if you try what you want and work it off later or compensate for it with your other food choices then you should be okay. It is Christmastime, after all!

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  9. You're right, it's totally all about the small choices.

    Last year I managed to not really gain weight during the holidays. But I was already several pounds heavier then anyways and my eating habits were the same throughout that time (eating out frequently and eating high calorie foods). Now I'm eating much healthier and lower calories. So I have to try not to eat like that because I know I'll put on weight if I do.

    I'm going home for a few weeks in December and I won't be able to eat my lovely healthy food as much while I'm staying with friends and I'm sure we'll go out frequently. So I bought a calorie counter book for restaurants so I know what to pick when we go out. That brought a huge relief to me. Now I feel like I can do it and not gain tons of weight and feel normal.

    I also have a few rules to keep the pounds off if I stick to them. No eating while standing, no eating while preparing, not sneaking food, trying not to eat until stuffed, trying not to eat unless hungry. Pick the lesser of the evils when it comes to holiday foods and enjoy my favorites in moderation or extremely small portions. And try to find something more interesting than food.

    I'm sorta hopeful that spending time with friends and family and being busy will actually pull off a pound or two. If not I'll be happy with maintaining.

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