Holiday Weight
I haven’t lost it
When we visited my in-laws over the holidays, Mom pointed out the brownies and chocolate chip cookies on the counter. Brownies are my favorite baked goods. Of course I took one. Then another. Then another. I have a sweet tooth.
During the Bears game that night, I switched to eating the chocolate chips because I was having trouble staying awake. I kept shoveling them in my mouth for the sugar rush. The Bears lost.
I put on five pounds since Thanksgiving. We ordered a feast from a friend of mine who’s a chef. She baked Christmas cookies, and I ordered those too. For Christmas I asked for some fancy honey caramels. When they were gone, we ordered two more bags. Then I discovered chocolate bars named after my girl dog so of course I had to try them. The whimsical graphics on their website lured me in further. I ordered six bars.
In December, I injured my tailbone when I wiped out ice skating. It hurt so bad, I couldn’t walk the dogs with my husband let alone train in Filipino martial arts (FMA). I’d already missed a month of FMA because of a depressive episode. I ended up missing another month because it hurt to walk. I wasn’t getting any exercise at all. (So I taught myself how to knit!)
The lack of exercise and eating all this candy didn’t help my situation. I began jogging on the treadmill three times a week for only five minutes at a time. Sure, that’s a short duration, but it was 15 minutes more a week than I’d been doing, and I’m now steadily increasing my time. This hasn’t helped, of course, because I keep eating candy!
I once had a habit of eating three share-size packets of peanut M&Ms a day. And Twizzlers too. This was in addition to my regular meals. I believe I had (have?) a sugar addiction. I gave it up except for dessert once a week and lost at least 20 pounds. The caramels are gone now and there are only two pieces of the last chocolate bar left. I haven’t ordered anymore.
Beating myself up about all kinds of things is what I do. Sad to say, I’m a perfectionist and have high self-expectations. This time, I gave myself grace, and ate whatever I wanted knowing that once I started working out again, I’d lose the weight. I’ve lost three pounds so far, so I’m getting there. My therapist said this was a good attitude to have, so maybe I’m growing emotionally.
Alternatively, please consider buying me an almond milk cappuccino. Thank you!
Chocolate gets me every time, too Barb! Congrats on the treadmill, I find that intimidating ✌️
I had that kind of holiday eating binge this year too. I am also slowly losing the weight. Sorry about that ice skating blip but here’s to us for getting back on track and kindness.