A friend of mine has lost 26 pounds on the Dr. Bernstein weight loss plan.
She (with their support) is taking a three week break over the Christmas season. She knows she will "cheat" over the holiday season, and why pay for a plan she's not following?
Initially I thought how wise and realistic, both on her part and the part of the Dr. Bernstein staff. Let's not set ourselves up for failure, what with the festive season upon us.
But then I thought... isn't that the problem with weight loss programs, and with weight loss in general? There will always be a festive something or other around every corner. It's kind of like waiting for the best time to quit smoking, or the right time to get pregnant. There is no perfect time for anything - no time that things will be easy or free from the potential for setback.
There will always be a tomorrow, but if we want to accomplish our goals, we have to work on them today.
What about me - should I take a break? I'm about four pounds away from my target weight. Can I get through the Christmas season without gaining back some of the weight I've lost? Can I maintain my current progress, or better still, carry on towards my goal?
Of course I can! Just because there are more temptations around me doesn't mean I have to cave every day. Will I count calories on Christmas day? Nope!! Will I count them the day before and the day after? You bet. It's all about new habits and a more self improvment based lifestyle.
Here's to not letting the holiday season be my latest excuse!
TenGone Home
I'm with you--I'm not sure it makes sense to completely give up on healthy eating for weeks at a time, holidays or not.
ReplyDeleteI think "treats" should be part of any healthy eating plan anyway. So maybe a few more during holidays, that's only natural. But to totally abandon healthy habits seems counterproductive, as tempting as that might seem.
I so agree!! I also think treats are vital. My non-calorie counting treat days are the reason I've been able to persist this long and make the progress that I have.
ReplyDeleteThey key for me, though, is to NOT have two or more non-counting treat days in a row - then I just slip back into old habits. Why recreate old bad habits over the holidays? Then I'd have to start from scratch. Yeesh.