Don't Panic...Stick With The Facts

Phew, we made it through the holidays.  None of us came out of it unscathed but that is all under the bridge at this point.  The best thing we can do is to move on and get down to business.  The worst thing we can do is to panic and lose confidence in ourselves.  Here are a few facts to think about.

I have told this story before but to recap for new comers...
Back in the summer I was under a tremendous amount of stress.  All the stars were unaligned and it was a brutal time.  I put on about 3-5 pounds without really trying.  I vacationed a couple of times but MFP didn't look horrible.  I swallowed some pride and tried to start the process of losing again (this was my first weight gain in over a year).  I figured I would add a couple of minutes to my exercise and up my intensity "just to get there a little faster".  I figured within three weeks I should be back down and life would go on.  I admit I was a kind of excited to have a challenge again - totally sure of myself.  But, after three weeks things had not budged and I started to panic.  I spent some time thinking that my body was just correcting itself and this couple of pounds was just where my body wanted to stay.  I remember one day on the elliptical thinking "what am I doing? I am panicking".  I took a leap of faith and went back to what I knew worked.  I backed off the intensity and cut a minute out of my routine.  It was hard at first, it felt like I was moving at a snails pace.  After a couple of weeks the scale was lower than it had been in months and after a couple more weeks I realized I had increased right back to my more intense longer workout without even thinking.  This was a big learning moment for me.  The workout and diet was the same but the difference on the scale was made only with a positive attitude as apposed to a place of insecurity.  My victory could not be validated on paper.  A+B wasn't C...this time.

Fact one:  Fear, insecurity, panic, self loathing are the most fattening things you can put in your body.

This year we did a lot of at-home celebrating.  We ate turkey, ham, rolls, pie and candy and treats galore!  (it was wonderful).  I didn't always log, not because I didn't want to see but because I knew I was at least breaking even and didn't want to log in the forty or so things I had just eaten.  I knew I would probably gain a couple of pounds but that was ok.  As I do the math now, I see that I could have added 250 calories over my break-even point each day and in the four week holiday season I would  have only gained two pounds.  What was interesting is my December 23rd check in had me at an all time low at the end of a steady decrease.  How could anyone lose weight during the holidays?  Praise the heavens it was me!

Fact two:  Staying in control of your head is the best diet on the planet.  

Back to the yummy food, here are some interesting scenarios.  For you to have gained one pound at Thanksgiving you would have to have eaten just under a whole pecan pie at 480 calories a slice or it's equivalent.  At Christmas you would have had to eaten almost one and one half hams to equal a pound of weight (3500 calories).  And,  although much more doable you would have to have eaten almost ten pieces of fudge.  This is all in addition to your daily calories including the calories you are cutting each day or your break-even calories.  I hope you are feeling a little better about yourself.  (have to have...just needed to add one more:P)
My December 28th check in was two pounds higher and another two showed up later in the week.  I know I did not eat an extra 14,000 calories in a little over a week so I am not going to panic.  Life has been crazy and so has my diet but it has all been worth the celebration!

Fact three:  You didn't do as bad as you thought!

So, how does fact three equate with your scale?  I would bet money on fact one and two being the biggest factor as well as the truth that celebration food is usually high in salt and sugar and both can cause your body to retain water.  A liter of water is over two pounds and I am sure I have peed a liter in one day. (ironically, drinking more water will help)  Not to mention that during our holidays some of our water drinking gets replaced with not-so-hydrating type drinks (at least this is true for me).

Fact Four:  Everything is going to be okay and twenty-ten is going to be the best year ever!!!  But, only you can make it so.