Merry Christmas 2013!

I wish you joy all though your holidays,
I wish you good luck that forever stays.
I wish you the love of family and friends,
I wish you happy days that never ever ends.
Merry Christmas to all Her Weight Loss Diary's friends!

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Weight Loss: How to Save Your Diet In the Middle of December

Hello December.

Can you hear the Christmas bells ringing? Christmas is just around the corner I am super excited. I absolutely love December because it's the Christmas season and I simply love Christmas. This is the month we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and it's also the time for the family to get together. Eating cookies is a good thing too!

I haven't update this blog in a while because I feel less motivated. I blew my diet BIG time and I gain 2 kg. I totally pigging out most of the time and sometimes I just feel like giving up and forgetting about the whole idea of weight loss. Even though December is a joyous month, I know it can be awful for people with eating issues like me.

I admit the thought of binge in December did cross my mind. I tell myself, I will start fresh after the holidays. But then I think again. If I splurge my diet during this holiday and I probably gain 2 or 4 kg, wouldn't it be like having a double effort to lose weight on the New Year’s weight loss bandwagon then?

It's difficult to stick to your diet during the holidays and it's not hard to understand why. Huge dinners and parties will always be a major part of the holiday season. Maintaining a control is a huge challenge. 

Are you going to stick to your diet to lose weight during Christmas or are you going to start your diet in January?

I find this useful tips on Binge Theraphy so I decided to reblog this here as a reminder to myself before heavy foods coming my way. I hope you will find it useful too.

1. Don’t use the impending New Year as an excuse to binge

No more "I will lose 10 pounds" New Years resolutions this year. Each morning, when you wake up, begin anew by telling yourself, "today I will do my best to go toward health and wellness." And each morning, set a mini goal for yourself. A mini goal might be, "I will allow myself to sample some office goodies intentionally and consciously, but will not binge on them," or "I will do 10 minutes of meditation at some point today," or "I will reach out for support today if I want to binge" or "if I've already begun eating something that I didn't intend to in order to prevent a binge."

2. Don’t engage in black & white thinking

If you find yourself eating something unconsciously, like snacking on chocolates from a bowl in your office or eating too many bagels one morning, don’t let that turn into a binge. Remember that it happens. Just because you ate a handful of Hershey’s kisses, doesn't mean you have to spend the rest of the day bingeing on cookies and cakes and eggnog or whatever else it is. Stop, take a breath, and be kind to yourself. Take a moment to reorient yourself and bring yourself back to the present. What happened? How did you wind up at the chocolate bowl? Was it a conscious choice or were you putting something off, or were you upset or stressed about something? Think backwards to what might have happened. Forgive yourself and accept that it happens. Make a plan for something else that you’re going to do to make you feel good about yourself that day. If you think that you might not be able to resist, call a support person and tell them that you’re feeling shaky because of the unintentional kisses, but your intention is not to binge and you could use a check in call. Let them know that you’ll call them at the end of the day.

3. Focus on people rather than food

Before holiday parties or luncheons, make sure that you've eaten before you go so that you are able to focus on the people around you rather than the food. If you find that you are only focused on food, take some time to breath and try to refocus on someone interesting. Make a goal for yourself at the party, such as, you are going to talk to 3 new people and try to focus on that rather than food.

4. Don’t drink too much at holiday functions

Binge drinking is a prelude to binge eating. It immediately brings you into an unconscious state which then does not allow you to have a choice around food.

5. Be cautious about leftovers

If you host a party, either have someone help you to clean up or have someone else clean up for you. Often for hostesses with eating issues, it’s not the party that’s challenging, it’s cleaning up. Leftovers can be a huge binge trigger for many people. If tit is for you, give them away or bring them down to a hungry/homeless person.

6. Don’t keep trigger foods at your desk at work

Just because the holidays are here doesn't mean you need to have a bowl of candy on your desk for people. If you must bring it, put it out of reach from yourself so that you need to actually think about what you’re doing every time you get up to grab something.

7. Eat a breakfast with lots of protein each morning

This will keep you satisfied and your blood sugar stable so that you’re not looking for a pick me up come mid-morning.

8. Recommend a Wellness program at your office

Instead of junk food, suggest that people bring fruit baskets. Make a suggestion that the food baskets you receive be donated to a homeless shelter nearby. See about starting a lunchtime yoga class for your office.

9. Stay active

The winter months are a good excuse to hibernate. Don’t succumb. Get out of the house or office. Take a vigorous walk during your lunch break. Go ice skating! Go window shopping! Move. Activity is a stress reliever. Letting go of stress will help you not binge.

Losing weight during the holidays can be incredibly rewarding. You feel better. Your clothes fit better. You avoid the post-holiday feelings of guilt. You don’t need to make weight loss your New Year’s resolution, because you are already doing this. And best of all you are healthier.

Are you going to stick to your diet to lose weight during Christmas or are you going to start your diet in January?

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