And now the hard part

So, 2 weeks ago, 265lbs

This morning 260lbs.

Gotta say I am pretty happy about that. Worked out more days than not in the last 2 weeks, ate better (though not perfect) and ultimately am rewarded with 5lbs of weight loss.

Last time I saw the sub-260lb me was earlier this year, and not long before I found ways to short circuit myself. Hopefully this time I can say goodbye to the 260lb me forever.

What's to stop me?  The holidays.

Every dieters nightmare, the holidays bring with it turkey, stuffing, chocolates, wine, candied yams, mashed potatoes made with cream, more wine,  snack foods, appetizers.

And that's just the food.

Parties, drinks with neighbours, office lunches, festive specials.

And that's just the events,

Shopping, crazy malls, food courts, what to buy, interminable lines, out of stock, in-laws coming over, every weekend booked from now til January.

Basically, it is 6 weeks of high-stress, surrounded by the food that got me (and many of you) into trouble in the first place.

So how do we get past it? Well, first acknowledge it's going to be hard, be ready for it. I won't be expecting 2lbs a week out of myself over the next few weeks. I do however expect to continue losing. With that in mind this is the time to be especially vigilant on all those days you don't have an event.this is not the time of year for a quick trip to Wendy's, or for some extra little weekday treat. This is when 90% of your meals have to be very healthy options. Balanced, filling, healthy meals, because the other 10% are going to be trouble.

As for that other 10%, well, a few tips. Avoid loading up on breads, enjoy the main courses, avoid the appetizers. At parties, stay away from those easy snacks that seem to keep filling your mouth while you chat with friends. Watch how much you are drinking, switch to water when you can. Be very mindful of EVERYTHING you put in your mouth this month, don't mindlessly snack.

Lastly, but importantly, exercise. It's a busy time of year, but this is when you have to say "My health comes first" find the time to work out. Morning, after shopping, before bed, just get moving. Find ways to sneak in extra burn, don't fight for the close parking space at the mall, park in the far reaches and enjoy the walk. the exercise will help with all the extras we are bombarded with, and its a great way to bleed off some of the stress.

It's this time of year where we face the most challenges, re-focus, put in that effort, and make this a truly happy, and guilt-free holiday season.

I'll see you all at the malls. I'll be in parking lot Z, Row 30, right next to the abandoned shopping cart.

@fatfitman

Long time away, where has the fatfitman been?

Ever find it hard to own up to something? Made a mistake and now you're stuck trying to hide from it. Even if the hiding is pointless, if everyone around you can see the mistake, or if the hiding itself is a dead giveaway that you've screwed up.

That's me since April 28th.

So what happened? Well, let's take it in turn.

5K run - Didn't happen, I injured my back in April and it curtailed my running plans to nothing. On doctors advice I stopped my running training until I lost some more weight (more on that in a minute).

So, my running is down, ok, what do you do when your plans go awry? You pick yourself up and you try something else. So I did, I attacked the P90X program and tried to make that my major exercise plan.

And then I injured my wrist. Couldn't bend my right hand for a few months.

So that's 2 strikes. How do I recover, I pick myself up again and find a way, I lower my calorie counts, I find some way to keep moving.

Boy I wish I could say I did that.

Nope

I ate, and ate, and ate some more. I got lazy, I stopped trying, I stopped blogging, I stopped believing.

I just plain stopped.

I quit.

And so here we are, November 8th. Almost 11 months from my start at 272 lbs, and I am 265.

It's so easy to get down, so easy to say forget it. So easy to look at the holidays coming, the challenges I faced and just give up until January. 

But I am not going to do that. Missing my goals is bad, giving up entirely would be far worse.

I can't change what happened April to November, I can't change that I stopped, I can't change that I hid from it (and from all of you), I can't change that it was the wrong thing to do.

But I can change what I do today, and tomorrow, and from here on.

Change with me, come back to the blog, come back to your own challenges, change what's nagging you.

You'll be happier for it.

fatfitman

Follow me on Twitter @fatfitman