Determined To Succeed

Well, here it is. The Monday before Christmas and I am stuck at 238. Bah (humbug).

I know.  It’s not that bad but still enough to make me feel like such a slouch going into the day when at least one large meal will be served.

That is funny. I actually almost said “…at least one large meal will be consumed.” See…that is how my mind works. I automatically default to thinking I HAVE to eat what is presented. And while it is glorious, very appreciated and wonderful I must be mindful of how much I consume. I (and we) do not HAVE to consume what’s in front of us. Take a bit, still eating what you want, but then wait 10-20 minutes to give your body a chance to “feel full.” I have to keep that in mind.

This morning I did my usual four miles on the elliptical, worked out with weights, did weighted sit-ups (I am doing those again to help flatten out my stomach) and my reward, the steam room. So I did good this morning. Now it is whether or not I will be a good little boy and STAY good when I eat the rest of the day.

That’s my constant dilemma. I worked out, burned about 500 calories so in my mind I have some room. Not so. This is a time when I need to re-commit to being good and not over-indulging. So that days like Christmas I can have ONE extra helping (not three), or a piece of dessert. Working out is not equivalent to a Christmas sale, where I take off so much calorically (like the discount they give you in stores) to get me to eat more (or in stores spend more).

I am constantly CONSTANTLY doing this in my head because it is a journey, and I stumble just like you guys do. But I have no “fat clothes” to fall back into (thank God) and I have no one to blame but me when my new, super nifty Conair scale is telling me I am still at 238. I also have to be good because Christmas meal or no Christmas meal, I should not be eating heavy at night. Instead, if the mood strikes I need to do a sit-up or six. Then have a piece of fruit.

So with Four days and counting I am counting my intake, too. I should. Because the best Christmas present I can give myself would be to get back to 235 by Christmas Day and maybe, MAYBE, 232, by New Year’s Day.

I will leave the sales in stores and the burned-off calories in the gym. Just because we can do things (like eat) doesn’t mean we should. It is then that we learn the true meaning of Chri…sorry…the true meaning of this, our weight loss journey.