Let The Weight Gain Begin...NO WAY!

The New England Journal of Medicine and just about every other resource I have looked through debunks the well known myth that the average person gains 7-10 lbs. over the 8 weeks beginning in early November through the first week of January. They say you only gain approximately 1 pound.

Huh? I don’t know which 195 people they weighed and measured for this one but come on! They don’t know me.

Raise your hand if you, personally, have experienced this holiday phenomena!

My hand is held high at the moment. I usually gain a solid 5-6 lbs. And believe me, it’s hard earned because I exercise a TON! If I don’t burn at least 500 calories a day (5-6 days a week), I’m grouchy.

Here’s the problem, though, for me!

Those damn holiday pounds gained while still exercising my ass off are really, really hard to remove come January. My body is used to its extra girth by then. It’s winter and I need an extra fat layer for warmth, right? As for my favorite sweatpants...Why can’t I wear them EVERY SINGLE DAY (I wash them!)? I don’t really but I’d like to at that point.

My workout partner, Big Dave, and I discussed it this morning because we’ve talked about it for the last several holiday seasons; the fact that we gain too much weight then it’s a bitch to get off.  [As background, Dave is an ex-college football player (lineman are huge) and weighed 350+ lbs at 6’5” when I first met him probably 9-10 years ago). Now he is, obviously the same height, weighing in at about 225 lbs. but he works really hard from a nutrition and exercise standpoint and looks fantastic.]

So here’s the deal…my deal, our deal.

We are weighing ourselves on Monday, November 5^th. The goal is to weigh the same exact weight (good or bad) on January 7^th. That’s 9 weeks.

Knowing my mind far too well and considering the fact that my weight is rather low right now (at least I think it is but I don't weigh myself everyday), I’m going to eat my face off this weekend and come in heavy on Monday for the weigh in.

I don’t know, we’ll see. I find scales scary so the trick will be on me, no doubt.

The point is, wherever we are two days from now, we won’t weigh more than that on Monday, January 7^th.

I can still have fun, eat and drink wine, but I’ll have a little thingy in the back of my head reminding me about moderation. Moderation is a hard concept for me.

Anyone feel like doing it too? Come on! We'll look like this, won't we?

I Am So Normal

What made me think of this? I have no idea but I was standing in my kitchen just now thinking about how normal I am. That’s weird. I’m not sure I like it. Realizing it might suggest that I need to change it up a bit…but I don’t really know what that means.

While drinking my coffee and making my water, I thought about:

What do I need to accomplish today?

What do I want to write about and what if I don’t want to write?

I lack structure and I’m procrastinating a lot lately.

I’m not super predictable (however, I am reliable) and do I change that?

I’m comfortable spending a day or days entirely by myself but why don’t I get the opportunity and what can I do about it?

This cup of coffee tastes so incredible right now.

My head aches from the wine I drank last night when my friends were over for dinner and why do I get talked into that extra glass?

It’s sad that someone younger than me has passed away from self-destruction or anything for that matter.

How can so much go through my head in only moments?

I just called myself weird for the second time before 9am because I realize I do the same thing every morning after I hit the coffee shop (therefore, I am predictable). I make my water.

What’s my water? It’s called “Sassy Water” but my daughter, who thinks I’m nuts BTW, calls it “Flirty Girl Water”. I have know idea how she came up with that name.

It’s one sliced cucumber, one sliced lemon, 12 torn mint leaves, a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger and a big pitcher of water (2 quarts). Now for the good part…drink the whole thing in one day. I’m addicted to it but I also need to know where every bathroom is when I’m out just like a toddler being potty trained!

This is probably TMI but…one of my goals is to pee clear every day. You can say it now too. She’s weird. I apologize if this calls attention to the color of yours; it’s a personal thing.

But I’m telling you, if you’re looking to drop a few pounds, this works. Or maybe it just keeps me away from the Girl Scout cookies that were delivered yesterday! I think it’s all in the water.

I should probably spend some time rethinking the “I’m so normal” thing.

A Delayed Drum Roll, Please

So, it's probably not a good start to the New Year when I can't even get my resolutions committed to paper (or screen). I know I'm only writing them to myself but still! This is why I suck at resolutions every single year. 


I wish that New Year's resolutions would officially start on January 7th and I have several reasons why. First of all, I am not recovered enough from New Years Eve/Day, or the holidays in general, to begin working on myself on 1/1 so I shouldn't actually put the pressure on at all. Second, it's hard to start working on your own things when you still have a house full of people and you're constantly working on their stuff. My things become low priority as the kids pack up their belongings and CLEAN clothes to head back to Indiana. Lastly, I'm fearful that I will, yet again, fail at doing the most important things and need more time to give myself a pep talk and encouragement. Therefore, I procrastinate. It's all lame...I know it!


So a drum roll, pleeeeease.......
1. Pull out that Rosetta Stone program, Central American Spanish, and BEGIN. 
It was the big gift on my Christmas list four years ago and promised several important people I would return to them knowing conversational Spanish!


The back story is I have two Goddaughters and many, many young friends who live in an orphanage called the Hogar de Ninos, Nazareth in Comayagua, Honduras. I visit them for a week every year in June and have for the last eight years through an organization called All God's Children. I wanted to better communicate with them as they entered into their very critical teen years. I promised! They are all so incredibly bright. The children are enrolled in the best schools available in Comayagua and are learning English at a rapid rate, (speaking, reading and writing). Even the kindergardeners! So I'm, yet again, the lame one as the orphans outlearn their Godmother four years in a row! Not the way I planned it!


2. Eat and drink less!
What is less? I don't have an exact amount in mind. I just know that if I do both, I will drop the five to eight lbs. that have crept on over the last year.


3. Move my body, in some form or fashion, 6 days a week.
This, I started December 1st so it's the easiest so far.


4. Have more patience.


5. Talk to the Big Guy more often!
If I accomplish 4. and 5., I will certainly have more peace in my life and that is a huge desire.


Okay...Let's see how January rolls out. 


2., 3., 4., and 5., started yesterday, January 3rd. Now I just have to tackle 1. and it's been the toughest for me every year but it's a promise I intend to keep!