It’s been three weeks since I weighed in last Wednesday…oh my god. Time flies so fast!
Maintaining my eating habits during the holidays has never been a problem for me. This season doesn’t really change my daily routine, except for a few days when I might go to a holiday party or something. However, I do tend to overeat when I’m stressed – and December is a very stressful month.
Stressors are not all bad. Jerry’s new job arrangement is great! It was a very difficult adjustment because the entire daily routine we had become accustomed to had to change dramatically. The process of moving out for Noah was bittersweet. I was happy for him but sad that he wasn’t home. And worry—always worry. Deep down, I knew he was going to be okay. As a mother, though, I’m always worried about my children’s health and I just hope I can teach them what they need so they can live independently.
Eli waking up during oral surgery was a huge stressor for me. It might be hard for others to understand, but I felt absolutely horrible about the whole thing (I still do). Logically, I “knew” I didn’t do anything wrong and what happened wasn’t my fault; I just felt guilty that my mom made a terrible mistake by letting him take out his wisdom teeth.
Regardless, the food I eat is actually pretty healthy for the most part. There were a few times I ate junk food like Oreos, but for the most part, my extra calories came from peanut butter, nuts, dried cherries, and large portions at dinner.
Even though I didn’t post the weigh-in, I still weighed in for my responsibilities. As I expected, my weight would go up and down based on my calorie intake (I didn’t count calories, but I knew when I was eating too much).
But I don’t feel any regret. Of course, I wish I had more self-control when I feel stressed, but I’m always trying to be kind to myself and do the best I can in every moment. I have many opportunities to eat my weight in cookies and the like, but I choose not to; it just makes sense to me.
So, how does that work out in terms of my weight?
I’m at 144.4 today. Weight gain was 3.8 pounds. While that may sound like a lot in a few weeks, I gained so much more than before (not that that’s a good thing, but it is what it is). I started eating better after Christmas because I really didn’t want to start the new year with 10 pounds! So, my eating habits are great now – I’ve even started eating at the table and no longer snacking in the evenings.
I always love a new beginning, especially as we usher in a new year. I have a few goals that I will be writing about this week, but a big one is to eat more vegetables. I’ve been eating much larger portions of food the past few days, but my caloric intake has been lower (I actually did keep track of the foods because I felt like I was eating too much). I’ve always liked eating smaller portions, so now I feel a little counterintuitive. But I know I’m eating very healthy, so I’m sure the weight will come back!