Surviving the Holidays // Why We Used to Overeat

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!!!!

D and I are chit-chatting about being thankful, surviving 1 of the 3 big holidays and why we used to be doomed at this time of year.

Personally I am thankful for this new life, fantastic friends who support me and a loving family. Oh, and sparkles. I do love sparkles and would be lost without them. ;)

D is thankful for where he's at and the vision of where he's going. The hope he has now is something he doesn't think he's ever had.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic. We have a small family, but we usually have TONS of food. This year we had tons of HEALTHY foods...and pie. Haha. We both did really well - no munching, no calorie filled drinks or appetizers. We did have dessert - but it was moderated, and it was low calorie. So, sacrifices were made - and it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought! I suspect Xmas and New Years should be a walk in the park comparatively. I am slightly worried about holiday parties, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Having a stress-free Thanksgiving dinner (in pajamas might I add. We decided as a family that pajamas were a must. Even my Nana went for it!) was a huge victory. However, it made D and I take a serious look at how we used to behave during the holidays. This might sound crazy - but the holidays are a calorie free-for-all to a fat person. A holiday signified a free pass to eat as much as you want (because everyone else is!) and never feel guilty. In fact, you can justify the insane overeating by saying "Well, it's Christmas!!!". Jim Gaffigan would say "Yes, it is Christmas....baby Jesus would want you to eat 5 servings of stuffing and a hot pocket".

Being fat, every day you eat the way a normal does on Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, you eat 3X what you do on a normal day (which again is 3X a normal person)...that 9X a normal person during holiday season. Math isn't my strong suit - but that just plain does NOT add up. :)

Now that we've discussed how we justified overeating...let's discuss why.

Here's all the reasons we've come up (ala 3 things...):

1. Comfort. Food makes you feel better.
2. Entertainment. No one wants to watch TV w. out eating...and if you're bored, why not eat?
3. Convenience. Food (especially bad food) are easy and accessible. Cooking takes too long.

That mentality has changed, but it has not been easy. Training your brain to think of food as fuel is tougher than it sounds. We've both slipped here and there (pancakes when I should have ordered an Egg Beater omelet...) - but overall, we've made huge strides.

Speaking of huge strides....time for a progress update!

I am still down 40 pounds and have gained 15 pounds of muscle. Legit. 15 pounds of muscle! Exciting.

D is down 30 pounds and has gained (drum roll please).....30 pounds of muscle!! Amazing.

Signing off,
SUHP x 2 (of love)