The 'Morning After' Thanksgiving Weekend!

Thanksgiving is a time of family, food, and a lot of tasting. It's a time to be thankful to God for providing, then stuffing your face, slowly spiraling down into a food stupor. At least until dessert- then let the food coma begin!

Unfortunately, I didn't hold back as much as I should have. I shouldn't have had two helpings of all that good stuff. I did well concerning dessert though! I had only a bite or two of chocolate pie. But alas, I must confess, the only reason I didn't eat an entire piece was I just didn't have any room left. I was not only uncomfortably full, I was bloated elephant full. I went to bed feeling I'd swallowed an entire watermelon. Whole.

The morning after was greeted with a belly that still hadn't digested most of the previous day's good eating. I had a very late breakfast (that was more like a light lunch), and though I wasn't truly hungry, my mouth was. And stupid me fed it. I would call this stage a second degree food coma with idiotic tendencies.

But I have some good news for you! We invented a new way to get rid of the leftovers without eating them all- Thanksgiving Friday is now Leftover Day!

Thanksgiving is for family, but Leftover Day is for friends! We invited several families over, and told them to bring their leftovers too, so we could all taste each others specialties. It was really fun, and we had a lot less food to stuff back into the fridge when the day was over. Despite my full belly, I had a really great time- and only had a little of everything. I was still too full, but not nearly as bad as yesterday.

For the rest of the weekend I tried to eat at least one meal, but I still felt full. My deep fear of not having enough nutrition verses the common sense of eating when you are truly hungry were at war with each other, and despite trying to compromise with small bites and a sip of water in between each nibble, I still went to bed feeling too stuffed and not liking myself too much. And here it is on Monday morning, and I still feel full. But my mouth still wants something.

I'm giving it water and telling it to shut up this time.

This particular part of the holiday is over. Christmas baking starts next week, and I'm looking forward to it, because whenever I bake I never eat. Weird, but true. I hope to make up for all that eating by not eating much next week.

I did one thing totally right this past week- I weighed myself before the big day! At that time I was 311.5, a half pound lighter than my last weigh-in. It isn't much, but it's better than gaining! And we all know I won't be weighing myself this week- that would just be torture. I will weigh in next week, after the first round of baking. I'll be baking next week and the week after, and I hope I digest all this stuff by then.

Because I still feel full.

So, I'll be taking this weekend as a lesson learned and see if I can come up with some strategies to avoid doing this again. You know as well as I do that the temptation to overeat rears it's ugly head at this time of year, so I have one more chance to beat it- or at least control myself so I don't waddle about the house like a penguin all week!

I'm going to go get a small glass of water, and start sewing and doing some housework. I might even put on the Christmas music to get me more in the mood for decorating! Believe me, it's best for my tummy to find ways to keep me out of the kitchen today!

Way too Much Stuff!

Wow- has a week passed by already? Or was it two? Things have been happening so fast as of late I feel I've been running a marathon!

I went to the doc's office on the off day, so I have no weight to report as of yet. The controlled eating has been slipping due to distractions; one being a health issue I might be facing, and the other was that my husband got injured on the job because of faulty equipment. He now bears a major second degree burn on his shoulder and part of his arm and underarm which is now blistering for the second time and is very painful. So most of my energy and focus are on him at the moment.

I've been walking my daughter at least four our of five days a week now, and I'm not getting tired after I arrive back home. I don't have enough energy to clean the house top to bottom yet, but I hope that's coming soon, because we plan on entertaining a lot this Christmas season.

One thing I love about my eating plan is I can have anything I truly want- so this Thanksgiving will be filled with good food- and most of it will be healthy. In fact, I've concocted a really awesome chicken and stuffing bake that would actually work quite well stuffed into a turkey- minus the chicken, of course! It gets rid of all the excess bread I have in my freezer- like those mushed up hamburger buns and all the heels off the whole grain breads. Most of the bread I have is whole grain, and with a little spice, some chopped celery and onion, this year's turkey will be boasting a better tasting (and better for you) stuffing! Much better than buying all that white stuffing bread they sell around this time of year.

Besides, I ditched using any white bread in the house, except for kaiser and hoagie rolls, and the occasional hot dog and hamburger buns I buy only for summer cookouts. Any sandwiches are made with whole grain bread, or bread I baked myself. It's just better that way. Tastier too!

We go to Lancaster farms right before Turkey Day and get the freshest veggies we can find, and a ton of potatoes to last us the entire winter. Left in our cold porch, they really do last a long time when they're fresh off the farm- even this late in the season. The potatoes we get come out buttery smooth when mashed- and that's before I add any real butter into them! Never underestimate the power of the potato- it might be considered a starch, but it has a lot of vitamins- especially in the skins. We do our part in conservation by washing the spuds and peeling them, then saving the peelings later for deep frying in canola oil and adding a little seasoned salt. They make a great snack, and no waste!

Now I'm all hungry....

I don't eat like that every day, but when we do make something special, I refuse to deprive myself of it. I just won't have as much as I usually do, which is usually too much! I also plan on having a lot more veggies on the table this year. Most of the time it's starches like corn and potatoes, but this year I'd like to add baby carrots, green beans, and maybe some steamed broccoli or a salad. A mixed salad might be better- then I can add a lot more veggies to the mix, like green pepper, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Doesn't that sound good?

Now I'm really hungry!

I promise to keep you posted. This week was a total mess concerning staying on track, but I'm getting back on that horse! And the candy monster no longer has a hold on me, because over the weekend, all of us helped to finish off the last of the chocolate. Believe me, after this week, I really needed it!

The Candy Monster Got Me!

It started out as a good week. I was eating until sated, didn't overindulge in anything (that was a 'Wow' in itself!), and the only 'bad' thing I didn't do was drink enough water. So I'm just a little bloaty feeling because of that- so you know getting on a scale is out of the question!

I had a friend fix last year's costume because the skirt was a little too big, and the top needed some work. The bodice of the costume was way too low, and now I feel safe in walking about without my boobs falling out. Cleaverage is one thing, flashing the neighborhood is quite another- and not something I would subject the world to.

I was the best dressed person in the schoolyard on Friday. I was the Queen of the Butterfly Fairies, and one of a small handful of parents that showed up in costume to pick up their kids. Much better than last year, when I was the only one dressed up! And with a little face paint, I looked awesome.

I also looked awesome when I took my kids out for Halloween. I got a lot of compliments (which I loved), and even a few snarky chuckles from some guys who had too much beer (which I ignored). It's when we got home that night that the Candy Monster got a hold of me.

My husband and I always separate the candy as we check it- one bowl for chocolate, the other for anything other than chocolate. Guess which bowl I'm drawn to?

My children will never see a mini Twix bar, because there were only two of them, which were promptly eaten. Milky ways were next, and I only had two of them before I pushed the bowl away. I snagged a bag of chips, ate them, then checked to see of there were any 100 grand bars, my personal favorite. To my surprise, there weren't any! So I sat back, licked the chocolate off my fingers, and pouted. I look forward to getting those little bars each year, and now I have to go out and buy my own to sate the Candy Monster, dagnabbit.

But the Candy Monster wasn't done yet...it whispered in my ear that the leftover candy might be on sale at the stores, and I can get a whole bag of 100 grand bars if I really wanted. At a discount. Like I really needed it.

Resistance is futile, it whispers, like the Borg looking to assimilate. (Yes, I'm a trekkie fan!)

Because of the candy Monster, I refuse to leave the house today. I will not give the Candy Monster anymore rope to hang me. And I am putting both bowls of candy away. Out of sight is out of mind (having a bad memory helps in some ways!), and though I won't deny a little indulgence once in a while, I also know myself well enough to not leave a bowl of candy within easy reach. Bad, bad, bad idea.

I have faltered, my friends, but I have not failed! We made a huge dinner the other night for a fellowship meeting, and we have a lot left over, so I don't have to cook. Really good stuff too, like homemade bread, veggie beef soup and chicken noodle- all good for you! It's always good to have chicken noodle around during the cold seasons, even if pasta isn't my best friend. I plan on eating more of the veggie soup anyway, since the kids love the chicken soup.

The kids are off tomorrow for Election Day, so I hope to get them out in the sunshine (once I check the forecast) and do a long walk in the park. At least I know there are no cacao trees in Pennsylvania to tempt me!

I'm getting back on track, and will weigh myself next week. It might be better for me to do this twice monthly anyway, so I'm not focused so much on the scale. I really don't care about the numbers as much as how I look- when I was in my early twenties, I was 170 lbs. (which some still consider overweight) and was a size ten! Now you know if I could be a size ten again, I wouldn't care what my weight was- as long as I fit into normal-sized clothing! Since that was my pre-kid weight, I would even be happy in a twelve- just so long as I felt good about myself when I looked into the mirror.

I'm actually pretty okay with myself now- I just don't like all that squishy stuff hanging about me. I'll lose until I'm just the right kind of squishy.

Just remember, a stumble isn't a fall- you don't have to go all the way back down the mountain before you can go up again- just start over from where you stumbled!