Today is October 13 – we have only 2 weeks and 4 days until Halloween, and 6 weeks, 3 days until Thanksgiving when all he** breaks loose… or does it? Do the holidays automatically equal weight gain, or is  this only a thought?

I suggest that it’s only a thought and if you believe it and repeat it to yourself enough times it will become a belief and since most people want to be right, you will make that belief come true for yourself.

What if instead you held the belief (the thought) that you have a slender, fit body no matter what time of year it is? In actuality, you are the one with all the power in your life and as long as you take 100% responsibility for your outcome then you have total power to create a different outcome. You have the power to choose what you think and believe and if you choose the thought that your body remains slender and fit year round then you will choose actions that create that outcome, it’s as simple as that. Well, it’s simple but not always easy since the hardest work you will ever undertake in your life is changing your thinking. 😉

How to Lose Weight During the Holiday Season

So let’s get back to exactly how to lose weight during the holiday season. Think it’s impossible? Think it’s useless to undertake changing your lifestyle at this time of year? Think it’s better to wait until January 1st? Well if you think any of these thoughts then you’re right and that’s what you will do, however there is always another thought you can choose, a different, healthier action you can take, and here are just a few options to help you lose weight during the holiday season:

• Make a Decision – If you decide that NOW is the time to change your lifestyle then it doesn’t matter what time of year it is, you can do it. A healthy lifestyle is year-round anyway and it doesn’t “go away” when a holiday comes up. If that were the case then it would be very hard to maintain your weight because on average there  are  2  holidays of some sort each month!
• Chart your Goals – If you lose just 2 pounds a week you stand to lose approximately 22 pounds by the time December 31st rolls around – 22 pounds! No matter how many pounds you need to lose to get to a healthy and fit weight 22 pounds is a great deal of weight and will get you well on your way towards your goal. Since you can do this with a healthy eating  and exercise plan then  why wait and further ingrain unhealthy lifestyle habits over the coming weeks, waiting around to attempt the “big change” on January 1st?
• Drop Perfectionism – If you do not have a problem with compulsive overeating (once you start eating certain foods you cannot stop) or sugar addiction (endless cravings and compulsive overeating once you introduce it back into your diet) then you can have some of your old favorites if you really want them on Thanksgiving and Christmas – all you need to do is change how you eat them. In other words, just have a taste of them instead of a huge helping or two. Slender and fit people do not eat buffet size portions but they do indulge sometimes; they just don’t overeat. This option will only work for you though, if the foods you choose to eat on these holidays are not your trigger foods.
• Drop the Diet – Diets don’t work and neither do magical diet pills and powders. What does work is creating   healthy lifestyle of mainly whole, fresh, healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and getting regular exercise. Not only does this work for weight loss but also for overall physical and mental health. Eliminating (or greatly reducing) refined sugar and caffeine  and getting regular exercise majorly reduces stress, anxiety, and depression (along with changing your thinking habits). Refined sugar, excess sodium, MSG, preservative, additives, unhealthy fats, and artificial sweeteners (which are found in huge amounts in processed foods) contribute to overeating, food cravings, overweight, inflammation, disease, and  an abundance of unhealthiness  in the body and mind. Whole foods reverse and/or eliminate those results as well as give you so much energy you might not recognize yourself! Not only that but they give you a much more positive attitude towards yourself and life.
• Maintain Your Exercise Routine – Even if  on the actual holiday dates  you do not stick to only whole foods you can still maintain your regular exercise routine and even get the  entire family involved. Take a 30-minute walk after your meal and get some fresh air. Get outside, get  that blood pumping, and get moving. Take a bottle of water with you and have fun instead of only focusing on the holiday feast.

You can incorporate all of these tips over the next 11 weeks and as long as you are sticking to a healthy eating and exercise plan for 95% of the time you may just be ringing in 2009 at 22 pounds lighter than you are today!

Now I don’t know what  you’re going  with this information but I can tell you that I’m on my way to dropping those last 20 pounds or so, which will get me to my goal weight. While I’m happy with where I’m at right now (I’ve been maintaining a 20 pound loss over the past few months) and I just came back from Puerto Rico where I wore a bikini for the first time since I was a kid (what fun, yeah!) I choose to get fitter because I want to. I’m lovin’ life now, today, and living as I would if I were already at my goal weight, which will get me to the outcome that I desire.

It’s Your Choice – Make it a Healthy One!

You can also choose to get closer to your goal (or achieve it!) over the next 11 weeks and ring in  2009 as a fitter, more slender  version of “today’s you”. Why put off what you truly desire when you can do it now? Don’t allow the thoughts that “the holidays = overeating and weight gain” stop you – those thoughts will only be true for you if you believe them and if you choose them. It’s your choice so why not choose a better, healthier thought, which will lead to better, healthier actions?