Are you waiting until New Year’s Day to finally make some changes to your eating and exercise habits (maybe making New Year’s resolutions?), to lose weight and get fit? Are you telling yourself that you just want to make it through the holiday season without any restrictions, and then you’ll change?
If you answered yes to these questions, I do understand how you feel. I was thinking the same way just a few days ago, but you know what? When is a good time to make some lifestyle changes and get fit? And, if you are truly changing your lifestyle and not going the route of short-term dieting, then why does it matter if you get healthy today instead of waiting until tomorrow or New Year’s Day? A lifestyle is everyday living, so why should the holidays have any bearing on that?
Like I said, I was thinking just like you that I could just get back on track with my healthy living after the holidays. What does this mean, though? It means that I want to keep indulging my sugar addiction and if I do that, when will it ever end? I’ve been having off and on problems with my sugar addiction since June, even though before that I was doing fabulous and feeling great by staying off the sugar, which shows that if I were to wait, there is always something to use as an excuse to make changes today! Here are just a few of them:
- I want to enjoy the holidays and eat whatever I want (read: overeat and stuff myself)
- If I do any baking for Christmas for my family, I want to be able to enjoy it! (read: one bite of that sugared item leads to more, and more, and more…)
- I feel stressed out and overwhelmed with the holidays, with my cat (still) being at the vet, with vet bills, with (fill in the blank)!
- I bought (insert name of unhealthy food) and even though it contains sugar and isn’t the healthiest for me, I don’t want to waste money (that’s a big one for me), so I should just eat it and start eating healthy tomorrow (or later, just not today).
- How can I expect myself to eat healthy during this time of year, isn’t that crazy?!
I could say all of these today, but you know what happens if I wait until January? Here’s that list of excuses:
- I feel too stressed out with (fill in the blank), how can I stick to a healthy eating plan today? (I need to meditate more and work on that stress, huh?! 🙂 )
- Why not wait until summer, then I’ll really be motivated!
- My birthday is coming up, I want to enjoy it!
- Valentines will be here shortly, I want to enjoy it!
- Oh, St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and what about Easter?!!
- I’ll be meeting (fill in the blank) for lunch, dinner, coffee, I want to enjoy myself!
You see how this is never-ending? Can you relate to this? This is why I say that today is as good a day as any to get off the sugar, do some healthy cooking, get on the treadmill, use those resistance bands, feed my mind with the positive, and stop waiting until that nefarious future that may never come.
Remember, there are 6 major U.S. holidays, and when you add in the 8 most widely recognized minor U.S. holidays (Fat Tuesday, Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Kwanza), and also throw in Super Bowl Sunday and birthday’s (add in co-worker birthdays since there’s probably a cake for them at work), you’ve got over 16 times in the year when you can tell yourself, “I’ll wait until (fill in the blank) is over before I change and lose weight”; that’s more than once a month, once every 4 weeks!
While many of you may still decide to wait until after New Year’s, I hope I gave you some motivation here to start thinking about how you can incorporate lasting lifestyle changes into this holiday season. For example, if you decide that you will utilize portion control and walk 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, those are lifestyle changes that easily allow you to still eat what you want, but may help you maintain your current weight throughout this season.
As for me, I’ll be continuing on sugar-free while still eating my sweets (in the form of fruit) 2 – 3 times a day. It’s just not worth it for me to give in to those sweet white crystals because I know how I’ll feel once I get a few days behind me of sugar-free living. My body has been feeling really bad on the sugar and I want to get back to feeling full of energy and health again, not to mention losing the weight that I’ve gained. 😉
JoLynn – this is so funny and so true. And I was just thinking the very same thing the other day – may as well wait until after Christmas, so I bet a heap more people have been doing so too.
But, Christmas is just one day. Then as you say, after Christmas we’ll all be saying – may as well just wait until Easter.
I really am going to start taking notice of what you’re advising and stop procrastinating.
Great blog. It’s so easy to tell yourself that you’ll do it later, and crave into your addictions for sugar, sweets, carbs, or whatever your addiction may be. And to be honest, I think I’ve finally realized that my issue that food and eating are my addictions.
I’ve been watching this show on A&E called Interventions, and it’s really helped me to see what an addiction really is, how it affects the brain, as well as those around you. It’s been a powerful tool and a positive motivating factor to help me get fit and kick my eating habits. You should check it out: http://www.aetv.com/intervention. The new series premieres on December 3rd at 9pm, in case you want to start fresh. Basically, they convince the addict that they’re doing a documentary and use the footage to show them how their addiction is affecting their life. Then, they force them to choose between intervention and self-destruction. It’s really been a powerful motivating tool for me, which is why I’m working to support it. Sometimes, I think we all need a little hit of reality. What other methods have you guys used to fight addiction, especially around the holidays for those of you that have been successful to kick your habits?
❓ Do you by chance, know of any quality online food services? I am starting to order all my food online because of various reasons. (Health being one of them) So far I have found 2 services, Fresh Dining (an LA company) and Celebrity Foods, but you have to call them so they can talk to you about your need. I would really like any suggestions that you may have, so I can widen my list of quality places online where I can order healthy food from. ❓
Thank you and have a great night or day depending on when you read this. LOL!!!!
That is right – your body doesn’t take a break during the holidays. Even if it did, then stuffing a bunch of junk food down wouldn’t be a good idea. Who needs to wait until New Years? Lets incorporate this stuff now. Putting things off until the holidays are over is a neverending process.
Hi everyone, thanks for your comments!
@Catherine, you’re right, it’s just how a lot of people think, and I’ve done the same thing, too! Thinking that “after this or that, or that holiday” I’ll make these changes. But does it ever happen? And, if it’s really a lifestyle, then why not do it now? 🙂
@Janice, thank you very much! 🙂
Yes, I’ve seen Interventions, I really like that show, and I can relate to the addicts. That’s something that I’ve always noticed, watching the HBO specials, and documentaries re: addiction. I’ve never done any drugs and I don’t smoke, but I have done the drugs sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. Something I’ve always said though is that I could care less about alcohol (I really don’t like it, even though it is just liquid sugar), but I’d do desserts as my drug forever!
Now I’m not doing desserts even though I’ve been having struggles with my sugar addiction. You just have to really make these changes your lifestyle and not just do it for a day. 🙂
@leosatter, Hi! You know what, I’m not familiar with online food services, do you mean meals that are already prepared? Personally I’d rather do my own cooking because then I know that there isn’t a bunch of salt added to it, or added sugar, etc. I think that you’d also be limited to ordering from a local shop, correct? Otherwise you’d just be getting the same boxed foods you could get in the store.
Let me know if I’ve answered your question or not! 🙂
@perros, exactly, your body doesn’t know the difference between a holiday or a stuffing day (LOL!). And it is a never ending process of putting it off until tomorrow, I know that all too well from my own experiences!