Eating between Christmas and New Year's

It matters what you eat between New Year's and Christmas, not what you eat between Christmas and New Year's.

My friend's husband said this a few times on New Year's eve, so I'm keeping this sentiment in mind in reflection of the holiday eating.

I hoped on the scale yesterday and I was up 4.0 pounds. Next week will tell if some or all of this is a true gain or just some food sitting in my digestive system. (I don't drink coffee so I don't have the benefits of regularity that some coffee drinkers appear to experience...) Either way, I'm not going to get my knickers in a knot.

There are a lot of food and social events around Christmas and New Year's that just isn't there the rest of the year.  Some food is rich, some is baked and some is just fine. I ate salad at lunch time and plenty of veggies at dinner to push the heavier stuff through the system.

We ate Chinese food twice, once planned once not; but I'm not worried because we rarely order Chinese food (previously ordered it a year ago). Appetizers did me in a couple of times: at Christmas eve dinner and I could barely eat the turkey and the stuffing dinner, let alone my Mom's rum-drenched plum pudding. (I haven't felt that full in a long time - perhaps in July during our trip to Newfoundland?). I also consumed way too much cheese when we were at a friend's house for dinner.

Of course, we were given loads of chocolate. Unlike other years, I haven't devoured it all (yet). Usually my stash of chocolate only lasts a matter of days. Interestingly enough, my husband opened the package of Belgium chocolate and ate more than me. (He's not a big chocolate eater like myself. But he could not lay off the this stuff.) I don't drink a lot of alcohol, but I treated myself to a mug of Bailey's and hot chocolate in the evenings.

Exercise came to a grinding halt. No work meant no commute, so no walking 50 minutes a day between work and the train station. I also missed three weeks of Master's swimming on Thursday nights. I did drag my behind to the pool for a swim on the New Year's eve day, but I didn't go running or walking any other time (and I could have).

I don't feel guilty about the (well a little bit about the exercise) holiday eating. Freaking out and feeling guilty will only increase the anxiety level, and the anxiety will compel me to eat. 

It matters what you eat between New Year's and Christmas, not what you eat between Christmas and New Year's.

In any case, it's back to the pool tonight, I've got some plum pudding to burn!

Next post: How I learned to think like a thin person