My Holiday Strategy (Day 122)

Today, Shane at Losing it For the Family asked me if I had a goal where I wanted to be by the end of the year.

I hadn't really thought about it that way, but if I lose 14.5 lbs. between now and December 31st, there will be 70 numbers on the scale that I have personally seen, but will never see again.  I think losing 70 lbs. in 2010 would be pretty darn cool.

That will leave me with somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 40 lbs. to lose in 2011. And then it will be on to maintenance for the rest of the years that God blesses me with. 

It is absolutely mind-boggling to me that in the space of less than 1 year, my life and my health will have changed in ways that I had come to believe were impossible. And yet I find that it's not only possible, but it's a completely achievable dream. It is within reach. It will happen.

So that brings me to my strategy for the holidays. 

First there's Thanksgiving.  I am thankful for so very many things.  I am thankful that I am a child of God. My Father knows me completely, from the inside out, and He loves me anyway.  I am thankful for a husband who is the love of my life and my very best friend. I am thankful for children who are as beautiful and unique as they are smart and loving. I am thankful for the significant others who make my children laugh and love with their whole hearts.  I am thankful for the most beautiful grandchildren...fine young people who give me hope that the future will be left in good hands. I am thankful for parents and siblings and in-laws who are integral threads in the fabric of my life, and who I love dearly.  I am thankful for employment, and lodging, and resources to meet our basic needs and then some.

And this year, more than any other in my memory, I am thankful for good health. I am thankful that I am stronger and more disciplined than I ever thought I could be.

So this Thanksgiving, when I gather together with those I love, we will pray and thank God for our many blessings, and we will break bread together. And I will make good and healthy choices. I'll pass on the candied sweet potatoes and the pumpkin pie and the gravy and the biscuits. I won't pass on these for the rest of my life...just until I get where I want to be.  I'll have reasonable portions of turkey and stuffing and green beans and salad. And I'll enjoy every bite.

I'm not allowing myself extra calories for Thanksgiving. And that's one of the things that I'm most thankful for.  I don't need them. At the end of the day, I will be happier and more fulfilled by sticking to the plan than I could ever be by stuffing myself like I have in the past.

And then there's Christmas.  Second verse, same as the first. As I celebrate the greatest gift ever given in the history of the world, I will honor Him by continuing to treat myself with loving care.

So my strategy for the holidays is to continue to practice everything I've learned this year. And because I was a heart attack waiting to happen, I am so very grateful that I have been afforded the opportunity to do so.

Stay the course this weekend, friends.  You'll feel exceedingly better for it!

Good night and God bless...