This is Thanksgiving week and I definitely have some anxiety. This whole holiday now revolves around overeating to the point where you are stuffed. This is not my goal and doesn’t help me.
My challenge for Thanksgiving day was my eating strategy as not to dramatically overdo it. I was ok if I was over my net calories by a bit, but not 1000+ calories over. I decided to eat conservatively for breakfast and lunch. Then, at dinner I made sure that half of my plate is taken up with vegetable dishes. Then, a little turkey and 1 tablespoon or less of each of the starches and other sides. Plus, I slowly drank 2 glasses of wine. I went back for a small amount of seconds, most veggies. And I had a very small piece of pumpkin pie, enough to enjoy but not have a calorie bomb. In the end, I actually wish I had eaten more and I didn’t go over my calorie target at all.
I didn’t starve myself and don’t feel bad at all about stopping myself from going hog wild. Food is fuel as a primary goal and enjoyment is a good byproduct. But, I am not going to allow myself to use a ton of food as entertainment. The company and togetherness is the goal and enjoying the moment is the best part. Allowing myself a 100% unconstrained eating experience does not move me toward my goal, it is a counter-productive distraction from the goal.
In addition to my Thanksgiving eating strategy, I did a pretty good workout at the gym the afternoon before Thanksgiving. Then, on Thanksgiving day I took a nice long walk in the afternoon before going to dinner and most of Friday was high-activity starting at the gym and then hiking with Liz.
As a result of my commitment to conservative eating and ensuring adequate exercise, I actually lost weight on Thanksgiving. How many people can say that?! Unfortunately, after that point, my weight has climbed for 3 straight days.
Some other interesting things that I learned this week… My alcohol tolerance has significantly decreased and the threshold for what causes a hangover is way lower. Even though my water intake is way high and I drink less, it has become very easy to feel hungover in the morning. Also, I am starting to see some tone start developing in my muscles, so that is very positive. But, I have also started developing some loose skin that I hope gets reabsorbed over time.
Finally, I am starting to understand what people mean when then get into “the zone” in the gym. I have hit points where I am so focused on the treadmill that I lose track of time. So, I am hoping that continues and my progress does too.
Last week’s stats:
Distance walked/run: 31.7 miles
Total calories burnt: 27,240
Total calories consumed: 13,961
Weight change: 1.6 pounds lost
