Black Friday

“Black Friday” is one of my favorite days of the year and it has nothing to do with all the money saving deals you can get waiting in line at 5:00am.  In my house the Friday after Thanksgiving marks the return of the magical Ernie the elf.  Our “Elf on the Shelf” has become our seasonal friend who keeps my three “Angels” in line.  This time of year they need to think twice before fighting with their sisters, pouting, or destroying their rooms.  I still believe Ernie was responsible for potty training my middle daughter when she was two and a half.  It’s amazing how kids will behave when they know that everything they do is reported directly to the big guy, Santa!  There is too much to risk by misbehaving and who knows if you’ll get a second chance?

When it comes to weight loss, it would be nice if we had an “Elf on the Kitchen Shelf”.  Someone to report all the inappropriate food choices we make.  Someone to hold us accountable for the extra calories we put in our mouths.  It is easy to find extra calories lying around this time of year.  Nothing better than chocolate chip cookies!

It’s easy to justify our choices during the holiday season.  “It’s the holidays.”  “I had to taste the cookies to make sure they were ok to serve.”  “I’ll get back on track tomorrow.”  “New Years is coming and I’ll get back on track then.”  It’s easy to think we can fix our mistakes later.  “It’s ok if I gain a few pounds now because I know how to lose them.” What if it wasn’t that easy?  What if, like my kids with Santa, there were no second chances?

Many people fall into this pattern of thought.  Always planning to fix their mistakes at a later date.  The problem that I often see is that “later” never comes.  Tomorrow becomes the next day, the next day becomes next week, next week becomes next month, next month becomes our New Years Resolution.  We all know what happens to resolutions.

As I mentioned before you need to create a plan and then stick to it!  In this “plan” you need to account for holidays.  I am a firm believer that there is no food that you can’t have!  That doesn’t mean you can have as much as you want whenever you want it.  You need to account for those “cheats” you have.  You can’t pretend you didn’t eat those extra calories just because nobody else saw you eat them.  Instead imagine Ernie the elf saw you eat them and will be telling weight loss gods to store the unaccounted for calories on your hips or waist. 

Every calorie you eat needs to be accounted for.  Weight loss always comes down to calories in vs. calories out.  For a program to be effective you need to be totally accountable.  Be accountable to yourself.  Create a food log with concrete goals.  A food journal is a great tool but without concrete goals it is not very useful.  Writing down the same mistakes day after day, week after week will get you nowhere.

Here are some ideas when it comes to journaling:

1.      Make a plan that includes clear goals.  (how many calories you need to eat, how much fat, protein, and carbs, exercise, etc…)

2.      Make the effort to follow your plan. (plan meals and your day out ahead of time)

3.      Log your food intake and exercise routines.

4.      “Grade” yourself.  Does you journal match your plan?

5.      If it doesn’t….fix it!

6.      If you are consistently missing your goals figure out why.  Fix those behaviors!

7.      Don’t be afraid to let others know of your intentions.  Don’t hide the fact that you are trying to create a healthier lifestyle.  It’s easier to stay on track when you have the support of others!

This is a wonderful time of year!  It’s my favorite time of year!  ENJOY IT!  That doesn’t mean you just throw your weight loss plans out the window.  You may need to make some adjustments to your plan.