Craving Healthy After Christmas Indulgence

I received a few unwanted Christmas presents this holiday season: four extra pounds, uncomfortable rides in the car and too many stomachaches to count.

I can't pretend that I was completely caught off guard when I stepped on the scale the Monday morning after Christmas. I knew what I had done: I ate what I wanted when I wanted and knew there would be a price to pay for my actions.

While we did do a good job of bringing carrots and apples in the car for snacks on the drive to Michigan, the ride home was full of very tasty, yet not entirely healthy, goodies that we were very thankful to receive from family members. Also, there were very limited options that were easy to eat while driving available at the service stations along the turnpikes.

Once we were with family members, it was absolutely wonderful; however, I didn't do a good job of finding ways to exercise. Because of driving overnight and having to get up really early to do more traveling, it wasn't feasible to get up early and exercise. Also, it was extremely cold, and I was able to tolerate being outside for only a few minutes. I did get to play with my niece and nephews, as well as take the dog for walks. Unfortunately, I didn't get my heart rate up, and I know I didn't burn a whole lot of calories.

I received quite a bit of punishment for all of the cookies, candy, chips and dips -- not only in the form of extra pounds but also in a few very painful stomachaches. Though I have slipped up from time to time along this journey, I haven't had so many concentrated days of heavy meals and sweet temptations. Another way I noticed my weight gain was in the way my clothes fit. My pants felt snug in ways they felt loose just a few short days ago. During the ride home, I told my husband that I was literally craving carrots, oranges, green tea and other healthy foods.

The shock of the extra four pounds and seeing my profile in the bathroom mirror put me right back into health mode. I have already restarted my work out plan. Within 15 minutes of seeing those scary numbers on the scale, I wrote out our meals for the week and went to the grocery store so that we could jump right back into weight loss mode.

As my husband's family lives in Michigan and mine here in Virginia, we have another round of Christmas festivities with my family this weekend. Believe me, I've learned my lessons. I am actually making dinner for my family -- including my very first turkey! We will have many traditional holiday-type foods; however, I will make healthy versions of various side dishes and be sure to use low-fat and low-calorie items in the recipes.

I am extremely thankful we had a safe trip where we got to see family members we don't see on a regular basis and that we had the good fortune to have delicious food. I am also thankful that I have the ability to correct my behaviors and continue to work toward my weight and fitness goals.