November 24, 2021
Hello WW Philadelphia Members,
Here’s something I know about surviving the “eating season.” Deprivation does NOT work.
My first holiday season while losing weight was during my not-so-great Weight Watchers experience.
I set myself up for failure at every turn: My goal weight was way too low. I was in a hurry to get done and get away from WW as fast as possible. Eating the same things every week worked and after all, this was a temporary situation and I’d soon be done with it all and be able to eat “normal” again.
So, if that meant eating a little turkey with some plain vegetables, I really thought I can live through this one time.
The problem with that premise, I felt so deprived. There are so many foods that my family only serves once or twice a year that truly mean holiday to us. And what I have found out about deprivation over the years is it leads me to overeat because I’m not satisfied. It is so important to be satisfied with the foods we eat.
One thing I look forward to is gravy. I make gravy that is so good it could be served as a beverage. When darling husband and I were first together he stated loudly his distaste for gravy. Now we’re talking about a naturally healthy weight guy who I have always said is cheaper to clothe than feed. He eats EVERYTHING but didn’t like gravy, that’s weird. I’m thinking in my head, this man has never had good gravy. So, the first time I made gravy for him I called it sauce. He still dislikes gravy, but he loves sauce.
Lesson learned for me, eat the foods that mean holiday. The stuffing (dressing), gravy, special potatoes, a little pie, latkes, or whatever your “thing” is.
With 38 days left until the New Year, what if we all ate reasonable portions and tracked every bite on 32 of those days? I bet it would be your most successful “eating season.”
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukah!
