Fitness Friday, Holiday Edition

Look who's posting on Friday!! Wahoo! Of course it helps that I didn't have school today--got to sleep in, take it easy, and tend to the blog.

Thanksgiving went very well in the eating department--I had saved up Flex points and UB & I went to the gym yesterday morning to earn Activity Points. We'll see what the WW scale says tomorrow! (Usually I weigh in at our Thursday at-work meeting, but clearly we didn't have one this week. So I'll go to the Saturday meeting I attended over the summer.) We had lower-calorie appetizers and dinner was full of good choices. I made the green bean casserole, using the alternative onion topping recommended by Juliemom. It was really good! I also made a lower-cal pumpkin pie that clocked in at 3 WW Points/slice as opposed to the 8+ Points/slice for a regular recipe. Again, it really helps that my parents are on board with weight loss and we can work together to make Thanksgiving a holiday richly to enjoy, not indulgently to stuff our faces and gain extra pounds that we cart around all year. In fact, Papa Bossy was commenting about putting on all of his hunting gear and trotting around the woods for hours--as heavy as the many layers are, he used to cart around that much and more ALL THE TIME. And now we look back, smack ourselves in the forehead and say "What were we thinking?" We weren't--however it worked, the pleasure/comfort we received from eating was worth carting around all that extra bulk. Until, in my case, it no longer became worth it and I was motivated to change.

Which brings me to the subject of motivation. I don't know about any of you ladies, but as I've been losing, other overweight friends of mine have said things like "I need to get on the stick too--can I have some of your motivation?" To which I smile and say something like "Oh, you can do it--it's not easy but it's worth it!" But what I'm really thinking is "Sorry--can't help you there. My motivation won't work for you; you have to get your own." Maybe I should start saying it out loud; it just never seems to be the right place/circumstance to let that one loose. But it's true--I can encourage, I can give you tips, I can help hold you accountable, but I cannot create in you a desire to change your ways. Whatever it is that you are getting from food, you have to decide that it's not worth being fat for anymore. I had to reach that point myself; no one could tell me or motivate me or prompt me to want to change. Trust me--Papa Bossy tried when I was a teenager and it didn't work at all. UB's sister tried after she lost a ton of weight and got in shape herself. And while I listened and took in what she was saying, she couldn't motivate me either.

Side note here--I was friends with Sister Brainy (she's brilliant too) long before UB and I got together. If you had told me years ago that I would marry her brother, I'd have thought you were crazy. Of course he is just what I wanted and who I needed, and when we were both ready God brought our paths together. But that's another post...)

However, Sister Brainy was one of my "fit friends" that helped show me that there was another way to live. So hopefully I can do for others what SB did for me--show them that it is possible to change, encourage their efforts, and provide opportunities for them to take baby steps in a new direction. And in order to do that, I have to keep moving forward; I have to renew my motivation and prepare for the weeks ahead.

This month will be full of Christmas craziness, from church show performances to school concerts to family events to shopping to closing on our house, in addition to the normal demands of everyday life. It will be easy to lose sight of Who we are celebrating amidst the flurry of activity and it will be tempting to fall back on old, familiar habits. But Christ did not come so I would be bound by old habits, He did not save me so I could weigh myself down and become less effective. I have so much work left to do, so much left to learn. I cannot afford to take a month off, using the holidays as an excuse. I mean really--it's like we're telling God "I know overeating is a sin, but how can I celebrate the gift of your Son--who came to die for our sins so that we can be freed from the lusts of the flesh--without eating my way through December? I'll just start in January..." Um, last time I checked, chowing down on Christmas cookies and sucking down eggnog weren't one of the ordinances we were given to keep. Not that I don't plan on eating a single cookie or drinking a drop of eggnog (found a great recipe for a low-cal version). All things richly to enjoy AND let your moderation be known to all men. Is it easy to do, given the culture we live in? No. Is it possible, given the Holy Spirit who lives within? Yes.

So no holiday excuses, my Fitness Friday pals. I can't be your motivation, but I'll do my best to encourage and lead by example. I'll be here at FF over the next few weeks-I may post late but I promise to post. I hope you're here as well!