With the holidays upon us, schedules are jammed and routines are anything but normal! Maintaining control over eating and exercise habits is achievable with planning and determination. Choose to eat right and get your exercise in, follow through with a can do attitude and baby steps and you will make it to January 1st right where you want to end up.

Of course there's room for treats and splurges IF you get in your exericse and make great choices in between.

Mentally review the week ahead in food. Where are you going to be able to stay constant and healthy? What are the holes? How can you bypass them?

Mentally review the week ahead exercise wise. What days pose the greatest challenge? If your tough days were mine and I came to you for help, what advice would you give me? You see where this is going

Extra credit: Post your challenges and solutions so we can learn from one another.

Normally, I try to lead by example and post my challenges but I go in for surgery tomorrow so there will be no exercise this week. (Yipee!!!) I'm sure the recovery bowls of ice-cream won't hang around on my hips either as I'll be back on my bike as soon as humanly possible! No need to send well wishes, I feel them and I THANK you! Do your homework instead

This is going to be a busy time, but mostly at home. Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend in Marion, OH for lunch. Other than that, most meals will be home.

Winter seemed to really arrive today since it is blustery and about 20 degrees. Exercise will be a warming activity.

{{{KD}}} & {{{Cathy}}} Oh, KD...you WILL be exercising. It's called walking. The sooner you get up out of that hospital bed and walking the halls, the better you will be.


Dr. Linda

This week exercise: Took yesterday as a rest day (literally took a loooong nap), will mall walk every morning except maybe Wednesday this week.

This week food: Only major pothole will be our company Holiday Potluck on Wed. night. I have brown bag lunches and dinners at home planned the rest of the week. Will limit myself to a small plate of appetizers, one plate of food for dinner and a small amount of dessert and 2 glasses of wine at the party.

Peg

PS) Hugs to KD and Cathy both! You're in my thoughts!

KD: YOU take care of yourself, or better yet have someone take care of you. Speedy recovery.

*********

As for me and the coming week:

Monday, menu planned, pretty good. Chili, cornbread for dinner. Lunch will be soup.
Walking tape --- -4 degrees is keeping me inside today.

Tuesday, need to remember to get 2 vegetables in at dinner....I hope it's warmer so swimming won't play havoc with my sinus'

Wednesday, call about menu at Mexican place for lunch. Dinner will be soup and sandwiches. No snacking at post band concert party. Swimming I hope.

Thursday, scallops and linguine, salad and fresh vegtables. Exercise walking the mall with the group.

Friday - Tuesday.....family gone, I have to plan some meals for this...I am terrible when it is just me. Need to check out Single in the City thread. Exercise will be dogs and walking.

My stress level and worry levels are starting to climb. I have to find a way to deal with everything and not just give in to the hurt. I am journaling my way through this, as a memento for me....but docs say by my mom may be at the New Year's Eve Party in heaven. Hard to deal with when they give you a more definitive date.

I'm going to eat in as much as I can. I've got frozen single serving meals ready, I've hidden the cookies that I've made for guests, and have granola and lots of veggies on hand for snacks.

I have more than enough groceries to get me through the week, meals all planned out, and have been pretty good about trying to really take care of myself so that I don't hit exhausted (which of course means eating out).

I'm digging out my crockpot, made a large batch of rice cooker jambalaya last night, and bought extra salad stuff and prepped taco salads for last minute dinners. (All I have to do is warm up the meat, crush a few fritos on top, and eat.)

I have a dietician appointment on Friday, so that is enough incentive to not let things get out of hand, since I've asked her to NOT let me off the hook during the next few weeks. And, since she's an appointment every other week until mid-January, I REALLY don't have any excuses. (I think she's the best plan I have in my arsenal this year!)

Laura

I've basically gone back into weight loss mode during Dec. Saving up (every day!) for those parties and dinners!

Sun-Friday: Eat very clean...
Mon-Friday: Exercise

Friday: My family comes to town...
Dinner at Japanese Restaurant (easy to eat healthy there if the deep fat fryer is avoided…)

Sat Day: Memorial for my Aunt at an Italian Restaurant. Going with my mom (who is a GREAT health and weight loss support). It is 2-4pm so it is neither lunch or dinner so there is no reason to overeat - this is basically a snack oppurtunity before dinner. Oh and an oppurtunity to see my cousins who I see once every 10 years... One cousin sounded VERY clean and sober on the phone yesterday. She's got Hep C from so many years of drug use... and I think maybe she is being scared into better health. It even sounded like maybe she had quit smoking...

Sat Evening: “Xmas” dinner with my family. Ham. Sweet potatoes. Mashed potatoes. Green Beans. Need to remember that we do not need 28 different appetizers or desserts.

Sun Evening: Dinner at sil’s house. I’m bringing dessert… either KD’s NO-Pound pound cake or Lemon Angel Food Cake.

Plan next weekend is to eat my normal oatmeal and sandwich/fruit lunches and splurge Saturday dinner.

Plan after the weekend is to get RIGHT back on track and start saving up for Dec 24 & 25...

Have a Heathly and speed recovery!!

Heather

This should be a pretty hazard free week for me. The only meal that I won't be eating at home is a luncheon at a friend's on Thursday. Generally there are healthy options at her house.

My gym schedule is set for the week with the only change being moving my Saturday workout to Sunday as I'll be in Red Cross training all day Saturday. I'll have to remember to bring my water bottle to training and some healthy snacks as well. I also have to set a plan for a healthy lunch. There are many good options near the Red Cross so soup and a salad or a veggie sandwich should be easy to find.