Here comes Santa Claus... and a whole lotta crap food

Jen

I'm getting my period.  Yeah, yeah, TMI.  I know.  But couple PMS cravings (which happen to the best of us... popcorn, anyone?) with the Christmas holidays, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

So... much... food...

I've never been good at doing things on the fly.  Especially eating - if I don't have a plan of action, I will always always always pick and munch and eat way too much of all the wrong stuff.

I really like to eat. Did I mention that?

Anyway, I asked Trainer Jamie about how to go about this coming week.  We have friends over on Saturday. I have a girls' dinner Sunday.  My dad and brother and family come over Christmas Eve for the usual tortellini, and then there is Christmas itself, which is always full of bacon and eggs, toast, and then Christmas Dinner.

"So what should I do?" I asked, figuring this week would just be a write-off and we'd start again on Boxing Day.

"What do you mean, what do you do?" Trainer Jamie asked, looking at me like I Just Didn't Get It.

"Well there are all these things happening," I said, "Should I just-"

"What do you usually do every week?" Jamie asked slowly, cocking his head at me, an amused expression on his face.  I could see where he was going with this.  I was hoping I wouldn't have to punch him.

"Well... I eat clean all week and have one cheat meal."

"Ok," he said, as if the matter was settled.

I wound up to punch him and realized he's about 100lbs bigger than I am, with three black belts.  I revised.  I whined a little,

"But baaaaabe..."

A stern look came over him.  "Jenny,"  He said, "you just have to change your perspective.  Christmas doesn't have to be made memorable by stuffing your face and feeling over-full and like a failure.  You can still hang out with people and eat what you're supposed to.  It's in your head."

I hate it when he's right.

So here is my plan:  Saturday with friends is easy - I eat clean.  Sunday will be a cheat meal (hopefully pizza!) with the girls.  Christmas Eve, the tortellini night, I will make salad like I would anyway and skip the pasta in favor of tuna (with goat cheese, yum!).  And Christmas day I will just measure my turkey and skip the stuffing.  It's really no big deal.

I say that now, but of course I will be tempted.  Picking is a huge hurdle of mine, so I will have to plan and make sure there are lots of veggies to snack on instead of cheese and crackers.

I can do this.  Bring it on, Santa!