Is It Possible??

Of course, anything is possible!!  But will I keep to my plan and make it through the holidays?  I'm gonna be honest...the holidays scare the living daylights out of me when it comes to food.  I have done REALLY well over the past few months, but put crazy amounts of food and huge amounts of crazy family in front of me and it's a whole new ballgame.  I get back into all my old "stuff", which normally includes stuffing exorbitant quantities of food in my face and then regretting it and feeling like a big pile of doo for days. 

Can I, or better yet, WILL I choose to make this holiday season different?  That's my plan.  My goal is to have lost 2 pounds by January 1.  I'm not going to completely restrict myself at family functions, but I'm also not going to load up a 5 pound bucket of food either.  I'm going to choose to eat foods that I really want, but only on days of the actual family get together.  In years past, holidays were like weekends...any day that was next to a holiday, or any day that ran from Thanksgiving to New Years Day was considered a holiday.  Any food that was put in front of me was fair game, and you better not get in my way or you might lose a hand.  Sound familiar? 

So hear are some things that I'm going to do this year to stick to a plan and not pack on unwanted (and unneeded) extra pounds:
1.  Only choose to indulge at the actual family get together (and by indulge I mean eat a small serving of something, not belly up to the buffet with a fork and have a free-for-all.)

2.  Eat smaller portions.  My Dad's side of the family is not known for portion control, or any type of control for that matter, so one way I can do that is to use a smaller plate and take one piece or scoop of an item, not 4 pieces or a dump truck load.

3. Don't stand next to the food.  One of the worst habits I have is placing myself right next to all of the food, because what would happen if it was gone before I got some of it???  I can't miss out on anything!!  Which is one of the reasons I got up to 190 pounds!!  Step away from the food...there will be plenty for everyone.

4. Choose one meal to indulge, not the whole day.  I don't spend the entire day at my family's house, so while I'm at home I can choose to eat my normal foods and indulge only at the function.  Just because it's a holiday does not mean that I have to make bad choices all day!

5. Make healthy options to take with me.  If I am asked to bring an item to a gathering, I can make a healthy option that I like.  That way I will know there will be something healthy to eat and that I will like it...and other people can benefit from it too!  Not every single dish needs to be loaded with fat and calories in order to be good!  (Thanks Healthy Edge Video #2 for that tip!) 

What healthy choices can you make this holiday season to keep away those unhealthy holiday habits??