BEAT THE HOLIDAY BULGE
Side Note: This post contains pictures of us burning our Christmas tree. It is a tradition at our home and has nothing to do with the current “flesh-belt” I am wearing. I just thought you may want to see our tree go up in flames. 🙂
I got on a scale.
I thought the scale was broken or needed fresh batteries or was having some other sort of malfunction.
In order to detect if my scale was indeed flawed I asked 2 of my nearest family members to jump on it and tell me if they thought it was weighting 5 pounds on the miserable side….
I asked DH to get on the scale and tell me if he thought it was accurate. He did. He said it looked right to him.
I asked my daughter to get on the scale.
She did. And said it was right.
The scale is not defective.
I seem to have an extra 5 pounds gathering in terrible places that are causing the problem.
So, I am juicing like a freak. I do this when my pants are tight.
Because I like to write – I figured I’d tell you all about my daily battle with 5 pounds and what I’m doing to remedy the situation.
#1 How Did This Happen?
As some of you may know, we were given a trip down south for Christmas. DH’s family lives near Orlando, FL and his parents flew us down for a visit. The trip was wonderful. Christmas was great. It was sunny and warm and delightful.
One of the perks of this trip was I didn’t cook for a solid week. It was a great break from the kitchen and a chance to relax and catch up with family. My father-in-law actually had a chef prepare all the meals for the week so no one would need to cook.
This was such a blessing. It was also a great way to gain a few pounds. Although this un-named chef knew how to make food taste good, I don’t think he gave much thought to nutrition or food composition.
I said what any loving gal would say when presented with a week of free meals that someone lovingly prepared,
“Thanks!”
And I ate.
#2 Couldn’t You Tell You Were Gaining Weight?
Apparently, most of the world can tell if they’ve gained weight by the way their clothes fit or their reflection in the mirror. For some reason – these 2 things don’t work for me.
I am 5 feet 7 inches tall (almost) and when I gain weight it gathers in odd locations (like my armpits). I can gain over 10 pounds and all my clothes still fit (mostly). It’s great and it’s also terrible.
Because of my height and the weird places I accumulate weight I have a hard time seeing it.
The scale is my friend.
#3 You don’t Need to Lose Any Weight.
Many folks I know would tell me I’m not fat. They’d tell me I’m being silly. They’d tell me I don’t need to lose any weight.
Maybe they are right.
Here’s the way I see it…. If I don’t do something about this 5 pounds it could easily turn into 10.
My mom told me once that she gained 2 pounds a year after she turned 45. I told her that was nothing and she looked great. She said that gaining 2 pounds a year may not sound like much, BUT if you gain 2 pounds a year from age 45 to age 65 that’s 40 pounds. And that’s a lot of weight.
I think it’s easier to keep track of these things so you don’t wake up 10 or 20 pounds overweight one day. When I see an extra pound or two, I get rid of them as quickly as possible.
#4 It’s just Water.
I know. The whole “water weight” philosophy.
Some folks say the extra 5 I’m donning right now is just water weight. I guess there may be some truth to that, but I don’t want any water weight to turn into real weight – so it needs to go. The longer those “holiday pounds” hang around the more likely they are to turn into “real” pounds.
There are also folks in the camp who claim I am just dropping pounds of water not real pounds. They say that I’m not any slimmer – just “dryer.”
Maybe there’s some truth to that as well, but my pants fit much better when I am dryer.
#5 It’s Gonna Come Back.
I think it’s much easier to keep extra pounds off than it is to lose them. I’d rather kick-start an eating plan with a quick, week-long clean-up and go from there.
I hope to be 5 pounds slimmer in the next 10 days and return to my usual Farm Fresh Eating lifestyle to keep it off.
Could I just switch to real food and return to my normal weight – Yes. Absolutely. But it would take several weeks. I’d rather drop the weight like a hot potato and then eat what is “normal” for me and move on.
#6 The Plan.
I am eating clean food only. Mostly juice.
Breakfast: Coffee (lots of it)
Morning Snack: Green Juice
Lunch: More Juice & some fresh fruit or veggies
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Lots of juice
Late-Afternoon Snack: More juice
Dinner: Paleo style: meat & lots of veggies
I will be juicing 6-8 times a day to stay satisfied & energized. I’m weighing myself every day. My plan is keep following pushing on until the 5 pounds are gone.
I’m not sure how long it will take – but I’ll keep you posted!
XO,
Cj
