I have been thinking long and hard about christmas since my last weigh in of the year on tuesday where I had a very lucky stay the same. I was very worried i would be up and the thought was making me have butterflies in my tummy. I did not want to face christmas on a gain.
After talking to a number of people about their own christmas plans, some wanting to sts and some wanting to loose over christmas I decided to make my own.
I decided to write down what christmas means to me in order of priority and that would help me decide on the weight watchers result I would be content with.
Christmas to me is first and foremost about family, its no easy task getting my family all together during the year but at christmas we all know we will be together. We all love christmas and my mam and dad work very hard to make it special for us. even though we are all adults now, we are all shipped off to bed at midnight so the presents can be ''delivered'' under the tree. We all must wake up together and nobody is allowed down the stairs until we are all going.
Secondly christmas is about presents, this mind sound shallow and materialistic to some, but for me its more about the tradition we have as a family. After descending the stairs together in giddy excitement we gather in the living room and sit under the tree. The funny thing is we are all still like little children. we each have our own space under the tree, the same every year. me on the right, my sister in the middle and my brother on the left (we will squeeze his wife in there somewhere this year!) we each take turns opening a present, taking the time to pay attention and thank each other for the gifts. we love the little things like socks & PJs, oh christmas wouldn't be the same without the new PJs!
Thirdly then comes food. Like in most irish households, there will be an abundance of food in the Murphy household. After presents we have a grilled breakfast. fry ups were never fried in my house, they were always grilled so at least I know it wont be too bad! we are usually stuffed then until dinner time but might have a nibble on some chocolate. Its after dinner that i usually ask for the tin of roses and seeing how my mother forgot them last year i'm sure she has more than made up for it this year!
Alcohol plays a part too, my sister introduced me to Baileys with a shot of brandy in it a couple of years ago and its been a traditional drink at christmas for me since then. I have to have ginger ale on christmas! I have drank it with my christmas dinner since I was a little girl. That usually means that I dont drink very much alcohol through out the day.
I am so very much looking forward to christmas this year, its definitely my favourite time of the year. I dont want to come back to cork after christmas feeling like I didn't properly enjoy myself or have my traditional christmas, so I have decided that If i am up after christmas I will be ok with that so long as its not any more than 2 lbs! Ideally I would love a stay the same and of course we all want to loose. I'm half a lb over my goal so even loosing that half would be super, there is a big gap between christmas and the next weigh in so if I allow myself christmas even christmas day and St. Stephens day off weight watchers I can rain it in and hopefully see a loss at the first weigh in in January.
But like I said I love Christmas and I am going to enjoy it and if that means facing a gain then so be it. I will have that gain gone in no time. Make a plan that suits you and you feel comfortable with. Nobody can tell you what is right or wrong. Enjoy your christmas and be happy with how it went afterwards.
Merry christmas sarah x
