Planning for Christmas

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If you've read any of my blogs you'll know I am very keen on planning and measuring! So at the start of December, with Christmas now in sight, I've been thinking about my weight over Christmas and beyond. Today I am at 83.5kg, and a month from today I want to be the same (and ideally a bit less) - easy to say!

What makes my target tricky?

1. For the last three months the trend of my weight has been upwards. Not much, but my weight is now hovering about a kilo higher than it was in September. I've got to stop that upward trend, otherwise at Christmas 2016 I might be a stone heavier than my lowest, and I would be officially overweight. AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
2. Christmas is traditionally a time for a bit of indulgence, and the generally nasty weather seems to make indulgence even more tempting.

But, on the other hand, what makes my target not too difficult?

1. I blogged recently that I spend a lot of nights away from home, and I end up eating in places not known for low-calorie meals. But, as it happens, I now have a run of 17 days at home, so I will be in my usual eating routine.
2. We are spending Christmas itself with my sister-in-law and her partner. They are not big eaters, or drinkers, and they do not do Christmas traditions (such as Christmas pud!).
3. Over new year we will be away in a self-catering cottage. We might eat out once or twice, but basically it will be my own cooking. And there will be a lot of walking in the country.

So the plan is I use the next couple of weeks to lose a bit, using roughly the eating habits that I used to lose my ten stones. That will give me some headroom for whatever might happen over Christmas and new year. And, with any luck, I will get on the scales in the new year, and find I am lighter than I am today.

This probably all seems super-careful. But if I have learned anything in my eight months of maintenance, it's that if I lose focus on my weight, the scales start to give me bad news almost immediately. For me, constant vigilance is required!