My present to ME this year!

So many of us are doing a LOT of running around these last few weeks before Christmas...making sure we have gifts for everyone on our list, sending holiday cards if you still do that (I do....traditions die hard, and I LIKE to visually SEE the cards from everyone; I tape them up where I can see them), cleaning the house (ugh), baking if you still do that (I don't), looking for bargains, attending holiday concerts for the kids, .... the list goes on and on.

STRESS can build up pretty quickly, and you're left feeling like, 'What about ME? Who takes care of ME this year?'

Well, the answer is obvious, right? YOU take care of you. YOU have to make sure you're getting enough sleep, and enough exercise, and eating right and de-stressing wherever and whenever possible.

I also like to 'sneak in' a few small items for myself during my Christmas shopping....for example I went to Walmart for the cats' Xmas (yep, in our house the cats get gifts, too! LOL)....and in between buying the cat toys, I found a couple cute t shirts on sale for $2.99 each. And I ask you, where can you find a tee shirt for $3.? OK OK, so they are kinda junky and will shrink the first time I wash them; they're fine for something new to wear to the gym. I bought one that says "Jersey Girl - Sarcasm included" and another all black one with just an outline of a cat. They're fun and they brighten my day!

But obviously Christmas isn't about just physically giving "things" to loved ones....it's about sharing and being together and loving each other and celebrating a very holy day....but it's FUN to celebrate, to buy the people we love 'just the right' gift...and see their eyes light up when they open it.

Well, I was thinking this morning about MY present to MYSELF this year.

And I decided that my present is going to be....staying OP!

I know that sounds hokey. It sounds trite and canned and .. well, like a Dr. A robot, right? But I really believe it.

Staying on the 5/1 will guarantee that I'll lose 'some' weight. I don't know how much, of course....weight loss IS unpredictable from week to week....but I know the scale won't go UP, right?

Plus I know that I'll FEEL better, emotionally. I won't be hating myself for whatever I ate last night. I won't be wondering if I went on an all-MF shake day or something I could take that weight back off 'real quick' (Oh, the games we play with ourselves, right?)

Most of all, I won't be fixating on what I CAN'T have.....thinking about my willpower (or lack thereof)....trying to get committed again....being confused and upset and wondering if maybe I should just CHUCK IT ALL and wait until January 2 to start over.

Right? Been there?

Oh yeah....sure you have! You'd have to be made of STONE not to feel just a 'little' deprived when those Christmas goodies come out at work....and you're trying to escape, somehow, make your excuses and LEAVE the area LOL. Or sitting there with your cup of herb tea while hubby and the kids are chowing down on the latest Christmas treat.

So what do you do?

Well, the way I'm looking at it is, I'm giving myself the best GIFT OF ALL this year by staying OP! Because I'm giving myself the gift of a slimmer, healthier body AND a better outlook emotionally. No binges means no emotional fallout. Saying 'NO' to that first bite means I don't have to fight with myself over the next 7-8, 10, 20 (LOL) bites.

And ignoring the Christmas goodies means....I KNOW what's important about this holiday, and it's NOT about eating. It's about love....love for my family and friends, and SELF LOVE, too!

And self love means taking CARE of my body.

So here's my plan.....I'm going to stay OP and I'm going to indulge my senses and my tastebuds at the same time!
We CAN do that, you know....here are some ideas:

- Make gingersnaps out of the gingerbread (just add 3 TBLs cold water, mix well, and pour into cookie shapes on a PAM-sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350. WATCH CAREFULLY, they are thin and may burn if you're not careful).
or just eat the gingerbread 'as is'....maybe with a laughing cow cream cheese (counts as a healthy fat).
- Have MF hot cocoa with a few drops of peppermint extract. Better yet, make a peanut butter cup out of it....use PB2 (powdered peanut butter available from Netrition.com and even in grocery stores now...it's REAL peanuts, they just sucked the fat out).
- Have a choc mint fudge 'sundae' (choc mint soft serve with Walden Farms chocolate syrup)
- Have a peanut butter and jelly/jam 'sundae' (I just discovered this yesterday! Make a peanut butter soft serve, and add Walden Farms strawberry syrup over top. Mmmmm....reminds me of peanut butter and jam, my favorite from childhood!)
- Make a choc chip soft bake and eat it slowly, cutting it into tiny bites with a knife and fork
- Make potato pancakes out of the mashed potatoes...! Serve with a bit of reduced fat sour cream (healthy fat)
- Have a cup of "Candycane Lane" OR "Sugar cookie Sleighride" herb tea -- both by Celestial seasonings and they are WONDERFUL!
- Have your brownie topped with 2 TBL PB2 OR a laughing cow, OR dip into WF chocolate syrup
- Make oatmeal cookies out of the oatmeal! Really!

If you need any of these recipes, just send me an email, by the way....

There's all kinds of wonderful things you can do. One girl I know even makes 'bagels' (mini bagels with a Babycakes donut maker) out of two MF meals...I think it's regular pancakes and the tomato basil soup! Really! (I'm waiting for the recipe....if anyone has it please send it via email, the Babycakes donut maker is on my wish list and I'm pretty sure DH ordered it LOL).

You CAN have the same basic 'tastes' you crave....chocolate, mint, peanut butter, etc.....and STILL say OP. It's just a matter of experimenting a bit, trying new recipes, and remembering THIS YOU ARE DOING FOR YOU!

My Christmas present to ME is staying OP. That way I won't suffer the awful recriminations, guilt, and berating myself come January. And believe me, I know from experience, I won't be missing much. It's just a momentary TASTE in my mouth, that's all. And is it WORTH it? Is it worth all the games we play, just for a few seconds of eating something you KNOW is going to backfire on you?

I don't think so. I'd rather stay OP and feel WONDERFUL about myself. Inside and out. So...I'm not perfect. Who cares? I'm doing the BEST I CAN with what I have.

This Christmas, think hard about YOUR Christmas present to YOU. And maybe 'rethink' that decision to 'chuck it all' because it's 'too hard'.

It's only too hard if you LET it be too hard. If you get committed, if you're determined to see this thing through .....then it won't be hard at all, because every meal you stay OP is a step in the right direction. And your smile....just like mine!....will be getting bigger and bigger as we approach Christmas day.....because you KNOW you're giving YOURSELF the best gift of all, the gift of physical- and emotional! - HEALTH!

Keep on keepin' on!