It CAN be done!

Losing weight in spite of the holidays, that is.

Last week I weighed 205 on Wednesday morning. I was horrified, thinking that it would only get worse by the end of the Thanksgiving feast.

This morning I weighed 202 pounds. That's three (3) pounds less than last Wednesday. Amazing!

HOW? Did I take diet pills, purge, or fast after Thursday? Not at all.

On Thursday we had the usual (for us) selection: turkey, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and rolls. We also had a sweet potato casserole, thanks to our dear friend Vickie. Dessert consisted of four types of pie (sadly no baked pineapple this year, owing to our daughter's absence over the holiday).

So to what do I attribute this strange phenomenon - the loss of three pounds over a feasting 4-day weekend?

Grazing.

Yes, my theory is that eating little bits throughout the day has been the key. There are so many diets that suggest 6 small meals rather than 3 full meals. Often, when reviewing a diet plan that is set forth in an article, I wonder how (why) there is so much in a meal. For instance: an egg, toast, a piece of fruit, a cup of tea, a glass of milk. That's more than one meal to me. So how about the egg and toast for breakfast with a cup of tea, and later having the fruit and milk?

Another thing that I did not obey was that "always sit down to eat" rule. On Friday, for instance, my lunch consisted of a spoonful of cold mashed potatoes, a spoonful of cold stuffing, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and a half a slice of cold turkey. But not all at once... I would open the fridge and take a nibble and put the container away. A little later I would do the same with another bowl. If I had actually taken a small plate and put some of each on it, and taken the time to heat it and then sat to eat it, I would have had a whole lot more. But I grabbed it in passing and kept going.

Which brings me to the other part of the theory: moving. I was cleaning and washing dishes and doing laundry and walking the dogs etc. Not sitting at my computer for hours on end.

To continue this losing trend (there's lots of those pounds yet to lose), I will pack my lunch and snacks, and will just nibble all through the day on whatever it is. A few bites of the banana chocolate chip muffin from time to time, A nibble of the broccoli casserole here and there, A few forks full of the stuffing. Later maybe a little of that slice of turkey. By the end of the day it will all be gone.

The toughest part of the day is dinner... then I will have to just eat smaller portions. People expect you to sit and eat the whole meal at once... weird, huh?

In centuries gone by, our ancestors at when they could find something. Likely they had some vegetation here and there, some meat when they caught it, and they got lots of exercise just looking for their food sources. Oh yes - and it was fresh, without excess preparation and additives.

So the bottom line is the same thing my doctor tells me every time I go: Eat less and move more. Eating less (to me) seems easier when I am home and nibbling than it does when I am trying to eat to accommodate a more "normal" schedule. So I will attempt to take my nibbling habits with me wherever I go.

I'll report as I travel on the road to weighing LOTS less! If you have experiences to share, please do - it's great to hear the stories of other travelers.