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I've been hesitant to post this, but know that for many of you (like me!) weight is such a struggle.
I hate it. Ugh. ugh. ugh. (ugh.)
So you can imagine how excited I was when yesterday I stepped on the scale after Thanksgiving (and Halloween, and my birthday. . . typically the official start of weight gain around here), and hadn't gained a pound.
Success!
Now, as y'all know, I'm no skinny minnie (nor will I ever be), but I am at a healthy weight for me (that still allows me to eat. I love that.)
A few months ago though I'd done the 21 day fix and lost 5 pounds that had crept up over the last year. (I'll most likely do it again in January and would love for y'all to join me, but so not ready to tackle that during the Holidays!) So, my main goal was just to maintain my weight through Christmas.
Since finishing the Fix I've been trying a few new strategies, and am so stinkin' excited that they've actually worked. Here's a peek at what I've been doing. (I'm so hoping they'll help you too!)
1. Drinking a ton of water & choosing to eat healthier foods.
‘nuf said.
2. Exercising daily.
I've always exercised, but have been really determined this year (thanks to my Fitbit!) to keep active even during the crazy Christmas season. I typically jog/walk in the mornings or use the elliptical at our local gym for about an hour each day during the week. (Yes, this means I get up between 4:45 and 5 AM every day which is not easy, but so worth it for me!)
3. Fasting intermittently.
Folks, I think this is the kicker. I've tried weekly fasting before (eating regularly 5 days a week but limiting myself to 500 calories twice a week), and while it worked, it was hard.
The last few weeks though I've found a different type of however ~ if you're healthy ~ I think the idea of intermittent fasting is genius. I don't do it every day, but 4 or 5 days a week I try to wait until 11AM to eat and then eat within an 8 hour window, and I really do think it's helped tremendously. Learn more about it HERE and HERE.
4. Checking the scale regularly.
For me holding myself accountable just helps, so I weigh myself every few days to make sure I'm still on track.
While exercising I've been listening to podcasts which have so helped motivate me, and this one has been one of my favorites. If I can keep track on my weight this Christmas season, I know you can too!
Have you tried intermittent fasting or other plans to help you stay on track during the Christmas season? I hadn't heard of it before and am loving the concept, so wanted to share it with you. I'd love to hear what's working for you ~ leave a comment to share!
Looking for more on my weight loss (ummmm, weight maintenance?) journey? Here you go:
I have been thinking of doing intermittent fasting myself. I don’t have trouble not eating for that many hours, I just have trouble not having a hot cup of sweet creamy coffee in the morning. Is that a problem for you? I would love to hear more details about how you make that work!
Hi Ashley! I don’t drink coffee normally, so that helps a ton!!! I do drink Diet Coke (I KNOW I should give it up), so I do let myself have a diet coke in the morning for my caffeine fix. I’m thinking you could have coffee without creamer or hot tea and probably still basically be sticking to the fast, but the creamers wouldn’t likely work!
Yay! I did it and I had my coffee too. After doing some research I found that I could use calorie free sweeteners (I used stevia) and that a splash of milk or cream wouldn’t hurt anything since it was only adding 10 or 15 calories. I cut off my eating around 7:00 last night and had breakfast at 8:30. I know that’s only 13 1/2 hours but I was hangry by then lol! I’m going to try to stop eating by 6:30 tonight and push it to 9 tomorrow morning. Thanks for your inspiration! You are a rockstar for doing 40,000 steps at age 40. I’m 33 and only average about 7,000 most days.