Coming from a big tight-knit family, the holidays are always a time of gathering and celebration which means a lot of delicious home cooked meals and plenty of drinks while playing dominoes while listening to all of our Christmas time favorite songs. This is the time of year when all of our attempts at healthy eating go straight down the toilet (maybe literally.)
Starting at Thanksgiving and going all through to the new year and if you’re in Puerto Rico the celebrations often last until almost February when the “Octavitas” come to an end, it’s weeks of potential overindulgence. From “coquito” (puertorican eggnog but much much better) and pernil (pork roast), to handfuls of nuts and chips, along with fried finger foods (too many to mention all) and decadent dips, there’s a ho-ho-whole lot of fat and calories being ingested . Why would I ever start a diet a week before Thanksgiving? Self torture comes to mind. However, if I am to be serious about a true lifestyle change then I need to be OK with being in social situations and learn how to make good choices and learn moderation. After all, this is not a short term goal for me. I’ve tried pretty much every diet out there and it’s always about restricting your food intake and food choices and always feeling like you’re “missing” something. Inevitably, this feeling has led me to “fall of the bandwagon” and I end up binge eating which in turn makes me feel even worse than before.
A couple weeks before Thanksgiving, I went for a Fitness Consult with a nutritionist and personal trainer at a smaller Gym in my town which I had been researching for a while. I had tried bigger gyms in the past but I never felt comfortable going so it always ended up being a waste of money. After that first consult at this new gym I knew that this time it would be different. There were not hundreds of people training at the same time and the trainers were all very supportive and not “douchey” at all like at previous gyms which always made me feel extremely uncomfortable. The following week I started my new “healthier” lifestyle knowing full well that Thanksgiving was just around the corner and it would be the best time to test my new resolve and I was determined to have an amazing celebration, especially since my parents were going to be visiting from Puerto Rico.
Happy to report that our Thanksgiving dinner was amazing. I am fortunate to have amazing in-laws and the blended celebration was just perfect. I made the turkey and some puertorican traditional rice (Arroz con Gandundes) and my mother in law and sister in law made several sides and brought dessert (pecan pie and pumpkin pie).
Now, the big question is – did I over do it with the eating? The short answer is yes, but not to the extend I would normally do. I only had one plate of food, however I did manage to get a little bit of everything in my plate (wish I had taken a pic) and I did have a small slice of pecan pie for dessert. I was full at the end of dinner but not feeling stuffed as I normally would. I know it’s not going to be easy, but I was still proud of myself. I had smaller portions of every dish and hence did not feel deprived like I would’ve if I had just eaten some turkey and a salad. I had a few drinks as well (no beer though) so all in all it was a normal holiday for us.
It’s now been a little over a week since Thanksgiving day, my parents have returned home to Puerto Rico (unfortunately) and my partner and I have continued with our normal routine, which now includes me working out and being sore pretty much all the time. The soreness is getting better as I adjust to the new work out routines and I’ve dropped a little bit over 10 lbs overall since I started this journey. Could I have lost more weight if I hadn’t had that extra vodka tonic, or not eaten that slice of pie? Maybe, but I don’t care because I’m in this for the long haul and I’m going to enjoy myself every step of the way.
The true test will be this upcoming Christmas and New Year’s. We’re traveling to Puerto Rico for two weeks to spend the holidays with my family and friends and I know it will be even harder for me to make the best decisions when it comes to food while over there and not being able to work out as I’m getting use to now will make things even worse.
I can’t wait till then 
To be continued …