It's That Time of Year . . .

Happy Sunday - and Happy November! I can hardly believe I just typed "November" . . . this year is quickly slipping away.

It's been really windy here the last couple of days, so many of the trees are suddenly bare. This time of year always feels tentative to me. It doesn't look or feel much like autumn anymore, but it's not yet winter. The weather is damp and chilly and we start to deal with a lot of cloud cover due to our proximity to Lake Michigan. Frankly, this time of year is pretty depressing for a lot of people, and I used to be right at the top of that list. I still don't like cold weather and I still struggle when I don't see the sun for days on end (always makes me wonder why on earth I choose to live in Michigan!), and I find that I have to choose my attitude every morning.

Before losing weight, this time of year would have me reaching for all of my favorite comfort foods, and I had a pretty long list! Pretty much anything that was full of sugar and carbs went on that list. The holidays only added to the mix, but I was usually into full carb-loading mode before I ever bought my turkey. I used to joke that I'd make a great grizzly bear because all I wanted to do this time of year was put on a nice layer of fat and sleep until spring :-).

Now that I'm in maintenance, it would be easy to slip back into that pattern. Knowing that I CAN have whatever I want to eat, as long as I eat it on occasion and in moderation, could easily become a trap for me. The reality is that I know full well that I can't eat sugar-laden, carb and fat-laden food in moderation - my brain absolutely disengages when I start in on that stuff!

So what am I doing instead to cope with this dreary (weather-wise) time of year? I'm doing some very practical things, including taking extra Vitamin D and getting in regular exercise. The exercise really makes a difference in my mood and my energy level, and after I've exercised I no longer feel like eating sludge. I am also logging all of my food - if it goes into my mouth, it goes into my food log. (I am now logging my food on my bodybugg's website.) It's one thing for me to eat sludge, but I am loath to log that I've eaten it, and that fact alone helps keep me on the straight and narrow :-). I am also continuing to drink lots and lots of water, even when I'm cold and would rather suck down gallons of hot coffee, because I know that I need to keep properly hydrated.

Putting these things into place helps to keep me focused on moving forward and keeps me from sinking into a place that I don't want to go. This is not to say that I do all of this perfectly, because I don't - when I talk about not being able to eat sugar-fat-carb-laden food in moderation, I speak from experience! However, I want to keep moving forward, so keep making the choices I need to make, whether I feel like it or not. When I've made less than stellar food choices, I make sure that my next meal is a Medifast meal. This works to "reset" my brain, so that that "less than stellar" choice ends up being the exception, not the rule, because I immediately return to my healthy eating plan.

For me, it all gets back - again - to those primary and secondary choices. My primary choice is clearly continuing to stay at a healthy weight and moving forward towards optimal health, so I make lots of secondary choices that aren't necessarily fun (exercise and drinking lots of water in cold weather) because they support my primary choice.

Whether it's warm or chilly where you are today, and whether the sun is shining brightly or you're starting to forget what the sun looks like :-), I hope you're choosing to make the choices that will get you where you want to go.

Have a blessed Sunday!