Twas the day before Christmas...

And all trough the office, not a manager was stirring, not even an admin...

yeah, ok, not quite the case here, but close. I think about 10% of the population is actually working today, and I'm one of them... even one of my favorite places to have lunch is closed today, darn it... and I was going to treat my honey, too. But we went somewhere else, and while it wasn't the nummy pizza I'd wanted, we got to drown our sorrows with fallafel & hummus. Garlic is good, no matter what form. :)

So I was having a convo with a co-worker who was in the whole "I have to do *something* becuase I've gained too much weight so I joined Weight Watchers this weekend"

I just sat there quietly thinking 'hmmm..I've dumped 2# this holiday season, and I didn't have to pay anything. I owe it all to my Firecracker sisters.'

What's really interesting is that I got about 5 gifts of chocolate this year, and I haven't opened one of them - they're all being re-gifted for our white elephant exchange tomorrow.

One thing that has really helped me is really *thinking* about the various holiday treats that are all around. I have to stop myself and think "can I have this any time of the year or is it truly a holiday 'treat'?" if it's the former, I can pass. If it's the latter, I allow myself to have some. I also always have people asking me how I can have chocolate out on my desk all the time without eating it. Well, it's like over-exposure. You just don't notice it anymore. Once in a while, yes, I *have* to have something chocolatey and nummy, but not all the time.

For tonight's party and tomorrow's brunch we're going to, I have to keep in check my 2 big issues: 1) if I just randomly snack, I WILL eat too much and feel miserable. And 2) if there's a seemingly unending supply of alcohol/someone else is filling my glass & I don't pay attention, I WILL drink too much.

To avoid those traps,1) I have to make sure I have a plate of food and sit somewhere to eat it. There's something psychological about eating off a plate that makes my brain connect that it's actually having food. If I just grab something - the straight hand to mouth action - there's a disconnect that I've eaten something. But if my brain *sees* that I have a plate with a certain portion of food, it's ok. 2) I have make up my mind that I'm only going to have a certain amount of wine/beer/drinks ahead of time and be sure that *I* am the only one filling my glass. It's easy when going out for drinks that I'm buying - If I limit my drinks, I don't spend a lot of money.

These 2 traps are things I have to pay attention to throughout the year - whether it's parties at friends, or just out and about... they're things that have caused me problems along the way.

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