Holiday check-in - how are folks doing???

Just a quick check on folks are handling the holidays so far.  It tends to be a time of lots of food challenges, as well as emotional challenges for many folks.  Remember your OH buds are here for you if you need some support and love - we've got your backs!!! {{{{{Hugs}}}}} to all -  Kellie

Hey Kellie -  This is a crazy month for us!  Not only do we have Christmas but 13 birthdays! I've learned years ago to be prepared. I start shopping early, but it's the eating out for everyone's birthday that gets hard, this year someone has always been willing to share so that helps a bunch.. 4 of the birthdays are major - My brother, My Mom, my husband and my Grandson! I don't have food challenges really. I love to cook and bake and I have learned to adapt everything for the diabetics in the family,  it makes it so much better for me too! Happy holidays to everyone!

Wow, 13 birthdays plus Christmas?  You must be tired of shopping and wrapping!!!!  You're smart to start shopping early so it's manageable. 

You're lucky not to have food challenges.  I love to cook and bake, and I still use lots of my old recipes with regular sugar and butter.  I do eat some sugar, but I dump if I eat too much so I have to be careful.  One of my holiday food challenges is the grazing - there's lots of food around my office, plus lunches and dinners out with co-workers, family and friends.  I generally make healthy choices, but it's hard to be tempted so often.  So far I'm managing to hold my own - my goal for December was simply to maintain my weight, and I've been able to do that.  Hopefully I can continue to do so! Happy holidays to you as well :-) Kellie

My best friend this time of the year is the UPS guy - Michael! ;) I love Amazon.com too I am always cooking and baking but still refuse to eat anything with more than 8 grams of sugar per serving no matter how good it looks. For the second holiday season in a row I honestly have not been tempted as of yet. It's a miracle if you ask me. Last night I baked 2 coffee cakes, the house smelled so darn good.   I still have to bake 10 dozen cookies for Christmas eve ... and unwrap kisses to stick in the middle on them. The smell of Hersey's kisses is so divine ...

Hi Kellie, I'm doing great this holiday, thanks for asking.  We even threw our first Christmas party.  Food temptations haven't been too bad.  Next year, we'll see, but this year I've been blissfully untempted.  There was a pretty bad incident where I wanted a gingerbread cookie.  I felt like throwing a nice pre-school style fit over said cookie, but I got over it none the worse for wear and sans cookie.  I have indulged in a couple of squares of dark dark chocolate when the urge for chocolate is overwhelming.  One square of the 72% cocoa chocolate usually satisfies me with very little sugar.  More fat than I'd like but I am happy I can stop at one.  The bag I bought has lasted since mid november and is still half full.  I think there were 14 squares in there and I've had 3 or 4.  I can live with that.  I mainly have a strong urge to eat veggies.  The main source of holiday stress for me has always been lack of money, but we were fortunate to come in to a little extra this year so even that hasn't been too bad.  I have gotten some medical bills lately, apparently my anesthesiologist was not in network.. Twice.  So I am a little unhappy about that, but its not unexpected.  Every time I've had surgery it was followed by random bills.  There is also some strife in my marriage, and its uncomfortable, but we are working on it.  I hope things improve, we'll see.  These are not new issues, but I guess now since I can't eat my way to comfort they are coming to the surface and bugging me more.  Arguing sucks, especially when you aren't very good at confrontation.  Neither of us is, and we often take things personally when they weren't intended to be.   No one ever accused marriage of being easy but I hope we won't become one of those terrible post-RNY divorce stories.  I don't think we will, but sometimes I wonder.  Anyway, I hope you & everyone else is handling the holidays well - the time of crazy families, food demons, and charging up credit cards.    Its can be a challenge, and as excited as we get about the holidays, I think a lot of us are glad when they are over with again - until next August when all the Christmas stuff starts showing up in the stores again hehe.  Best Wishes to everyone! Jenn

Hi, Jenn.  Sounds like food stuff is going okay for you this holiday season; good for you.  Dark chocolate is great for satisfying a craving; a little bit goes a long way.   Regarding your marriage, keep working on it.  Work on your conflict resolution skills; they are invaluable in personal relationships as well as in your professional life.  Read some articles on books on how to argue effectively; I'm sure you know the old "make I statements not you statements" stuff, but there's some really helpful advice out there about how to negotiate and resolve complicated issues.  It can also help you learn to understand where he's coming from and vice versa.  One of the things about WLS surgery is that we have to learn how to deal with things that we've been stuffing for years.  It's a painful process, but very healing and empowering in the long run.   {{{{{hugs}}}}} to you -  Kellie

Dunny, I hate confrontation, too.  This was always a sore point in my relationships, because rather than confront the issue, I keep quiet until one day, I get fed up and leave.  Not very healthy.  My mother was a screamer and I couldn't stand it, so I tend to model my father's behavior, which was to either stay silent or walk away from the argument. If you stay aware of the issues that flare up and can work them through, your marriage will be fine. I admire anyone courageous enough to get married.  I'm 50 years old and walked away from two long-term relationships because I refused to get married.  Marriage has always scared me, because there's always the point where you wake up one day, look at your beloved, and say, "I hate the way you chew your food!"   So much for romance.  Not only that, I'm terrified of being tied down. Kix

I Love Christmas!!!!!! I leave for IL in 2 days. I come from a family of great cooks and my youngest son is a head chef. So far I really haven't been challenged by many holiday foods. My constant enemy today and everyday is the CRACKER. You can have a buffet full of food and I will walk right by everything and go straight to the cheese ball and cracker. Not the cakes, pies, or anything just cheese and crackers. I will eat them until I am sick. I am getting better but still tempted.  

We all have our demons, Tricie, and I think for quite a few folks they come in the form of crackers.  So tasty, so crunchy, so delicious, so easy on the pouch, so delicious with cheese...  I have to stay away from the crackers; one cracker just leads to another and another and another...  Unfortunately, I don't get sick, I just eat 500-600 calories of crackers!  And let's not talk about the accompanying cheese.  Sheese -  Anyway, just know that you have company in the battle against the evil cracker empire!!! Kellie

Well, I discovered the other day that I can eat reduced fat Triscuits by the boxful and not even feel it until the next day, when the sodium content causes me to bloat up like a parade balloon.  After eating two boxes in three days, I have decreed that no Triscuits will be allowed in the house.  My sister doesn't like them, so it's no skin off her nose. One of my errands today was a stop at Wally's, and wouldn't you know, the Triscuits were not only on sale, but sitting right at the entrance!  I ignored them even though they waved at me and called my name throughout the store. My challenge is to keep up my activity level in light of bad weather and crowded rec center conditions.  I've got to work on alternatives for exercise.  I am thinking about getting a mini trampoline to jog on at home. I'm not worried about Christmas itself.  My sister is going to spend the day with her daughter in California (well, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) and I am looking forward to doing my own thing without her hovering nearby asking what's happening today?  She has been off work on vacation since the 12th and is not good at entertaining herself.  I'm not used to having someone  hang out with me all day, and it's driving me batty.  She didn't want to go to CA without me, but I insisted (a bit too forcefully, I fear!). Big hugs to you, too! Kix