This will be my 14th December since I started my ‘last diet’ back in 2010 and over the past 14 years, I’ve approached December in a number of different ways with the only consistent being that I’ve never ‘given up’ and thrown in the towel completely or had the ‘I’ll start again in January’ conversation with myself.
I thought I’d share my plans for December this year and also, by writing this down and making it public, adds a layer of accountability to my plans which is something I know makes a huge difference to my commitment!
First up - where am I at right now at the start of the month
Before setting any goals or making any plans for an upcoming month, it’s important to take a bit of time to evaluate where you are right now and reflect over how things are going, what’s going well and what’s going not as well. This exercise is not one to beat yourself up and focus on your flaws but it’s just an honest conversation with yourself about exactly where are you are at and what’s your starting point for the month ahead.
So, where am I at? I was very very lucky to have a dream 16 day holiday in November and we landed back in the UK on 30 November. I got on the scales on 1st December to see where I was at and was absolutely delighted to see I’d gained 5lbs over that 16 days – probably the best result I’ve ever had for a long holiday.
However, before going on holiday, I was not at the weight I wanted to be and I did want to lose another half a stone – so now with the holiday 5lbs, I’m about 12lbs heavier than I’d ideally like to be as we enter December.
Other observations
- Exercise – pre-holiday, I’d gotten into a really good routine of swimming once a week and running three times a week following the Couch to 5k programme – but I know myself really well and the much colder, wetter and darker mornings can definitely have an impact on my motivation to get out and exercise
- Routine – getting back from a long holiday does throw my routines out quite a bit and it can take me a while to settle back into them so I needed to factor this in
- I had jet lag and time zone issues to contend with
- I was coming back to quite a busy schedule: I had a lot of work to catch up on, I had done absolutely no preparation for Christmas whatsoever and I also had a lot of holiday laundry to do as well as other household chores
So, this was step one – just being really clear with myself on where I was at as well as what potential obstacles, challenges and life stuff I had to content with.
Step two was to think about what I want to achieve in December and how I intend to manage the month in terms of my weight loss, fitness and health.
Setting a headline goal for the month
I don’t always set my goals around the scales but this month, I am setting my main goal to be around my weight – I was starting the month 12lbs heavier than I liked and if I allowed the ‘it’s Christmas’ mindset to kick in, I could be ending the month well over a stone away from where I want to be. Now there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that and I do want to caveat the rest of this post by saying, this is what I am planning to do this year – it doesn’t mean it’s the right way to approach December and it’s absolutely ok if you do say I don’t mind gaining half a stone in December as long as you have plans in place to tackle it and get yourself back on track come January.
So, I’ve made the decision that I don’t want to start 2024 with over a stone to lose and therefore I am giving myself the challenge to lose my holiday 5lbs plus 2lbs more in December. I’m going all in for weight loss this month and I’m making that commitment to myself and my long term goals that being half a stone lighter at the end of the year will make me feel a heck of a lot better than any over-indulgences will taste.
So that’s my top line goal – lose 7lbs.
Next up - how am I going to achieve it?
This is where mindset comes into play! For me, I’ve absolutely learned that December is just another month of the year – yes, it may contain more social events than an average month and yes, it certainly does mean that everywhere you turn from the supermarkets to the TV adverts to the staffroom to visiting friends, food is everywhere but the key is it’s my choice whether I partake or not.
And I’ve decided that this year, I’m limiting my partaking! I’m still going to enjoy the festivities and the build up but I’m simply not going to go mental around the foods on offer.
- I will definitely enjoy a mince pie (they are my favourite) but I won’t be buying boxes of them to have at home. I’ll stick to our normal food shop and meal planning routines for the month and not add any of the festive foods to my trolley (I’m lucky that my hubby is also fully fine with this).
- I’ll make sensible choices on my Christmas social events and happily explain to friends that this year, I really want to focus on my healthy eating goals so not to exert any sort of peer pressure or comments around my choices should that arise.
- I’m cooking Christmas Dinner which is always a really healthy well balanced meal anyway so that’s not a challenge
- I’ll focus on enjoying the events and the festivities and spending time with loved ones as the actual treat
Exercise
As I’ve had a bit of a break for my holiday, it’s really important that I get back into my routines as quickly as possible as it could very easily slip off my priorities list and it’ll be January before I know it so I sat down and put my runs into my diary around my client meetings and other commitments for the next couple of weeks. I also went online and booked all my swim sessions for the month and paid up front for them – a great way to incentivise myself to get up and get to the pool even if it’s pitch black outside.
By committing to my normal exercise routines, I’m prioritising my own health and fitness and that has a knock on effect on my food choices and mental wellbeing too.
Other things to focus on this month
I’ve also set myself some other goals and incentives for the month:
- eat more vegetarian and fish dishes and cut back on meat each week
- try one new recipe a week to keep things interesting
- cut back on processed foods and artificial sweeteners
So that’s it – my goals and plans to lose weight in December.
Please remember, it’s absolutely ok to say ‘no’ to things – if your priorities are around your health and weight, then it’s absolutely your choice how you approach the festive season. I’ve had people comment on things in the past saying ‘bah humbug, why don’t you just let your hair down and enjoy Christmas like normal people’ and you know what, it’s absolutely fine with me if people think like that. They don’t live in my head or in my body and I absolutely never judge anyone on their choices. I’ve had Christmases over the past 14 years where I have gained weight (13lbs in 5 days on one occasion) and I’ve also had Christmases where I’ve lost weight and reached important milestones. This year, I’m doing what feels right for me and I’ll explain it to loved ones and those that matter and to anyone who doesn’t know me, I don’t care what they think!
On the flip side, I also want to say that it’s also absolutely ok to say ‘yes’ to things. Weight loss and healthy eating is a lifelong journey – there are always going to be ups and downs and gains and losses. The key is accepting that, making your choices, being ok with the results and getting yourself back on track without giving up or letting any damage spiral out of control.
I’d love to hear your views on this blog post and if you do have any questions or comments, please do let me know!
As a weight loss coach, I love helping people discover the best ways to reach their individual goals – from working on their mindsets and habits to help with nutrition and healthy eating advice and recipes. If you would like to find out more about my programmes or how I can help you, please do get in touch.
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