The Obscenity of it All

The other day one of my clients asked me how much weight I typically gain throughout the Holidays. I thought about it for a sec and realized that I usually lose weight during the Holiday season....I can't say for sure that it happens every year, but what I can say for sure is that I don't gain weight.

The first reason is that I enjoy my everyday foods/meals, and I wouldn't trade them for anything else. The second is that Mark and I

don't go to Holiday parties...heck, we're in bed, even on Saturday nights, by 8:00pm. And I'm lucky that I have boys....they could give a care about celebrations, and typically spend them with their "girls" and their families.

When I cook, I keep Holiday dinner menus to the bare minimum of dishes...only the good stuff! Turkey, stuffing, mashed potato, gravy, yams, green beans, or Prime Rib, Yorkshire pudding, glazed carrots, green salad....that's it. If someone want to bring a pie and whip cream, fine....or dinner rolls? They can knock themselves out! Although I have to admit that my youngest son always looks forward to his Sparkling Apple Cider...but he usually buys it because I forget these days....he also hides it in the back of the refrigerator for some reason...like, who's going to drink it besides him? (throwback response from when his older brother lived at home, lol)

So it's not like I go "on a diet" during the Holidays, instead, maybe I rebel a bit.

When I think about all the decadence (food decadence), that is almost expected of us it seems obscene to me. I find a lot of food obscenity all throughout the year, but during the Holidays people seem to take free license in the name of "fun", "happy", "party", etc. It's also a become a tradition to expect to gain a few pounds and then make a New Year's Resolution to take it off. Like Halloween has become a free license to dress like hooker, Thanksgiving and Christmas is a free license to eat like a pig....

I'm no angel....I eat sweets on a regular basis, nothing is off limits because I find it easier and easier to eat high sugar foods in moderation. In fact, maybe because I allow myself to eat what ever I want, that the foods I want are the ones that help make me feel my best most of the time.

I'm not worried in the least this Holiday season (any more than any other time of the year, lol). Who's in charge of you anyway? There is so much goodness this time of year...real goodness! Winter squashes, seasonal apples, hearty greens....tamales, bread pudding and fudge! Have a bit of everything! But don't buy into the obscenity of it all. Don't be one of "the blind leading the stupid".... See this time of year for what it is. A time to appreciate family and friends, with good food and wine, but not at the expensive of the most precious things you own....your body and your mind.

You are so much better a plate of cookies or a pound of fudge....(I'm reminding myself, lol)

Picture above is a random online image....