Two Years Ago…..

I was working at an Insurance Agency, and gearing up for the Holidays.  I had just quit the program Optifast, one of my last-ditch efforts to lose weight so that I could have a baby.  I got down to 235 and gained it back almost magically overnight.  Quick loss, quicker gain.  I was the only person working in an office that normally ran with 4 full-time agent staff members.  We kept a HUGE bowl of candy on the front reception desk, and with a lack of lunches I snacked on Twix’s and Kit-Kats all. day. long.  Stressful times brought on by training 2 new hires and going into Thanksgiving and Christmas caused a load of binges and mindless eating on a daily basis.  Lunch was brought in because I literally did not take a lunch for 3 months straight.  My boss’s wife (an amazing cook) made delicious cinnamon rolls, and baked goods by the dozen.  Clients brought in Christmas presents of donuts, snacks, and Enstrom’s Toffee.  I got to see my family for 24 hours that year and travelled in a snow storm through high elevation to get home for the holidays.  I ate myself silly and then made my way home to go back to work, and back to the daily grind.  What was my focus 2 years ago?  Keeping my head above water, and apparently keeping myself fed well.

One Year Ago…..

I was working at the same Insurance Agency, but had just gone to part-time, because I was ready to blow any minute.  I was at full term with my pregnancy, weighing in at 296 pounds and enduring the woes of Gestational Diabetes.  My toes were the size of sausages, and my beautiful slender ankles were now referred to as cankles.  I could make handprints in my legs with the amount of water I was retaining.  I had a stressful, induced labor with an emergency c section in the end.  I got the joy of having my mom take care of me for a week and a half, and my husband enjoyed my neediness and how I would cry at the drop of a hat because of the post-pregnancy hormones (I am an independent kind of gal, and my hub’s likes to know that I need him every once in a while). This was the first year in 10 YEARS that I got to enjoy the holiday’s with my family and didn’t have to rush back to work.  I celebrated by eating more.  Even though I got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight (272 lbs.), with breast-feeding I got up to 284 pounds so that my milk supply would stay up.  What was my focus last year?  Making it through post-pregnancy, and adjusting to the life of motherhood.

Today…..

I have not bought Halloween candy yet, and I probably won’t until the day of Halloween.  I won’t by 4 bags like a normally do because it never fails that I have 2 bags left over for me to eat.  This year I don’t have an office to go into everyday, no clients bringing me in food, and no candy bowl at the reception desk to dip my hand into every few minutes.  This year I have a one year old watching my every move.  I am no longer breast-feeding (not since April) and I don’t need extra food to magically create milk.  This year I can go to the gym at any time of the day I desire, and get my workout in after 5 am, unlike when I was working.  Today I will be able to make it through the Holiday’s without gaining weight, and possibly even losing weight.

Right now the only job I have is to take care of my daughter, husband, my home, and most importantly myself.  This time of year is going to change for me this year, and I am excited to see the outcome.  I am so blessed to be able to have this opportunity this year and I want to make sure I am taking full advantage of it.

What are you making your priority this year?  How are you gearing up for the upcoming holiday’s?