Okay, so I didn't do as well with the diet as I had been hoping I would (I'm dreading my weigh in tonight, the first WW meeting after Christmas); but, on the other hand, I've gotten some good exercise in. Fortunately, my family all pitched in and got me some good fitness-related gifts for Christmas the have already helped out quite a lot.

First, my brother-in-law got me this Polar S120 Heart Rate monitor. It's got a ton of features I haven't even looked at yet, but fortunately the basic use feature is very simple to use: just one button touch is all it takes.

Second, my wife got me this body fat monitor, which my doctor had recommended to me. Sweet.

Finally, my little sister gave my wife the Eye Toy Kinetic; it includes a tiny camera that hooks up to your PlayStation 2 with a USB cord, and this camera can watch your body motions and reflect them in the game. It also has a game for the PS2 which is basically a series of heavy aerobic exercises. By combining the game with the camera, the software monitors your movements and gives you feedback on your exercises. You can set it up with profiles so that my wife and I have our own profiles, and the "personal trainer" mode analyzes your performance and adjusts your personal routine accordingly. We've messed around with it quite a bit, and it's a lot of fun and a really good workout. Plus I can use my new heart rate monitor to make sure I'm within my range.

Of course my family isn't all that forgiving when it comes to the food. There are times when it's easier to cave in and eat the cookie rather than deal with the "But I made them just for yoooooooooou!" guilt. ;)

I was wondering when the Christmas/Holiday/Food posts would start. Thanks for your post, Richard. I was thinking of sharing similar thoughts as yours.

My in-laws are Italian and enjoy good food -- cooking, eating out -- you name it, and are proud of it. So, I was a tad worried about how my diet would be affected. All-in-all I think it went pretty well. I decided I would enjoy the food and not eat until I felt uncomfortable. Then we either went for a walk or shopping at the mall (or I would do "something" as long as it was at least some moderate exercise like go up and down the stairs a few times).

I decided my Christmas diet would be guilt-free since it only comes once a year. I thought of my calories like a budget: I can have this piece of pie because I still have some free calories available in my "account."

The summary is that I haven't lost any weight, but I haven't gained either. I look forward to this next week when I can get back on schedule.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I managed to do the same Paul - I didn't lose any weight over the holidays, but I didn't gain any either. Considering all the great food and other temptations that have been around me, I consider that a victory!

I also did pretty well I think. I made it to the gym on 3 of my 4 days off, and although I enjoyed all the awesome food, I did it slightly below moderation. Overall, I think I stalled my weight loss efforts by only a few days.

The hard part was when my husband's parents wanted to give us all the leftovers to take home. Everything...including desserts. I protested saying that I understand Christmas comes once a year and that I can/should enjoy the festivities, but sending the leftovers home would keep those temptations under my nose for the next two weeks.

Needless to say, I lost...my hubby wanted the leftovers. Another disadvantage of having a spouse who doesn't help support the lifestyle change I am making. He still loves to eat everything in sight. I do too, so I just try to keep it out of sight, you know? Having all those goodies in my house makes it harder for me in these beginning stages to overcome temptation, but I suppose it will make me stronger in the end, right?

Yesterday I came home from work, and there was FOOD everywhere. Yummy! I wanted it all. I had to get out of there, so I got dressed and went to the gym before I fell back into my old afterwork eating habits.

Congrats Richard, Paul and Brandon on your holiday diet successes!

Jennie