Show, then aid - Sabine page 182

[Judg]

Man, you are one busy lady!

I am still working out better responses to stress than eating. I can't say I handle it perfectly, but things are improving. Prayer and meditation are up there, listening to music, preferably with ear buds, cuddled under a blanket (in winter) is another one that works well for me. Music really feeds my soul, at least the stuff I've chosen myself. Sudokus are another way I like to relax.

[Sabine]

Thanks for dropping by, Kim. I get so used to having plenty of stuff to read on weekdays, what with journals and the discussion threads, that the drop-off on the weekends is like withdrawal. I should try to hold off on Fridays, so that I have a bunch to read on Saturday. But I don't have the chops for that.

Judg- Sometimes I go for walks to de-stress, but my go-to response has for such a long time been eating, that often I find myself eating before I even realize I AM stressed. Sigh.

The holiday treats began this evening, with a chocolate Santa, potato salad, and a slice of fruitcake. I am NOT going to keep track for the next two days, but I hope to have the treats END after the 25th. If I can learn to have treats, and then STOP, I will be extremely happy.

Going to make the broccoli cheese soup from the LCHF board sometime over the holiday. And I just made a batch of Winencandy's coconut oil-chocolates (with walnuts) with the leftovers from the chocolate bowls (for serving the rote grutze).

AND...my kitchen is almost clean again, most of the presents are wrapped, the second Owl mitt is almost there, and ALL the gift acquisition is DONE! Meanwhile, Honey has not done the one thing I asked him to do(get the Christmas items [we decorate on Christmas Eve] down from the attic). However, he and Eldest have had a blast playing games together most of the day.

Tomorrow, we rise early and head off on our Christmas Tree Hunt. It gets harder every year to find a lot at all, much less one that is open on Christmas Eve. The year we have to fall back on Home Depot is the year we buy a tree to plant outdoors for the next Christmas. Last year we ended up driving 40 miles before we found one!!

When we get home we'll decorate the tree and the house, then have our special German Christmas Eve dinner. Then, Middlest will be going with friends to church, and Littlest will be going with friends to see 'The Hobbit'. Eldest, Honey, and I will probably play some Dominion, and watch Santa on the NORAD tracker.

Merry, merry Christmas to all my forum friends! I hope you are having a wonderful time.

[Sabine]

I guess I should count myself lucky, that I have held off this long.

Yesterday went like this:

Up at 5:30
Weight: 206.0

12:00 lambchop with cilantro sauce and
1/2 avocado
potato salad

3:00 more potato salad
turkey slices

5:00 2 pieces of candy

6:00 3 beef tamales
1/2C rice
1/2C beans
sour cream

1 small chocolate Santa
a slice of fruitcake
1C eggnog
potato salad.

Then I managed to STOP! I drank another glass of water, and stopped.

Walking: around Target.
Water: 8 glasses

Bed at 10:00

Definitely not primal, but I feel pretty good about it all. One, because I stopped when my mind was saying, 'go for it, it's Christmas. The neighbors were so nice as to bring you a fruitcake, are you really going to stop at one piece? You LOVE fruitcake!' (I do.) Two, because I wrote it all down. There was a temptation to say 'screw it' because I knew I was not planning to stick to a strict plan for Christmas, but I'm glad I wrote it. I think it feels good to see exactly what I ate, and not just know, vaguely, that I went off the tracks. And also, I think it might have been the thing helping me to stop. Not because I HAD to write it down, but because I was CHOOSING to.

I got up this morning, made my tea, and set out the breakfast items for the family( croissants- they are a couple times a year treat, that Middlest LOVES) without feeling any urge to have some for myself. Once everyone is up and fed moving, we'll be heading off to hunt down our tree.

[Sabine]

Does everyone know that you can watch Santa's path around the globe courtesy of NORAD?! He is in South Korea right now.

[JudyCr]

Hey Sabine, he's in Russia now.
I love fruitcake, too. I order the Vermont one, Old Cavendish, every year, sooo good with coffee.
Hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas!!

[Sabine]

Last spotted: Ganja, Azerbaijan!

One of the schools Middlest is considering (Baylor) is only minutes from the Collin Street Bakery Company- simply wonderful fruitcakes. If she goes there, I foresee some serious willpower lessons in my future. Or...lots of fruitcake!

Merry Christmas to you, JudyCr. I hope it is as great as ours is. We've finished decorating the house and tree, and are sitting eating snacks, playing video games, chatting, crafting, and surfing the forum. Dinner in about an hour and a half, and then more serious relaxing, along with church and movies for the girls.

I love Christmas!

[Sabine]

Aargh! Why hang out on a primal/paleo site if you are not even doing primal/paleo, and just complain about how it doesn't work for you?!? I understand offering opposing points of view, but really, in the context of the program! Don't eat a burger, call it primal, then say it didn't work for you, and rag on it.

This is what I am reduced to reading. I need a nice long post from GayPanda on panda school days, you know, as a palate cleanser.

And yes, I HAVE been enjoying my family time. Dinner was great. I am pleasantly full without being stuffed. This is what I was planning on posting in my journal last time, before JudyCr distracted me with fruitcake! I have a few spare minutes while Middlest gets ready for church.

[Siobhan]

Merry Christmas!

I have the same rant. Drives me nuts when people are wondering why primal doesn't work for them when...they're...not...primal. Like having cereal for breakfast, a baked potato with some weird cafeteria sh%t on it, and a pound of meat, a couple of beers, and a brownie (just a small one) for dinner, oh and a few snacks like raisins and M&M's, and then they post "why doesn't primal work for me?" And they're all mad at those of us who actually did the actual primal thing and did experience changes and are tired of hearing how successful we are...gee, wouldn't it be better if we all ate whatever and all failed and all came here and posted that primal doesn't work...okay, I shouldn't be ranting on your journal. Okay one more rant. At least when I screw up I'm woman enough to admit it. I fall down and I get up.

[Sabine]

For a minute there, I thought Hugh Laurie was commenting on my page! Begone spammer!

Ah, the seasons of life. When the kids were young, they could not get us out of bed early enough on Christmas. Now we are up with the dawn, and still waiting for them to stir two hours later. It is nice, though. We have the lights on the tree sparkling in the gloom(raining outside-brrr!). Honey is playing video games, and I am alternating between dishes and the computer, sipping water and tea.

I could already see the effects of treats in my face this morning. I had those funny creases you get when you are bloated. And last night I had Almost Heartburn, where you just kind of feel like it is coming. I took a shot of apple cider vinegar, at it helped. At least, I never felt any True Heartburn.

But this was even with minimal treats. I shudder to think what would have happened if I had really let go as in years past.

The Owl Mitts got knit in time, but I can't find the buttons I bought for the eyes! Aargh! So, she'll be getting blind owls, with a promise of eye surgery in the future. I got two sets of mitts out of the one ball of yarn (bought with a coupon, too!) so I would say they are a very economical gift. $3 per pair. I might make up some more in the New Year, to have on hand for gifts to teenage girls.

Breakfast is going to be lox with cream cheese, capers, and red onions. Bagels for those who want them, but I'm just going to roll mine up and pop it in my mouth. We usually have breakfast about half way through the gifts, but with the kids still sleeping, and the pile of gifts smaller this year, we might do before (my vote- I'm already getting hungry) or after. Then we'll loll about, playing with our presents, and doing some board games, before eating again. Life is good!

Merry Christmas, All!

[Siobhan]

Sounds like a great Christmas, enjoy!