I am so relieved to be able to officially report that I am over the holiday hump of 2009. I stayed on plan pretty well this whole past week and am down 1.4 pounds to 211.6, which is the same weight I was before Thanksgiving. I am ever glad to be done with that nonsense!!!!

Mentally, I knew my gains over the holidays were pretty minimal, and I still stayed accountable the whole time. I also thoroughly enjoyed myself and don't necessarily regret the food decisions I made, with the exception of a few sweets binges that I could have completely done without and still be satisfied. But somewhere in the back of my mind I truly was afraid that I had started a long skid back to 257... and in some ways each pound regained felt like I was right back where I was, because the fear and anticipation of it actually happening was so potent.

But now, as before when I was in a weight loss bubble (waaaay back in February, the last time I took a California trip to be a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding), I have proved to myself that I CAN manage my weight with less than perfect circumstances and less than perfect personal behavior. What felt like my biggest booboo in ages has turned out to be a huge victory over defeating self talk - because I gained a little, lost it again, and am NO worse for wear. I am NOT 257 again, I am NOT in a hole of denial and bad habits, I am ME and I am here, still persisting and winning every day against my lifelong weight battle.

I can take a minor detour in my journey and still get back on track. That is a very, very empowering feeling.

So here's to continuing right where I left off. I can do this and I am, one good decision at a time. I'm doing it with a little pizza here and ice cream there, and with a MASSIVE vacation and holidays thrown in there as well. I am still succeeding even when I stumble a bit, and have not been felled by what amounts to a diet death knell for many people. I, at least, am coming out on top, no matter how slow the weight may be to drop.

I have all the time in my life to keep persisting and succeeding at my weight goals, but there is no time like the present to succeed!