“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” ~Dr. Seuess

December is upon us!! The twelfth and final month of 2011!! Time is FLYING! With all the excitement and preparation for the holidays, it’s easy to put taking care of our health at the bottom of the priority list, but I challenge you NOT to do that this year! This is NOT the time to “take a break” from managing your health or your weight. The average American gains 5-7 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which makes even just maintaining the weight you are at now, a HUGE victory. If you “take a break” from your healthy routine, including attending your WW meetings, the chances are far greater that you will GAIN weight rather than stay the same weight. That’s no GIFT to ourselves! Let’s enjoy the heck out of the holidays…Let’s make them the best ever….but let’s do it by staying on program and practicing moderation, balance and kindness to ourselves. Already this week, so many of you at the WW meetings have shared that this past Thanksgiving was one of your most enjoyable because you DIDN’T make it all about the food and you were conscious of the choices you made and DIDN’T allow yourselves to feel guilty. When we consciously choose what we are eating and eat smaller portions more slowly, we actually experience greater satisfaction from the food WITH NO GUILT. That to me, sounds like a far better quality of life than overeating and feeling bad about it later and even worse when our clothes start to feel tight.